KUWAIT CITY, July 21, (Agencies): Kuwait
on Monday revoked the citizenship of the owner of a pro-opposition television
station and a newspaper, along with several other people, in an apparent
crackdown on dissent.In a statement issued after a cabinet meeting,
the government said it was revoking the citizenship of Ahmad Jabr al-Shemmari,
owner of Al-Youm satellite television and Alam Al-Youm newspaper, and all
members of his family.
It took the same action against former Islamist
opposition MP Abdullah al-Barghash, two of his brothers and his sister.The measures come a week after the Kuwaiti
government ordered a review of the citizenship of people who posed a threat to
national security.Monday’s statement gave no specific reasons for
the action against Shemmari, a naturalised citizen.
But it noted that it was based on a provision in
the nationality law that allows the authorities to revoke the citizenship of
people who threaten the state.Al-Youm and Alam Al-Youm have covered the
activities of the opposition which has staged mass protests in the past two
years, demanding fundamental reforms including an elected government.Alam Al-Youm reported on Monday that the police
had questioned its non-Kuwaiti staff and seized their passports.
The cabinet said the citizenships of Barghash and
his relatives were revoked because they had been granted on the basis of false
information.link
When some people finally get the citizenship they still don't appreciate it. The whole family lost their citizenship, that has he to be an awful feeling.
I always wonder, when they revoke these people's citizenship, where do they go? Do they stay in Kuwait? Are they considered illegal? Are they all of a sudden stateless? Do they require a visa to live and work there? I assume (if they're employed by a ministry) they must lose their jobs? And any additional income? What about their debt (because you know they have some)? Does their home go into foreclosure? Do their cars get repossessed? And when they say 'entire family' does this mean self/spouse/children or does that mean everyone from parents, aunts, uncles, cousins, etc? I've always suspected that revoking of citizenship thing to be yet another law that looks good on paper but isn't really implemented to the fullest extent.
ReplyDeleteCorrection: All Saudi dual citizens are Bedu.
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