Kuwait's information ministry should immediately revoke Monday's order closing the local Al Jazeera office indefinitely and revoking correspondents' accreditation. An information ninistry spokesperson, Faisal al-Mutalaqam, told Kuwait's official news agency that the station had covered recent events in a way that infringed upon Kuwait's internal affairs.

Many governments’ immigration policies and protection gaps expose migrants to abuse, Human Rights Watch said in a report today in advance of International Migrants Day, December 18, 2010. The abuses include labor exploitation, violence, trafficking, mistreatment in detention, and killings, yet the nations involved offer limited recourse to seek justice.

Kuwait's interior ministry should not use violence to disperse peaceful political gatherings. On the evening of December 8, 2010, special forces security officers forcibly dispersed a diwaniya, or informal political gathering, held at a private home in Kuwait, injuring four members of parliament, a Kuwait University professor, a journalist, and others severely enough that they required hospital treatment.

Kuwait's prime minister should withdraw charges against a writer accused of libel and slander and free him from prison immediately. Mohammad al-Jasim was sentenced to a year in jail on November 22, 2010, based on criticisms of the prime minister al-Jasim published on his blog in November 2009.

Domestic workers in Kuwait who try to escape abusive employers face criminal charges for “absconding” and are unable to change jobs without their employer’s permission. Migrant domestic workers have minimal protection against employers who withhold salaries, force employees to work long hours with no days off, deprive them of adequate food, or abuse them physically or sexually.

The Kuwaiti government’s announcement that it will abolish its employer-based sponsorship system for recruiting migrant workers by February 2011 is a significant step to address a major source of labor abuse.

Human Rights Watch welcomes the Kuwaiti government’s support for recommendations to enact legislation protecting the labor rights of domestic workers, and to grant stateless persons permanent residence and improve their access to healthcare and educational services, which would help address two of the most pressing human rights concerns in the country.

By permitting critics to speak their minds freely, the government will do more to protect its credibility than any damage such criticisms could cause.