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Government declares Indonesian IS fighters in Syria stateless
The government said IS sympathizers’ citizenship had been automatically forfeited following their decision to join the terrorist movement in Syria.
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A man holds up a sign at a rally opposing the possible repatriation of IS returnees in Yogyakarta on Feb. 7. (Antara/Andreas Fitri Atmoko)
T
he government has disowned Indonesian nationals who joined the Islamic State (IS) movement abroad, declaring them stateless and stripped of their citizenship after officials decided against repatriation.
Presidential Chief of Staff (KSP) Moeldoko said the IS sympathizers’ citizenship had been automatically lost following their decision to join the terrorist movement in Syria.
“[The IS sympathizers] are stateless. It was clearly stipulated in the law on citizenship,” said Moeldoko at the Presidential Palace Complex on Thursday, adding that the fact that several IS sympathizers burned their Indonesian passports signified their forfeited citizenship.
Article 23 of the 2006 Citizenship Law stipulates that Indonesian nationals can lose their citizenship after, among other things, joining a foreign military or taking an oath of allegiance to another country.
However, it remains unclear if such definitions can be applied to IS, which, despite its state-like form (and nomenclature), was not legally acknowledged as a state by the international community.
Institute for Criminal Justice Reform (ICJR) executive director Anggara expressed his concern about the government’s choice to disown citizens who joined IS on the grounds of Article 23 of the Citizenship Law.
“As of now, there are no countries in the world willingly engaged in a diplomatic relationship with IS. Therefore, the option to strip Indonesian IS sympathizers of their citizenship is feared to give legitimacy to IS as political entity,” Anggara said in a statement.
