Country Guidance Note - Iran - Department of Immigration and ...

In May 2012, the UNHCR stated that many Faili Kurds in Iraq had not yet been able to
recover their Iraqi citizenship and continued to be stateless. 83
In an August 2011 article published by The Kurdish Globe, a Faili Kurd activist is cited as
saying that he was able to re-acquire his Iraqi citizenship but that the process involved “a
lot of paperwork” and cost money as he had to pay bribes to officials. He claimed that it
was more difficult to obtain identity documents and Iraqi citizenship for his children
because they were born in Iran. 84
In February 2011, a UNHCR representative advised the Australian Embassy in Baghdad
that it had become easier for Faili Kurds to re-establish their Iraqi citizenship, but the
process could take years. 85 In March 2010, the Embassy reported that since 2003,
approximately 25 000 Faili Kurds had re-obtained their Iraqi nationality. 86
In November 2009, the Australian Embassy in Baghdad noted that there were reports
indicating that the process of re-acquiring Iraqi nationality was long and complicated. 87 It
further advised in 2010 that although the process of re-obtaining Iraqi nationality can be
commenced outside Baghdad, the applicant needed to be present in Baghdad at some
point to complete the process. 88
AK News reported in May 2009, that the Iraqi Ministry of Immigration and Immigrants had
restored Iraqi citizenship cards to more than 3500 Iraqi citizens who came back from Iran.
The majority of these people were Faili Kurds. 89
Faili Kurds in Iraq – reintegration and treatment
In May 2012, the UNHCR stated Faili Kurds, along with several other minorities, had been
targeted by Sunni armed groups on the basis of their religion and their (perceived) Kurdish
ethnicity. The report noted that while a number of Faili Kurds had been represented in the
Iraqi Government since 2003, many had not been able to recover their properties
confiscated by the former regime and lacked documentation required to access services
and basic rights. 90
In November 2009, the Australian Embassy in Baghdad advised that, after being exiled for
a significant period of time, people with no contacts, home or employment may find
reintegration difficult. The advice further stated that some Faili Kurds who had returned
from Iran were reportedly issued identity cards of a different colour than regular identity
cards, thus providing a basis for possible discrimination. 91 A similar observation was made
in a 2008 article published by the UNHCR, which claimed that Faili Kurds who had
83 UNHCR Eligibility Guidelines for Assessing the International Protection Needs of Iraqi Asylum-Seekers, UNHCR,
31 May 2012, p. 32.
84 CX270441: Faylis want practical compensation, The Kurdish Globe, 6 August 2011.
85 CX258083: UNHCR views on security and returnees, Australia: Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade
(DFAT- Baghdad), 3 February 2011.
86 CX241148: Faili Kurds, DFAT- Baghdad, 18 March 2010.
87 CX236340: Emerging caseload of Faili Kurds and Bedouins, DFAT- Baghdad, 13 November 2009.
88 CX241148: Faili Kurds, DFAT-Baghdad, 18 March 2010.
89 CX227512: Iraqi citizenship restored to Faili Kurds, AK News, 25 May 2009.
90 UNHCR Eligibility Guidelines for Assessing the International Protection Needs of Iraqi Asylum-Seekers, UNHCR,
31 May 2012, p. 32.
91 CX236340: Emerging caseload of Faili Kurds and Bedouins, DFAT- Baghdad, 13 November 2009.
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