Kuwaiti lawyers challenge forced DNA sampling law

Lawyers in Kuwait have issued a legal challenge to a law which forces all citizens, expats and visitors to give samples of their DNA to the government.

The National Assembly passed the DNA testing law on 2 July 2015, it is mandatory for everyone who lives in or visits Kuwait. Authorities have said the law was necessary for security and counter-terrorism purposes.

After the law was passed, Kuwaiti law firm Adel AbdulHadi & Partners and his colleagues began drafting their campaign to contest it. They said in a statement on Tuesday that the law is a “violation of basic human rights” and is “a clear violation to the Islamic principles of Sharia and Jurisprudence of Sunnah in respect of proving paternity.”

“Compelling every citizen, resident and visitor to submit a DNA sample to the government is similar to forcing house searches without a warrant,” the New Scientist reported AdbdulHadi saying. “The body is more sacred than houses.”

He argues that the law means every single person is now considered a suspect until proven innocent

The lawyers are funding the challenge themselves on the grounds that they personally object to it. “As a person subject to this law, I’ve decided personally, and with my law partners, to launch this challenge,” he added.

According to an investigation by the Kuwait Times, specimens of DNA will most likely be taken from saliva or through a few drops of blood placed on special cards. They will then be tested in a lab located in the Interior Ministry’s General Department of Criminal Evidence building.