The Gulf Centre for Human Rights (GCHR) once again expresses its full solidarity with prominent advocate for the rights of the Bedoon community in Kuwait, Mohammed Al-Barghash, following the unjust prison sentence issued against him solely for his peaceful, legitimate, and civilised activism in defense of the civil and human rights of Bedoon citizens.

On 28 July 2025, the Criminal Court in Kuwait sentenced him to three years in prison after convicting him of broadcasting false news on his X account about the Central Agency for Illegal Residents’ Affairs.

The verdict stated that he allegedly “transmitted news that undermined the prestige of the state, and went beyond that to publishing and inciting public opinion… so he was rightly convicted of these two charges against him.”

Reliable local sources confirmed that the sentence has been appealed.

On 03 June 2025, Al-Barghash posted a video on his X account, in which he thanked all those who inquired about him and followed up on his case. He also spoke about his request to meet with Interior Minister Fahad Al-Yousef to talk about the injustice imposed on him and to all citizens of the Bedoon community. He also expressed his surprise that his request was being used to file a legal complaint against him, despite the fact that he submitted this request after Al-Yousef himself invited bloggers to write to him instead of posting their complaints on social media.

On 11 June 2025, he appeared before the Public Prosecution. He was charged with state security offences, and detained in the Central Prison pending the start of his trial.

On 12 May 2025, Al-Barghash posted on his X account a photo of his request to meet with the Minister of Interior. In his request, he stressed the failure of the Central Apparatus for Illegal Residents’ Affairs to resolve the chronic problems facing the Bedoon community in Kuwait in the last 15 years.

Independent legal experts unanimously agreed that the Central Apparatus for Illegal Residents’ Affairs has failed to achieve the objectives for which it was established by the Emiri Decree in 2010. It has clearly and explicitly failed to address the situation of thousands of members of the Bedoon community, who continue to suffer from the authorities’ confiscation of their basic civil and human rights. They also affirmed that Al-Barghash’s expression of his personal opinions on public affairs falls within his right to freedom of expression, as guaranteed by the Kuwaiti Constitution, which affirms its protection in Article (36).

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Al-Barghash belongs to the Bedoon community in Kuwait. He founded the National Bloc of Kuwaiti Bedoons, which he also heads, and which has organised a number of events to shed light on the chronic problems that the Bedoon community suffers and demand radical solutions to them. He uses his X account to share his peaceful views and defend the rights of stateless citizens.

Recommendations

GCHR calls on the authorities in Kuwait to:

1. Immediately quash the three-year prison sentence against prominent human rights defender Mohammed Al-Barghash and drop all charges against him;
2. Immediately and unconditionally release him; and
3. Respect public freedoms, including the right to freedom of expression and peaceful protest, and refrain from using laws or the judiciary to criminalise human rights defenders and online activists.