Belgium Strips Citizenship from 50 Convicted Terrorists with Moroccan Ties

In Belgium, the deprivation of Belgian nationality is a procedure put in place after the attack against Charlie Hebdo in 2015. In total, 31 people lost their Belgian nationality in 2021. In February, the Brussels Court of Appeal deprived 13 men - Belgian-Moroccans for the vast majority - convicted by default of terrorism, reported Belga. To date, more than fifty people have lost their Belgian nationality.

Among those who have recently been deprived of their Belgian nationality, four of them were close to a convert nicknamed "Jean-Louis the Submissive". Khalid Zerkani, a Moroccan living in Brussels, recruited seven others. Another went to Afghanistan. Yassine Cheikhi would be the only fighter still alive if he is indeed detained in the Kurdish prisons of northern Syria.

In Belgium, only dual nationals - most often Belgian-Moroccans - lose their Belgian nationality. According to the 1961 United Nations Convention, a person cannot be deprived of their nationality if this deprivation renders them stateless.