4 women appointed as directors in Kuwait's public prosecution

Kuwait’s Attorney General has issued a landmark decision appointing four women as directors within the public prosecution offices, marking the first such move in the country’s history.

According to Kuwaiti media, Attorney General Saad Al-Safran announced on Sunday a restructuring of the prosecution offices, including the reassignment of senior prosecutors to the General Prosecution, and a reshuffle within specialised and regional prosecution divisions, as well as the Office for Examining Complaints and Reports. This reshuffle includes the appointment of four women as directors within the prosecution offices.

Kuwaiti women were granted the right to vote and stand for elections in May 2005. In June of the same year, the government appointed the country’s first female minister, Dr Masouma Al-Mubarak.

In 2020, Kuwaiti women entered the judiciary for the first time, with eight women sworn in as judges on 13 September, despite some public and parliamentary debate surrounding their appointments.

This decision followed an agreement between the Ministry of Justice and the Supreme Judicial Council to appoint female law graduates as prosecutors, supported by a religious ruling from the Fatwa and Legislation Department at the Ministry of Awqaf and Islamic Affairs.

The decision to appoint women to the judiciary followed the acceptance of 20 women as employees in the Public Prosecution six years earlier.

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