The bedoons are oppressed on their basic rights in Kuwait. We don’t get education, healthcare, work, marriage and other rights. So we took this opportunity to remind the people of our lost rights," said Ahmad Al-Tamimi, the Head of the Kuwaiti Bedoon Committee.
The Preamble to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights proclaims this Declaration to be a common standard of achievement for all peoples and all nations, to the end that every individual and every organ of society, keeping the declaration constantly in mind, shall strive by teaching and education to promote respect for these rights and freedoms and by progressive national and international measures, shall work to secure their universal and effective recognition and observation, both among the peoples of Member States themselves and among the peoples of territories under their jurisdiction.
Based on the rights enshrined in the UDHR, the committee held this protest to remind the Kuwaiti people and government of bedoons’ oppressed status. "Today we want to send a message to the Kuwaiti government to activate the humanitarian laws that give us our rights. Kuwait signed this declaration and other declarations and treaties regarding human rights, which all give us these basic rights to live a respectable life," Al-Tamimi said.
Further obstacles have been imposed on the bedoon, which prevent them from receiving their basic rights and needs. "The Ministry of Interior has imposed some security restrictions on the bedoons which banned authorities from issuing some official papers, which restricts [bedoon people’s] rights.
These restrictions were introduced illegally, and if the government thinks it’s right, it should leave the decision to the court. We are loyal to Kuwait in exactly the same way as the Kuwaitis. We demand that the constitution be applied to get our dignity," he concluded.
MP Dr Mohammed Al-Hatalani attended the protest in support of the bedoons. Two poets also read their poems describing the situation of bedoons in Kuwait. Between 70 and 80 people attended the event, with a few police patrol vehicles and an ambulance present on standby. Copies of the Kuwaiti Constitution were distributed to all those attending, along with a number of pamphlets describing the poor living conditions of Kuwait’s bedoon population.
