BURIED ALIVE

nationality and is not stateless. One opportunityto achieve this goal is to enact legislationto permit passage of nationality from motherto child. Furthermore, RI encourages Syriato become party to the 1954 ConventionRelating to the Status of Stateless Personsand the 1961 Convention on the Preventionof Statelessness.The EU has put further pressure on theSyrian government this year to reinstate thenationality of the denationalized Kurds,including the Maktoumeen. They mustmaintain their insistence that the problembe rectified. In addition, the Syrian Kurdishdiaspora in the U.S. is becoming increasinglyactive in seeking non-violent solutionsto issues faced by national and statelessKurds alike.In November, President Al-Assad againmade a public speech announcing hisintention to resolve the problem of Kurdsdenationalized in the 1962 census. However,it remains to be seen whether there will beconcrete follow-up on these guarantees orwhether they will remain promises unrealizedfor a sizeable number of the Kurdishpopulation living in Syria.• Ensure every child born in Syria has theright to acquire a nationality and is notstateless.• Enact legislation to permit passage ofnationality from mother to child.• Become party to the 1954 ConventionRelating to the Status of Stateless Personsand the 1961 Convention on the Preventionof Statelessness.The UN High Commissioner for Refugees• Broaden its focus and operations toinclude stateless persons in addition torefugees as mandated.• Work with the Syrian government to endstatelessness in the country, including affectedKurds.• Provide relief consistent with its agencymandate to address stateless people.• Identify a staff team to work actively onending statelessness in Syria.• Open UNHCR branch offices in regionsof the country where statelessness is mostsevere.It remains to beseen whether therewill be concretefollow-up on theseguarantees orwhether they willremain promisesunrealized.refugees international’srecommendationsRefugees International recommends that:The Government of Syria• Take immediate and concrete steps tofulfill the promise to grant citizenship toall individuals lacking effective nationalityin accordance with Article 3 of the SyrianNationality Act and international law.• Repeal all laws and decrees which denyKurdish people in Syria the right to enjoytheir own culture and language.• Begin a program of reparations anddevelopment for Kurds who lost propertyand status in 1962 that is at the same timesensitive to the rights of Arab occupants.The United States & ConcernedGovernments• Establish a clear policy on Kurds in Syria,urging the Syrian government to resolvethe statelessness issue.• Refuse to become party to agreementswith Syria until the fundamental rightsof Kurds are upheld, particularly the EU’sformation of the Mediterranean Partnershipwith Syria.• Include more details on conditions facedby stateless persons in annual humanrights reports.• Support the development of civil organizations,including ones to achieve greatercommunication and understandingbetween Syrian Arabs and Kurds.www.refugeesinternational.org 10