Documenting the weaponization of identity against those who dare to speak.
The System Explained
In the Gulf, "citizenship" is not a right; it is a privilege granted by the ruler and revocable at his will. This legal fragility is the foundation of state control. Governments routinely use vague anti-terrorism and cybercrime laws to strip critics, human rights defenders, and their families of their nationality. Once denaturalized, a citizen becomes a legal ghost. They become unable to work, travel, access healthcare or even register the birth of their own children.
Activists are frequently tried in specialized criminal courts where peaceful tweets are legally equated with violent extremism.
Citizenship revocation is often used against entire families to punish a single dissident, creating multi-generational statelessness.
"Munasaha" (counselling) centres allow the state to hold prisoners long after their sentences have expired under the guise of "rehabilitation."
Building the Case
We assist stateless individuals and political refugees with confidential case documentation for asylum and legal protection proceedings.
Regional Reports: The State of Repression