Nationality and Cases of Statelessness in the Middle East and North Africa
ensuring due process. For instance, in Saudi Arabia,
where the state has identified behaviour, such as
the rendering of services to a foreign state or other
similar grounds, which are grounds under the law for
withdrawal of nationality: “the Saudi national shall
be warned about the consequences of his deed
in a proper manner three months at least before
issuance of the decree of withdrawal of the Saudi
Arabian nationality”.181 Yet it is not apparent that
the individual would be able to take action to spare
him or herself from denationalisation, contest the
authorities’ assessment of the situation or appeal
against the subsequent issuance of the decree of
withdrawal of nationality. The value of this type of
provision is therefore unclear. Certainly, the absence
of jurisdiction for the courts in nationality matters in the
majority of MENA countries is of serious concern given
the manifold problems that are seen in practice with
regard to the implementation of nationality law – as
touched upon in section 5 of this chapter.
In the case of Kuwait, one of the common
complaints with regard to the protracted situation of
statelessness faced by the Bidoon is the lack of any
procedure to review nationality cases or to compel
the competent authorities to take a decision on
181 - Article 13, Saudi Arabian Nationality System, 1954.
138
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