The Kuwaiti government revoked the citizenship of thousands of people overnight. Most of the victims were women. When people woke up in the morning, some of their bank accounts were closed and some of their other government services were closed. When they inquired, they found out that their citizenship had been revoked. In May 2024, the Emir of Kuwait called democracy a threat and announced amendments to the constitution. The government is mostly revoking the citizenship of people who got citizenship here after marriage. This list mostly includes women who got citizenship by marrying Kuwaiti men.
When Lama tried to make a payment by credit card in Kuwait City, he found that his account had been frozen. Investigation revealed that his citizenship had been revoked. Lama is originally from Jordan. Emir Sheikh Meshal Al Ahmed Al Sabah became the Emir of Kuwait in December 2023. He then dissolved parliament and suspended parts of the constitution. Now the Emir says that only those people who have blood ties to the people here will be considered citizens of Kuwait. The Emir said in a speech that only one-third of the approximately five million people living in Kuwait are true Kuwaitis. The Emir said that now only native people will remain in Kuwait. Lama is also among the 37,000 people who have lost their citizenship since August. Of these, about 26,000 are women. This is the data of the Kuwaiti government. Media say that the real numbers could be even higher.
