Dutch-Moroccan Man Loses Citizenship After Appeals Court Reverses His Victory
His victory before the Amsterdam court did not survive the appeal. The Dutch Council of State on Wednesday, September 30, upheld the revocation of citizenship from a man convicted of terrorism after fighting in Syria.
The court had overturned the revocation in March 2025, finding that it amounted to discrimination based on origin. The Council of State ultimately ruled in the minister’s favor: the loss of citizenship is now final.
On Bladi.net : Dutch Court to Rule on Citizenship Revocation for Moroccan-Dutch Man Who Fought in Syria
Born in the Netherlands in 1987 to Moroccan parents, the man obtained Dutch citizenship in 1996. He left for Syria in 2013 and joined Ahrar al-Sham, then Jund al-Aqsa. On appeal, he was sentenced to five years and four months in prison for participating in a terrorist organization and preparing attacks.
Difference in treatment deemed justified
The judges acknowledged that the measure indirectly disadvantages some dual nationals, particularly those who cannot renounce their Moroccan nationality. They nevertheless considered this difference justified, in part by the obligation to prevent statelessness: stripping other Dutch nationals of their only citizenship would leave them without a nationality.
The case, in which Bladi had announced the verdict was expected this morning, also resulted in the measures requiring him to leave being upheld.
On Bladi.net : “ I never asked to be Moroccan”: France revokes his nationality
In a separate decision, issued the same day, the Council of State upheld the order for him to leave the European Union immediately and the 20-year entry ban.
