FRANCE-SHOOTING/NATIONALITY STRIPPING Franco-Moroccan militant can be stripped of nationality - top French court

Record ID: 324444

  • Title: FRANCE-SHOOTING/NATIONALITY STRIPPING Franco-Moroccan militant can be stripped of nationality - top French court
  • Date: 23rd January 2015
  • Summary: PARIS, FRANCE (JANUARY 20, 2015) (REUTERS) ****WARNING CONTAINS FLASH PHOTOGRAPHY*** FRENCH INTERIOR MINISTER BERNARD CAZENEUVE GIVING BOOK ON CITIZENSHIP TO LASSANA BATHILY, THE MALIAN MUSLIM WHO HID JEWISH SHOPPERS FROM DURING AN ATTACK ON A KOSHER SUPERMARKET IN PARIS PEOPLE APPLAUDING (SOUNDBITE) (French) MALIAN GROCERY WORKER WHO SAVED HOSTAGES' LIVES, LASSANA BATHILY, SAYING: "Tonight, I am very proud and deeply touched. I would like to thank those who always trusted me and who supported me. I think of my parents, my family in France or in Mali, in the whole world. I would like to thank my friends, my relatives in France who allowed me to work and to share nice moments." PEOPLE APPLAUDING
  • Embargoed: 7th February 2015 12:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: France
  • Country: France
  • Topics: General
  • Reuters ID: LVAD4LW9805LAETVYSL06RFC8JQ2
  • Story Text: France's highest court ruled on Friday (January 23) it was constitutional to strip a Franco-Moroccan militant convicted on terrorism charges of his French nationality,
    paving the way for more dual nationality jihadists to lose their citizenship.
    While Britain last year unveiled powers to strip suspected Islamist militants of their passports temporarily, France has so far stopped short of using the measure systematically despite hundreds of jihadists joining Islamist groups in Iraq and Syria.
    The move comes after President Francois Hollande's Socialist government unveiled a raft of new security measures weeks after two attacks in Paris by Islamist militants which killed 17 people and the three attackers.
    On the streets of Paris, opinions were split on whether the decision would help counter threats in the country.
    "Taking away the nationality of those who commit these odious acts, I think that's a good thing. They don't deserve to be French," said one Paris resident, Jacques-Daniel Mboag.
    Maxim Corbiere, another Parisian, said he believed there are better alternatives that don't involve revoking a person's nationality.
    "The last thing I heard was about what they're doing in England with reinsertion programs for these deviant people that integrate a deradicalisation program. I think it's better to go in this direction - to identify and supervise them and deradicalise them without necessarily removing their nationality," he said.
    Franco-Moroccan Ahmed Sahnouni el-Yaacoubi, naturalised in 2003, had appealed to the Constitutional Court to reverse a decision to strip him of his nationality in May 2014 when he was convicted in 2013 for conspiracy to commit terrorist acts.
    El-Yaacoubi plead that it was unconstitutional for courts to differentiate between citizens who are born French and those who are naturalised.
    While the Civil law code dictates that a naturalised person can be stripped of their French passport if convicted on terrorism charges, the measure has only been used on eight occasions since 1998, according to a lawmaker.
    French Prime Minister Manuel Valls proposed a parliamentary debate at a news conference Wednesday to consider punitive deprivation of citizenship rights for French citizens convicted of terrorism charges.
    "A legitimate question is raised regarding the consequences one exposes himself to when he decides to lash out against the country he belongs to - be it because he was born there or because the country has adopted him," Valls said.
    The policy has been debated at all levels, including amongst government ranks. On Thursday, French Defence Minister Christiane Taubira expressed her reservations about it.
    "You're right to ask about the symbolism, because in fact this would effectively be a symbolic act. But symbols are loaded. And for my part, I'm being cautious about what I say because as you know the president and the prime minister have asked parliament to consider this (stripping of nationality) so I'm holding back my point of view, but I'll tell you a bit anyway. This is not a symbol that I want to use," Taubira said.
    The decision comes at the end of a long week of announcements regarding French anti-terror measures that ranged from education reforms to the creation of 2,680 new jobs in security.
    It is also a stark contrast to the story of 24-year-old Lassana Bathily, who was granted citizenship in a ceremony on Tuesday.
    Bathily, the Malian grocery worker who saved hostages during an attack at a kosher supermarket in Paris earlier this month, was joined by French Interior Minister Bernard Cazeneuve and Prime Minister Manuel Valls in a packed naturalisation ceremony.
    "Tonight, I am very proud and deeply touched. I would like to thank those who always trusted me and who supported me. I think of my parents, my family in France or in Mali, in the whole world. I would like to thank my friends, my relatives in France who allowed me to work and to share nice moments," said a smiling Bathily, who also received a medal for his actions, a book on citizenship and a letter from French President Francois Hollande.
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