Most people regard their nationality as a secure legal status. However, in the recent past, deprivation of nationality has become increasingly prevalent. Nationality plays a key role in protecting an individual from arbitrary State power and securing access to rights. As such, depriving a person of their nationality weakens their ability to enjoy fundamental rights and to access the most basic services, puts them at risk of statelessness and social exclusion, and exposes them to expulsion from the territory.
This briefing summarises how law, policy, and practice in the 27 countries featured in the Statelessness Index perform against international norms and good practice on deprivation of nationality. It describes the relationship between deprivation of nationality and the prevention of statelessness, provides an overview of norms and good practices on deprivation of nationality, and presents a state of play analysis using data from the Statelessness Index. It highlights categories of nationals who are disproportionately affected by deprivation of nationality and suggests key action areas to protect the right to a nationality and prevent statelessness in Europe.
Watch the briefing launch event here.
