50 Passengers Released After 72 Hours From Kuwait Airport

Kuwait has allowed more than 50 Syrians who are Kuwaiti residents to re-enter the country after they were held up at the airport for nearly 72 hours and told their passports were being checked for possible forgeries, some of those in the group said Thursday.

There was no immediate comment from airport authorities in Kuwait City, where the Syrians, including children, were barred from entering the country over the weekend.

Kuwait is home to more than 130,000 Syrian nationals, according to Kuwaiti government statistics released in 2014. Ayman Nashewati, a 42 year-old sound engineer who works in Kuwait, said he was returning from a weekend in Dubai when airport authorities placed him in a waiting room with other Syrians suspected of having forged documents.

The Syrians were handed back their passports after midnight Tuesday and told they were free to enter and return to their families and homes in Kuwait, he said, adding that authorities did not give them any explanation

"I'm not sure I would want to travel again," he said. "This was very stressful for my wife and kids who were waiting for me at home."

Abu Tarek, who would only give his nickname fearing repercussions, said he and his three children had to sleep at the airport while his wife was allowed in right away. Though he was born and raised in Kuwait, he said that life as a Syrian citizen is becoming "unbearable."

"I don't blame the government of Kuwait for taking security measures, but I can't hide my disappointment," he said. "It hurts a lot ... where do you go? Where do you take your family? No one wants to take you in.

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