Dutch crackdown on Islamic terror: Netherlands backs law to strip jihadis of citizenship
THE Dutch senate has voted to strip jihadis of their Dutch citizenship as the Netherlands steps up its fight against terror.
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The upper house approved the law allowing the government in the interest of national security to revoke the Dutch citizenship of militants fighting abroad with terror groups.
Members of ISIS and Al Qaeda with dual nationality attempting to return from fighting in areas such as Syria and Iraq will not be allowed back into the Netherlands.
Dutch lawmakers said jihadists will also be unable to legally enter the Schengen zone.
The Dutch senate has voted to strip jihadis of their Dutch citizenship
Upon returning to the Netherlands these jihadists may pose a direct threat to national security
According to the Dutch senate, the Eerste Kamer: “Upon returning to the Netherlands these jihadists may pose a direct threat to national security.
“This proposal makes it possible to revoke the Dutch citizenship as soon as someone joins a group that appears on a public list of terrorist organisations. ISIS and Al Qaeda, for example, on this list.
Netherlands PM Mark Rutte saw the law passed by a slim majority
“After the withdrawal of Dutch citizenship, the jihadist is also declared an undesirable alien. This makes it impossible for the jihadist to legally return to the Netherlands and other Schengen area.”
The law only applies to people with dual citizenship and allows the Minister of Justice to cancel jihadi’s Dutch passports without the intervention of the courts.
Last year the lower house of the Dutch parliament backed the law, which is part of a raft of anti-terror measures against jihadis returning from Syria and Iraq.
The law applies to jihadis with dual citizenship
It is thought the law could be applied to several hundred people including fighters currently in ISIS-held areas in Syria and Iraq and citizens classed as a risk in the Netherlands.
The law was approved by a narrow majority as senators also approved measures to cancel people’s Dutch passports automatically if they have been banned from travelling abroad.
Counter-terrorism chief Dick School said some 300 Dutch nationals, the majority fighting abroad, have had their passports cancelled since autumn 2014.
Dutch authorities will be alerted if the jihadis attempt to cross back into the Netherlands.