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Saving Newborn Rohingya from a Legal Abyss
The government of Bangladesh has already promised to uphold its obligation to register newborn Rohingya refugees. For the sake of international law—and the children’s future—it must stop dragging its feet.
Open Society Justice Initiative and Namati Launch Guide to Document Citizenship for Stateless People
A new guidebook, created through a partnership between the Open Society Foundations, Namati, and the UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, seeks to help the 1.1 billion people who lack access to crucial identification documents.
A Community-Based Practitioner’s Guide: Documenting Citizenship and Other Forms of Legal Identity
This guide provides instructions on how to establish a community-based paralegal program to help people document citizenship and other forms of legal identity.
Huseynov v. Azerbaijan
Through this application before the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR), Emin Huseynov, an Azerbaijani journalist, sought a ruling that a declaration renouncing his nationality—made under duress—cannot be used by the government to revoke his citizenship.
Dabetić v. Italy
The Justice Initiative has filed an application before the European Court of Human Rights regarding Italy’s failure to remediate an individual's prolonged status of statelessness in a timely manner, which resulted in harms including inability to work, threat of deportation, and denial of protection from the state.
Anudo v. United Republic of Tanzania
Anudo Ochieng Anudo was forced to live in “no-man’s land” on the border between Tanzania and Kenya, as neither country recognized him as a citizen.
Born in the Americas: The Promise and Practice of Nationality Laws in Brazil, Chile, and Colombia
This examination of citizenship regimes in Brazil, Chile and Colombia finds weaknesses that create the risk of statelessness.
Case Watch: How a Decision on Danish Naturalization Law Leaves Issues Unresolved
A ruling from the European Court of Human Rights glosses over the human story of a torture survivor's long struggle with stupefying bureaucracy.
Pham (previously B2) v. Home Secretary
The UK stripped Pham Minh Quang of his citizenship, claiming he was still a Vietnamese citizen and so not stateless. He appealed to the Supreme Court, but his appeal was rejected.
Expelled Dominicans and Haitians v. Dominican Republic
Mass expulsions from the Dominican Republic of people of Haitian descent breached the duty to prevent statelessness.
Home Secretary v. Al-Jedda
The UK government stripped Al-Jedda of his citizenship, arguing he could re-apply for Iraqi citizenship and was not stateless. The UK Supreme Court found that indeed he was left stateless.
“I Am Kuwaiti”
Fifty years ago, when Kuwait became a country, the bidoon were cut out of the deal. They have been stateless ever since. Photographer Greg Constantine has been documenting their stories.
France’s New Government Moves Quickly on Discriminatory Police Stops
France’s new prime minister, Jean-Marc Ayrault, says his government is planning to introduce a system of “receipts” aimed at tracking police stops that have been found to focus disproportionately on Arab and African youths.
Israel’s Supreme Court Condones Discriminatory Citizenship Law
In a setback for equal rights, the Israeli Supreme Court rejected a series of petitions challenging a law that, among other things, makes it impossible for Palestinians to acquire Israeli citizenship through marriage.
Adalah v. Israel
This case is about discrimination in Israel, where citizens who marry individuals from the Occupied Palestinian Territories, Iran, Iraq, Syria, and Lebanon are blocked from bringing their spouses into the country.
Iseni v. Italian Ministry of the Interior
Roberto Iseni is in danger of criminal sanctions and expulsion because he failed to apply for a passport within a 12-month window following his 18th birthday, as dictated by Italian law.
Citizenship and State Succession in the Sudans
In July the Republic of South Sudan became Africa's newest independent state. The Sudanese government refuses to consider the hundreds of thousands of "southerners" who reside in the North as citizens.
Abusing Citizenship in Zambia—Again
The manipulation of citizenship laws for political purposes has long been a popular way of excluding opponents and silencing critics. In Zambia it's become all too familiar.
Children of Nubian Descent in Kenya v. Kenya
The African Committee of Experts on the Rights and Welfare of the Child found that children of Kenya's Nubian minority face discrimination leading to statelessness, violating African human rights standards.
The Return: Dilemmas for Congolese Refugees in Rwanda
Tens of thousands of Congolese refugees are poised to return to their home country after more than a decade of exile in neighboring Rwanda. They face a cold welcome.