Cairo July 8 of 2012

ANHRI condemns the Kuwati authorities act of dispersing  a peaceful demonstration of “the state-less”, using the excessive violence and power as well arresting a number of protesters among them activists and journalists.

ANHRI said “the Kuwati authorities disperses of the “state-less” demonstration, considers to be a procrastination of the government and an ignorance to the case of nationalize the state-less as well as the acknowledgment of their rights as a citizens.”

The state-less are a group who lives in Kuwait since long decades, but the government refuses to recognize them as citizens and refuses to grant them the nationality. The estimations of their numbers are varied. Some other gulf states like “Qatar” and “Emirates” have the same problem.

After the Friday prayers, the day before yesterday, “state-less” group organized a peaceful demonstration in the hall of the people’s mosque in “Tima’”. A number of about 200 persons assembled, demanded from the government to solve their pending problems of “nationalization”, as well as considering their problems of they do not have employment opportunities and the forbidding of the new students from learning as they do not have a certificate of birth.

Some representatives from the Human Rights organization and some journalists solidarity with the peaceful demonstration, who were banned from getting near to the place of the sit-in. The security forces gave them 5 minutes to end the demonstration. A minute after, the forces disperse the demonstration using excessive violence, tear gas, sound, waters and chasing the protesters to the sub- streets.

The violence resulted in the injury of the some protesters as well as the authorities arrested some of them, about (6-12) persons. The lawyer “Mohamed El-Fadly” was among the people who were arrested. He was investigated in the Tima’ police station, then and after hours he was released. He was arrested against the international law which bans the arrest of the lawyers, in addition to the assault against the female activist “Fatma Al-Matter”.

It is worthy to be noted, that the Kuwati Summary Court, reviews several cases, in which the a lot of the “state-less” people are accused, after they participated in demonstrations. The Ministry of Interior issued a release, in the last few days, warns  from the organizing any peaceful demonstrations.

ANHRI said “the said releases is a clear violation to the freedom of expression, speech and peaceful demonstration, which is granted by all of the international charters and treaties, in which Kuwait is a member.”

ANHRI calls the Kuwaiti authorities to the immediate releases of the detainees and guarantee their safety.
ANHRI added “the security solutions with the state-less people fails and repress will be worthy less to convince people to retreat from their rights. The government of Kuwait, should form an ad-hoc committee to review the state-less people and find a solution for it.”