The arbitrary imprisonment of Bedoon rights defender Mohammed al-Barghash by Kuwaiti authorities on 11 June 2025 raises serious human rights concerns. This is not the first time al-Barghash has been unjustly targeted for his peaceful activism. His repeated persecution underscores a broader pattern of repression in Kuwait, where authorities persistently violate the right to freedom of expression to silence dissenting voices.
Kuwait’s pattern of repression is rooted in its legal framework, which contravenes its obligations under Article 19 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, a treaty that guarantees the right to freedom of opinion and expression. Under the guise of national security, Kuwait’s Cybercrime Law and the Penal Code contain vague and overly broad provisions that criminalize criticism of the government, state institutions, or religious figures online. Those, like al-Barghash, who dare to speak out risk hefty fines and prison sentences.
Al-Barghash has been an avid advocate for the Bedoon—the stateless population of Kuwait. Since the country’s independence in 1961, generations of Bedoon have been denied the right to citizenship. To this day, they face systemic discrimination and exclusion from fundamental rights and services, including public education, healthcare, and legal employment. Al-Barghash has worked to highlight these struggles through peaceful protests, regular social media posts, and online forums. In 2022, al-Barghash founded the National Bloc of Kuwaiti Bidun, an activist coalition formed to demand equal rights for the stateless.
But the Kuwaiti authorities have repeatedly punished al-Barghash for his activism. In 2022, he was arrested and fined for organizing a peaceful protest. In 2023, he was again arrested and, in January 2024, sentenced to three years in prison on baseless charges of spreading fake news, harming the state’s reputation, and misusing communication devices. These accusations stemmed from his online activity and a TV interview with another Bedoon activist. Although the Court of Cassation eventually overturned the conviction and acquitted him, he had already endured nearly a year of unjust imprisonment. In a separate case from 2024, al-Barghash was finally acquitted in May 2025, despite efforts by the Central Apparatus for Illegal Residents’ Affairs to block his exoneration.
Al-Barghash’s most recent persecution began on 3 June 2025, when he posted a video on X referencing a request he had made to meet with Kuwait’s Interior Minister, Fahad Al-Youssef, to discuss ongoing injustices in the country. Although his request directly responded to the minister’s public invitation for bloggers to share their concerns, a legal complaint was filed against him. Days later, on 11 June, al-Barghash was summoned by the Public Prosecution and detained on unspecified security charges. He now awaits trial in Kuwait’s Central Prison, where, according to the Gulf Centre for Human Rights, he could remain for one to two months before the hearings even begin, despite technically being eligible for release on bail.
The lack of transparency and clear justification for al-Barghash’s charges is concerning. His case is not an isolated incident but rather emblematic of a broader, systemic effort to silence dissenting voices in Kuwait. The repeated imprisonments al-Barghash has faced, under vague national security claims and obscure legal proceedings, reflect how deeply entrenched the criminalization of dissent has become. Al-Barghash’s case also reinforces the government’s flagrant refusal to engage with public concerns and implement meaningful reforms.
The post Kuwait’s Crackdown on Stateless Voices: The Case of Mohammed al-Barghash appeared first on Americans for Democracy & Human Rights in Bahrain.
This post was originally published on Americans for Democracy & Human Rights in Bahrain.