KUWAIT CITY, 24 August 2004 — Kuwait yesterday recognized its first human rights non-governmental organization (NGO), although the group has been functioning illegally for about 10 years, the information minister said.
“The Cabinet has taken note of the decision by the Ministry of Social Affairs and Labor to recognize the Kuwait Human Rights Association (KHRA),” Mohammad Abulhassan said in a statement after the weekly Cabinet meeting on Sunday.
The measure came after the government introduced regulations and conditions for the establishment and operation of NGOs, Abulhassan said.
KHRA was established in the mid-1990s by a group of liberal activists who had failed to win official registration for the organization despite backing from MPs.
Several months ago, Kuwait lifted a freeze on the establishment of NGOs which had been imposed about 20 years ago.
