Tag Archives: css

Forever delayed – statelessness “under consideration” in Lebanon

Lebanon

In this blog I consider the causes of statelessness in Lebanon.  The situation in Lebanon is complex, for historic reasons, due to discriminatory nationality laws, administrative challenges and its large long-term refugee population, primarily from Syria and Palestine.  There is enough material to fill a whole book, never mind just the one post. In this blog I focus on statelessness …

A scattered people – remembering the Nansen Armenians

Nansen Armenians

“The people of the earth have thus entered in varying degrees into a universal community, and it has developed to the point where a violation of rights in one part of the world is felt everywhere. The idea of a cosmopolitan right is therefore not fantastic and overstrained; it is a necessary complement to the unwritten code of political and …

What the recent elections in Nigeria can tell us about the relationship between voter registration, biometrics and a credible legal identity

Nigeria Elections

Recently Nigeria held federal elections to elect a new president. The elections were finally held on 23 February after some last-minute delays caused the original date of 16 February 2019 to be abandoned. I focus on the elections in Nigeria because they provide an insight into the wider issues of how to achieve a credible legal identity and adequate identity …

Mr Bilali and the uncertain country of origin – statelessness and subsidiary protection in the CJEU case of Bilali C-720/17

Bilali C720-17

What does the case of Bilali in the Court of Justice of the European Union tell us about the responsibility of states to deal appropriately and effectively with stateless people living within their borders?  This blog considers the non-binding opinion of the Advocate General of the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) in the case of Bilali v …

I am a person from here – the Sabah stateless struggling without citizenship in Malaysia

Sabah stateless

In this blog I consider the stateless population in Sabah state, part of Malaysia, how and why they are in this precarious position and what, if anything, Malaysia is doing to reduce the number of stateless people in Sabah.   Who are the Sabah stateless? Sabah is a state in Malaysia and part of the island of Borneo.  Sabah became …

A single source of truth – Can the Huduma Namba succeed as an integrated identity management system in Kenya?

Huduma Namba Kenya

The recent announcement by the Kenyan government that the full Huduma Namba or NIIMS scheme will be rolled out across the country has met with much criticism from the public, from economists, academics, lawyers and human rights groups. But what is the Huduma Namba? And why has it caused so much controversy?   A new number for an improved legal …

You can’t go home again: the plight of Syria’s stateless Kurds

Plight Stateless Kurds

“You have stumbled on in darkness, you have been pulled in opposite directions, you have faltered, you have missed the way, but, child, this is the chronicle of the earth. And now, because you have known madness and despair, and because you will grow desperate again before you come to evening, we who have stormed the ramparts of the furious …

Of woman born – how gender discriminatory nationality laws contribute to statelessness in Nepal

Of woman born Nepal

An estimated 5.4 million individuals in Nepal (24 per cent of the population aged 16 years and above of Nepal’s 30 million population) do not have citizenship documentation. I wrote about all the basic rights that are unavailable to a stateless person here.  Statelessness in a population arises for a number of reasons such as minority group discrimination, migration issues, …

The politics of registering children: a second look at legal identity for children

Birth Registration

In this blog I take a second look at legal identity for children in light of South Africa’s recent proposals to refuse to issue birth certificates to children born in South Africa to foreign parents. I look at the new proposals which have attracted much criticism and consider attempts elsewhere to do the same. The impact of restricting birth registration …

Season’s Greetings and a short break for the Torn Identity Blog

season's greetings

Season’s Greetings! This blog will take a short break over the festive period, returning in January for more on legal identity, belonging, citizenship and statelessness. For those celebrating Christmas and New Year this month – enjoy the holidays. If, like me, you are travelling this holiday season – for pleasure or to join friends and family – spare a thought …