AP reports that Syrian residents in Kuwait have been held for over 48 hours on suspicion of false documents.
Over 50 Syrians have been denied reentry and were transferred on Monday to an airport hotel while investigations continue. The Syrians must pay for their own hotel accommodations or cancel their residencies and leave the country immediately, according to AP.
Ayman Nashewati, a sound engineer who works in Kuwait, confirmed to AP that he was detained after returning from a weekend in Dubai.
Another Syrian national, under conditions of anonymity, spoke to AP about the situation. His wife was allowed into Kuwait, but the man and his children are still waiting at the airport. “We had to sleep on the floor or on the benches in the waiting area in the airport,” he said. “My nine-year-old son keeps asking me when he can see his mother. My kids missed two days of school because of this. I don’t know what to do.”
Kuwait currently hosts 130,000 Syrian nationals and the country is publically supportive of the Syrian opposition forces.
A Kuwaiti newspaper claims Kuwaiti authorities were recently told to deny Syrian passport holders due to fraud and multiple problems with passport issuers in Damascus. Kuwaiti authorities did not respond to AP when asked to comment.
