Kuwait is about to become the first country to require all citizens, expatriates, residents and visitors to provide a DNA sample to the government database.
The law was ratified in 2015, a week after the bombing of a Shiite mosque in Kuwait City. It should increase national security and protect the country from terrorist attacks. Citizens will only receive the new e-passports if they submit their DNA. Refusing the compulsory testing could mean a year in jail or a $33,000 fine. Nevertheless, thousands of Kuwaitis are expected not to come forward for the DNA test in fear of losing their nationality (Read more). Kuwait Times reported some citizens are even selling their houses cheaply to avoid mandatory DNA testing.
It is also expected that Kuwait’s tourism, business and scientific research will suffer from the law as tourists, business executives and scientists may want to avoid DNA testing.
Various groups and delegations, including the UN Human Rights Committee, Human Rights Watch and the European Society of Human Genetics, have reached out to Kuwait’s government to amend or cancel the law, saying that it violates the right to privacy.
Constitutional expert Muhammad Al-Faili now said that the DNA law has many constitutional loopholes. Al-Faili further explained that the constitutional judge will have to balance between protection of the right and breaching the right for security purposes once the case is presented to the court. The Judge will look into existing guarantees that protect personal privacy and determine risks of violating privacy. He will also present a verdict from the European Court for Human Rights, which rules that storing the DNA of innocent people violates their rights and privacy.
Sources: The Washington Post, Arab Times, Kuwait Times
Read more on Kuwait:
- When blood determines your right to citizenship, free education & healthcare (25th August 2016)
-
UN Human Rights Committee urges Kuwait to amend DNA testing law (16th July 2016)
-
Kuwait will require all tourists to provide DNA samples (28th April 2016)
-
Kuwait to be the first country with mandatory DNA testing for all citizens (24th January 2016)
-
New Kuwaiti passports require DNA profiling (16th December 2015)