Country Position Paper: Statelessness in Syria Both statuses are inherited in a gender discriminatory manner, so children born into these families continue to be born stateless even if the mother is a Syrian national. If the father is a Syrian national and the mother is Ajanib or Maktumeen, the child may be considered a Syrian citizen, provided there are no issues with registering the birth. On the other hand, if the mother is a Syrian national but the father is Ajanib or Maktumeen, the child would be considered Ajanib or Maktumeen.81 There are no official figures on the number of Ajanib or Maktumeen in Syria but estimates from before the Syrian civil war placed their combined population at approximately 300,000. While this figure has been widely reproduced by international actors including UNHCR,82 the primary source or basis for this estimate is unclear. Some other sources suggest that the number of stateless Kurds in Syria before 2011 was 500,000.83 Nevertheless, the figure has likely changed significantly following legal reforms in 2011 (discussed further in 5.1.3 below). The most recent figure for stateless persons in Syria is 160,000. However, as discussed above, this figure is unreliable and should be treated with caution. 5.1.1 Status and Documentation The Ajanib were issued a Bitaqa Ajnabi (‘Red Card’) identity document, which records the individual as a ‘foreigner.’ It is not valid for travel outside Syria and is issued by the Civil Registrar (Ministry of Interior). In addition, Ajanib Kurds were issued a Family Civil Extract (the equivalent of a Family Booklet for Syrian citizens).84 The Maktumeen, however, could not obtain official government documents and often have only a note from their local mayor (referred to as a Mokhtar) to establish their identity. This document, referred to as a Shahadat Taaref, cannot be used for formal identification, as it contains no validation from higher authorities. Even those documents which are stamped by higher authorities are not included in the records in Damascus, so they are still essentially useless. Further, there is no one standardised version of this document; there are multiple different types in circulation. The Mokhtar may also issue a residency notification, which again is an informal identification only, with no rights attached to the document.85 Syrians for Truth and Justice, Syrian Citizenship Disappeared: How the 1962 Census destroyed stateless Kurds’ lives and identities, 15 September 2018, at 7, available at: https://www.stj-sy.com/en/view/745 82 UNHCR, Submission by UNHCR to the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights’ Compilation Report Universal Periodic Review, May 2011, at 3, available at: https://www.refworld.org/pdfid/4dcb716f2.pdf 83 Syrians for Truth and Justice, Syrian Citizenship Disappeared: How the 1962 Census destroyed stateless Kurds’ lives and identities, 15 September 2018, at 7, available at: https://www.stj-sy.com/en/view/745 84 Institute on Statelessness and Inclusion / Norwegian Refugee Council, Understanding statelessness in the Syria refugee context, 2016, at 9, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/584021494.html. For further information on documentation in Syria, see: Institute on Statelessness and Inclusion / Norwegian Refugee Council, Syriannationality.org – Syrian Documents, 2016, available at: http://www.syrianationality.org/index.php?id=21 85 Institute on Statelessness and Inclusion / Norwegian Refugee Council, Understanding statelessness in the Syria refugee context, 2016, at 9, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/584021494.html. For further information on documentation in Syria, see: Institute on Statelessness and Inclusion / Norwegian Refugee Council, Syriannationality.org – Syrian Documents, 2016, available at: http://www.syrianationality.org/index.php?id=21 81 15