More than 2,400 Muthanna citizens demand compensations from Kuwait

BAGHDAD / IraqiNews.com – More than 2,400 citizens from southern Iraq’s Muthanna Province have presented their files to the Iraqi Human Rights Ministry’s office in the province, demanding financial compensations from Kuwait, where they used to work before 1990, the office’s Director said on Sunday.   “Our office has received over 2,400 files during the past 3 months, including demands for compensations from Kuwait, where they used to work before its occupation by Iraq in 1990,” Majid Naeem al-Hibashy told IraqiNews.com news agency.   He said that the demands had been raised to the Human Rights Ministry, after the formation of a central committee in the Council of Ministers, related to the rights of Iraqis forced out of Kuwait, adding that the committee had “authorized the Human Rights Ministry to receive demands for compensations in Baghdad and other provinces.”   Kuwaiti authorities had forced thousands of Iraqi and non-Iraqi families, belonging to the so-called “Bidoun (people without Kuwaiti nationality)”, who resided in Kuwait, towards the Iraqi borders.   The Iraqi government had allowed those families to enter Iraq during the period that followed the withdrawal of Iraq from Kuwait in 1991 and till 1994, whilst the previous Iraqi regime had closed the borders in the face of the remaining people, who were sent out of Kuwait after that, forcing hundreds of them to stay in a camp on the borders and then return to Kuwait.   “Those persons, who used to reside in Kuwait and claim that they had properties and rights, under responsibility of the Kuwaiti authorities, have presented information and documents proving their existence in Kuwait before 1990, along with documents authorizing them to demand the Iraqi Ministry of Human Rights and the Iraqi government to present their demands on their behalf,” he said.   Hibashy said that “most of those, who presented demands for compensation, had also presented documents proving that they had worked as employees in Kuwaiti official institutions, or in the  Kuwaiti Army or police.   One of the said persons had presented documents, proving that he had resided in Kuwait since 1933, working as one of the special guards for the Emir (Prince) of Kuwait, whilst his sons had worked in the Emiry Guards, all demanding their rights, confirmed by the Kuwaiti laws.   “We, on our part, are sending the files we receive to the Ministry, that will be checked by the Legal Rights office in the Ministry, that will send them to the Council of Ministers,” he concluded.   Samawa, the center of Muthanna Province, is 280 km to the south of Baghdad.   SKH (TF)/SR 556