Proposed Changes Risk More Statelessness in Egypt

Published: 29/Nov/2017
Source: International Detention Coalition

Aspiring to be model in the region for guaranteeing protections to refugee and asylum seeking Syrians, proposed changes to Egypt’s citizenship laws appear instead to deny the right to nationality and put vulnerable people at risk of statelessness

Egypt has long been a country hosting refugees and asylum-seekers, whether it is their final destination or they are hoping to transit from there to other places. Egypt is currently the home of over 200,000 refugees and asylum seekers of 63 different nationalities, over half of whom have fled the war-torn country of Syria. Egypt has committed to , and aspires to be a , guaranteeing their rights and taking a firm stance against the establishment of camps, which can lead to ghettoisation. The Government of Egypt has policies that allow refugees and asylum seekers to regularise their residency, grant six-month renewable residency permits and allow for family reunification. Despite its difficult economic situation, Egypt guarantees full access for Syrian refugees to public education and health care services on equal footing with Egyptian nationals, as well as subsidized services provided by the State to Egyptian citizens, such as energy, transportation and food.  However, as yet, this does not extend to other groups.

Egypt works with the UNHCR to mainstream birth registration for refugees, fulfilling a core element of the Regional Refugee and Resilience Plan. Through these initiatives the vast majority of Syrian refugee children born in the country have been successfully registered at birth, giving refugee children a stronger foundation for protection against risks such as family separation, trafficking and statelessness. However, recently proposed changes to Egypt’s citizenship laws may severely weaken these important protections.

Proposed changes

Under proposed changes approved by the Cabinet, Egyptian nationality (whether acquired at birth or through naturalisation) can be withdrawn “if [a person] joins any group, association, body, organization, gang or any entity of any nature with the aim of harming the public order of the state or to undermine the social and economic order by force or by any unlawful means”. If adopted, the ambiguous nature of the changes may put naturalised refugees (including refugee-born children) at risk of statelessness, if the Egyptian Government at any point considers a group to which they belong or have belonged, to undermine the social or economic order of the country.

Read further: https://idcoalition.org/news/vulnerable-at-risk-of-statelessness-in-egypt/

Themes: Loss and Deprivation of Nationality
Regions: Egypt
Year: 2017