Assad regime to strip citizenship of over half of Syrian population

Over half of Syrians who live in opposition-controlled areas or were forced to flee their country due to the raging civil war and massacres are at risk of being stripped of their citizenship and lose the right to their possessions and property under a new ID law being prepared by the Assad regime.

Over 14 million Syrians are at risk of being stripped of their most basic rights under a new Assad regime project aimed at issuing new ID cards to Syrians living in regions under its control, which observers deem as an open attempt at partitioning the country.

The first phase of the project will see 320,000 IDs issued to Syrians residing in Damascus, Tartous and Latakia.

A statement issued by the Syrian Interim Government said the regime was seizing the social, political and economic rights of all Syrians abroad, accusing the Damascus administration of playing a “dirty and dangerous game.”

Jawad Abu Hatab, the head of Syria’s Interim Government, said that the Assad regime’s precondition to grant these new IDs is for Syrians to be residing in regions it controls.

“This is an open declaration to divide Syria. This is an attempt that serves both the goals of the regime and the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK).”

Syrian Turkmen Council head Wajeeh Jumaa said this project takes the current practices aimed at demographic change and partition in Syria to another level.

“Over 1.3 million Turkmens are at risk of losing all of their property. This sinister project must definitely be blocked.”

Jumaa pointed that the right to citizenship for 59 percent of Syrians is being violated.

“The Damascus administration is trying to pave the way toward naturalizing foreign fighters who fought alongside it during the war by routing out indigenous citizens. The new IDs will precede reconstruction. Areas that are occupied by the U.S.-PKK alliance will be excluded from the new ID plan.”

The system devised by the interior and transport ministries requires “in person meetings” for the issuing of the new ID cards.

Displaced Syrian holders of the old ID cards who were forced to flee their hometowns or country due to the raging war will also be required to be present for “face to face” meetings and interviews in order to be eligible to acquire their news ID cards.

Those who don’t report to the civil registry in Assad-controlled regions by the end of 2019 will lose their right to citizenship and property.

Syria has been locked in a vicious civil war since early 2011 when the Assad regime cracked down on pro-democracy protests with unexpected ferocity.