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Indonesian refugees in Syria: Are they IS sympathizers, stateless or citizens?
The Indonesian government might be in violation of its own citizenship laws for branding Indonesian Islamic State sympathizers in Syria as "stateless".
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Showing loyalty – Hundreds of students of Islamic boarding schools listen attentively President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo’s remarks during a Maulid Nabi celebration in Pekalongan, Central Java, on Jan. 8 while they display red-and-white colored banners emblazoned with a message “NKRI Harga Mati” (The Unitary State of the Republic of Indonesia is Undisputed). (JP/Suherdjoko)
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n 2016, a video of Indonesian Islamic State (IS) followers setting fire to their green passports was released by the terrorist organization. The action might represent a symbolic severing of ties to Indonesia, but whether this actually means they should lose their Indonesian citizenship is another matter.
The question of the citizenship status of Indonesians who travel to Syria to join IS is becoming increasingly urgent. In Kurdish-governed Rojava in northeastern Syria, thousands of individuals who are taking refuge or being detained for their links to the fallen movement languish in what the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) president has described as a “humanitarian emergency”.
The ICRC estimates that 73,400 individuals are currently being held in al-Hol, a camp that was designed to hold up to 10,000 people.
It is believed that around 50 Indonesians are now at al-Hol camp in northeastern Syria. Another 38, mostly women and children, including 15 children who were born in the Middle East, are at al-Roj, close to the Iraq border, according to Sidney Jones, director of the Institute for Policy Analysis of Conflict who spoke to The Jakarta Post last week.
A Tempo Magazine report released on Monday put the number at al-Hol at 200. But until Indonesian authorities – the Law and Human Rights Ministry in particular – verify the citizenship status of these individuals, the exact number cannot be confirmed.
If they are Indonesian citizens, they are entitled to consular access, including legal assistance, provided by the Foreign Ministry. The government has repatriated Indonesians from conflict zones before. In 2017, around 17 Indonesians were repatriated from Raqqa, Syria, after they escaped an IS camp, having changed their minds about joining.
The question then becomes: How many people in al-Hol and al-Roj camp are Indonesian citizens, and are they entitled to the same protection from the Foreign Ministry that is afforded to citizens?
