The curious case of Peter Handke’s Yugoslav passport
Was Peter Handke a naturalised Yugoslav citizen and why does it matter?
Blog
Coronavirus: citizenship infected
The recent outbreak of the novel coronavirus shows the role citizenship plays in the context of public health responses to emergencies, including evacuations and quarantines, travel and socio-cultural constraints. In neither of these cases is this role unproblematic.
Crude and standardised rates of ordinary naturalisation in Swiss municipalities: new interactive maps
At the beginning of this century, discriminatory practices in some communes of central Switzerland have been at the centre of public debate: in order to document the differences in the municipal practices we need to better understand standardised naturalisation rates.
Trump’s new, undemocratic, denaturalisation policy
Last week, the US Justice Department announced the creation of a “Denaturalisation Section”, which will focus on stripping US citizenship status of those it believes had acquired it fraudulently. However, this choice contributes to the undermining of the post-World War 2 consensus that the right to citizenship is a basic human right.
Scotland adopts a more inclusive franchise
On 21 February, the Scottish Parliament approved the Scottish Elections (Franchise and Representation) Bill that extends the franchise in Scottish parliamentary (Holyrood) and local government elections in two significant ways.
Three important lessons from the recent decision of the Colombian Constitutional Court
The Colombian Constitutional Court took an important decision in the context of the current migratory movement triggered by the crisis in Venezuela. This judgment could become a benchmark for the fight against statelessness.
A follow-up decision by the Council of State of the Netherlands in the Tjebbes case
The Raad van State (Council of State of the Netherlands, sitting as Supreme Administrative Court of the Netherlands) decided how the Netherlands authorities have to deal with the cases which gave rise to the preliminary ruling procedure decided by Court of Justice of the European Union in Tjebbes and Others.
Aboriginal Australians not vulnerable to deportation
The Australian High Court was called to decide whether Aboriginal Australians, born overseas, without the statutory status of Australian citizenship and owing foreign allegiance (ie possessing a foreign citizenship), were ‘aliens’ within the meaning of s 51(xix) of the Australian Constitution. If they were, then they could be deported under the relevant provisions of the Migration Act 1958.
Estonia welcomes new minor citizens
Estonia took another step towards eliminating the problem of statelessness and/or absence of Estonian citizenship among children – descendants of Soviet settlers. How much further can the rules be simplified?
Birthright citizenship and children born in a conflict zone
Because of an amendment to the Danish citizenship act, children born to a Danish parent who has unlawfully entered or stays in a ‘conflict zone’ will not acquire Danish citizenship by birth. What are potential risks of statelessness?