of the Child.
19. As a result, the implementation of Decree 680 will result in the arbitrary deprivation of
nationality of Turkish citizens, new cases of statelessness and violation of international
standards.
Steps taken pursuant to the issuance of Decree 680
20. Further to the issuance of Decree 680, the Turkish Ministry of Justice declared that it
would issue a “return home” Gazette Notice naming those who were overseas and
being investigated for the crimes outlined. On 5 June 2017, a “return home” notice
published in the Official Gazette contained the names of 130 individuals who were issued
summons to return to Turkey and present themselves for criminal investigation.
Recipients of the notice were given three months to surrender themselves for
investigation.
21. On 10 September 2017, a second return home “Gazette Notice” was issued by the
Turkish Government, threatening 99 Turkish citizens in exile with the stripping of their
citizenship.
22. ISI will aim to further update its information on the impact of Decree 680, beyond 2017.
However, it is evident that those deprived of citizenship will not be able to return to their
country and may not be able to leave their country of residence. Those who have no
second nationality risk being rendered stateless. They will rely on international
protection under the 1954 Convention Relating to the Status of Stateless Persons, the
1951 Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees and its 1967 Protocol or subsidiary
protection under other mechanisms. Those who do not receive any international
protection will be particularly vulnerable. In addition to the risk of being arbitrarily
deprived of nationality, parents are likely to be unable to transfer nationality to their
children, potentially resulting in the denial of the child’s right to acquire a nationality
under Article 7 of the Convention on the Rights of the Child.
The denial of consular services to Turkish citizens
23. There have also been reports of the denial of consular services and related deprivations
for Turkish citizens living abroad. These include the cancellation and confiscation of
passports, the refusal to extend the validity of passports and the refusal to provide
nationality IDs or passports to children born to Turkish citizens abroad. While the full
extent of these actions is not known, the table below sets out the cases that have been
brought to the attention of the Institute, during the period April - June 2017.
Denial of Passport or Nationality ID
for new-borns
Denial of Consular Services
Not issuing IDs for children
Not issuing Passports for children
Cancelling Adult/Child Passports
Military Services
Power of Attorney Services
Not Extending Passports
76
695
5