German law to stripe ISIS fighters of citizenship
The debate is still ongoing within the German
government coalition regarding the way to deal with the fighters of elements of
Daesh, as the first proposals to enact new laws in this regard in 2014.
In the coalition government last year, the Christian
Union and the Social Democratic Party agreed on drafting a law concerning of
nationality from combatants in the ranks of terrorist groups.
About 1,000 German citizens have traveled to Iraq
and Syria to join the ranks of an oppressive organization. Many of them have
died, and are now in the camps of Syria's Kurdish-majority democratic forces.
There is debate about striping citizenship from at least 70 of them.
“The authorities are trying to strip citizenship
from the German fighters” German government spokesman Stephan Zeibert said in a
press statement. She added it will happen according to an understanding
agreement between German Interior Minister Horst Zehofer and Justice Minister
Katarina Barley, and a bill is to be issued soon.
The German government has adopted several grounds
for deciding whether or not to withdraw citizenship. Anyone who has a second
nationality and reaches the age of majority and seeks future participation in
fighting terrorist groups can initially be stripped of German citizenship.
However, the law will have no retroactive effect on the fighters currently
detained outside Germany.
Those currently in possession of another nationality
cannot be stripped of German citizenship now. According to the current law,
German citizenship can be withdrawn if the persons concerned enter without the
consent of the Ministry of Defense of foreign forces.
The law will
be in force in the future if someone participates in combat operations of
terrorist militias abroad , And the decision to withdraw the passport will be
considered by the federal interior ministers.
