The strangling superiority complex of Kuwait

From the outside, it appears that Kuwait is glowing with prosperity. They pride themselves on the economic development of their tiny country, perceived stability in an increasingly volatile region and most importantly, their sharp progression with women’s rights. Every February, the streets of Kuwait are full of people celebrating the month of their Liberation Day. Kuwaitis are generally kept happy, as long as they remain apolitical about controversial issues that are seen to impact national security and talk about the Emir with nothing but praise.

Kuwait’s crackdown on freedom of speech has however reached new levels of extreme in recent months. On 18 March Tareq Al-Mutairi, head of the Civil Democratic Movement (CDM) in Kuwait, was jailed for insulting Saudi Arabia on his Twitter account. He was approached by plain-clothed state security forces on his way home and was detained. The Kuwaiti Interior Ministry in a statement admitted to the incident, but did not disclose the content of the tweets that led to the arrest of Al-Mutairi. His arrest sparked outrage amongst CDM members, as many of them believe that the arrest was orchestrated to intimidate them. A week prior to this, Hakem Al-Mutairi, leader of the Islamic party Al Ummah was also arrested but for criticising the UAE in an interview on a state television channel. The basis for his arrest was that citizens insulting any of Kuwait’s allies can potentially jeopardise bilateral relations. Amongst these allies are all of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries, including Egyptian President Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi, who Kuwait supported when he orchestrated a coup against the democratically elected former President Mohammed Morsi.

The crackdown on freedom of speech has resulted in protests by members of opposition parties, which the Kuwaiti police have responded to harshly. On 23 March, a nonviolent protest of 800 people calling for the release of jailed activists including former MPs Mussallam Al Mubarak and Saad Al Ajimi took place in Kuwait City. Both MPs were arrested for criticising the Kuwaiti monarchy and Al Ajimi wrote an online article exposing government corruption. Kuwaiti Special Forces detained 16 people, including a prominent Kuwaiti human rights activist, Nawaf Al Hindal.

Foreign Kuwaiti residents are not exempt from this crackdown. In early June 2014, the Kuwaiti government announced the deportation of an Egyptian immigrant for commenting on domestic Egyptian affairs. When giving a talk at a Mosque, Imam Sayed Faraj Abu Halima referred to the post-military coup Egyptian elections as ‘rigged’ and said that he believes the low turnout was because the Egyptian people knew Al-Sisi’s elections would be forged, regardless of their vote. He, his wife and two children were sent back to Egypt, with little regard as to how he would be punished for the comments by Al-Sisi’s regime which is known for its brutality.

In addition to threatening their freedom of speech, the Kuwaiti government is denying its foreign residents many basic rights, such as limiting their rights to work as a part of their racist “Kuwaitisation” process. There is no protection from abuse by employers of expat workers and they lack basic rights. Cases of expat employees being raped, beaten and kept against their will after the confiscation of their passports are not uncommon. Even non-Kuwaiti residents who have been in Kuwait for generations are not only denied the right to citizenship in the country their grandfather was born in, but they are as other immigrants; reliant on finding a Kuwaiti sponsor to file their visas.

The extreme measures that Kuwait is using against both its own citizens and foreign residents are what can only be imagined in an Orwellian type world. The past few years have shown the Kuwaiti government dismiss even basic human rights. The international community has been silent on the matter. This silence is a betrayal of Kuwaiti human rights activists who face daily persecution and risks, but also of non-Kuwaiti residents who are forced to live with constant insecurity.

The views expressed in this article belong to the author and do not necessarily reflect the editorial policy of Middle East Monitor.