14 THE NATIONALITY LAW AND STATELESSNESS The origins of statelessness in Lebanon can be traced back to the Lebanese nationality law. This law is notable for its reliance on patrilineal affiliation by blood, which denies mothers the right to pass citizenship to their children. This practice stands in contrast to the international obligations that Lebanon has committed to uphold. • Nationality laws in Lebanon recognize both Jus Soli (right of soil) and Jus Sanguinis (right of lineage) principles to grant citizenship. Yet, the prevalence of the patriarchal lineage to transmit nationality has caused restrictions in the way Lebanon applies its nationality legislation. • The 1925 nationality law grants Lebanese citizenship to persons born in Greater Lebanon and to those who “did not acquire a foreign nationality, upon birth, by affiliation” (Article 1-2), as well as those born to “unknown parents or parents of unknown nationality” (Article 1-3). • Only one of the clauses stems from Jus Sanguinis considering Lebanese “every person born of a Lebanese father” (Article 1-1), thus attaching the newborn’s identity to a formal civil registry (or the Qayd in Arabic), exclusively under their father’s lineage. • Gender discrimination continues to bar Lebanese women from transmitting the nationality to their children, adding another layer of difficulty to prevent statelessness to this day. Box 2. Lebanon’s international obligations • As per its international obligations, Lebanon must respect and protect the right to nationality and ensure that its laws and practices do not lead to statelessness or arbitrary deprivation of nationality. • Lebanon is party to many human rights treaties and conventions, whose provisions provide specific protections for the right to nationality: • Article 24 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR) recognizes the right for everyone to acquire a nationality. • Article 7 of the Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC) recognizes the right of every child to acquire a nationality. • Article 29 of the Arab Charter on Human Rights recognizes the right for everyone to acquire a nationality. © 2023 Siren Associates. All Rights Reserved.