Shafaq News- Basra
The Iraqi High Commission for Human Rights (IHCHR) office inBasra on Saturday urged government action to assist Iraqi-origin women strandedin Kuwait without identification documents or residency after their Kuwaiticitizenship was revoked.
Speaking to Shafaq News, office director Mahdi Al-Tamimisaid the appeal called on the Prime Minister’s Office to direct the InteriorMinistry to send a specialized team to Kuwait to reissue Iraqi documents forthe affected women due to their “difficult humanitarian conditions.”
Many of the women, most of them originally from Basra, aremarried to Kuwaiti citizens, with some holding court-issued custody rulings,Al-Tamimi explained. However, they cannot apply for residency in Kuwait becauseauthorities require Iraqi documents they no longer have, after their civilrecords were previously removed from Iraq’s civil registry as part ofprocedures linked to obtaining Kuwaiti citizenship.
He added that Kuwaiti authorities had withdrawn theirofficial documents, including passports and bank cards, calling for swiftmeasures to restore their Iraqi identification papers.
According to the United Nations Human Rights Office,Kuwait’s citizenship revocation measures, launched in March 2025, have had“devastating and disproportionate” consequences for women and children,affecting more than 70,000 people, including foreign women who acquired Kuwaitinationality through marriage.
Kuwait says the policy aims to correct legal violations inthe naturalization process, including cases involving alleged fraud and dualcitizenship, which is prohibited under Kuwaiti law. Other citizenshipwithdrawals have been carried out under the 1959 Nationality Law whenauthorities determine they serve the state’s higher interests.
