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Introduction





Asia

Europe and Central Asia

Middle East and North Africa

Special Issues and Campaigns

United States

Arms

Children’s Rights

Women’s Human Rights

Appendix




Defending Human Rights

Kuwait continued to deny formal recognition to all human rights nongovernmental associations and to restrict their ability to organize public meetings and events. The Council of Ministers had ordered the dissolution of all unlicensed human rights and humanitarian organizations in August 1993, but more recently had tolerated some informal gatherings by human rights activists, including members of the unlicensed Kuwaiti Society for Human Rights (KSHR), an affiliate of the Arab Organization for Human Rights. Some human rights activists were able to meet under the auspices of registered associations, such as the University Graduates' Society.

On May 9, the Interior Ministry's director general of punitive institutions prevented National Assembly Human Rights Committee members from making a prearranged visit to the Central Prison, despite the committee's parliamentary mandate to visit and receive complaints from prisoners. The minister of interior later called the decision "a misunderstanding." However, the ministry had interfered with past visits, including confiscating prisoners' written complaints to the committee in January 1996.

A Human Rights Watch delegate met in April with government officials, lawyers, activists, and victims in Kuwait, and in February delegates from Amnesty International sponsored a joint conference with the Kuwaiti Bar Association titled "Justice and Human Dignity."

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