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Federal Administrative Court and the High Administrative Court in Berlin held
that an ‘unclear nationality’ in legal terms is not possible.23 If the investigation
on the existence of a nationality cannot be concluded, they made clear that
the person in question is stateless.24 A permanent status of ‘unclear’ nationality’ is contrary to international law.25
Regarding the Kurds from Syria, the courts have usually found them to be
stateless according to the 1954 Convention and their return has been found
impossible if they left the country illegally.26 However, the status of Kurds from
Lebanon is more controversial. In fact, the courts have found them to be stateless only if they did not fall under the naturalization program that Lebanon
had adopted in 1994.27 In a few cases, the courts have required the concerned
23
24
25
26
27
BVerwG, 12.02.1985, Neue Zeitschrift für Verwaltungsrecht (NVwZ, New Journal on
Administrative Law) 1985, 589; BVerwG, 15.10.1985, NVwZ 1986, 759; OVG Berlin, Urteil v
18.04.1991 - OVG 5 B 41.90; VG Berlin, Urteil v 12.06.1985 - 11 A 655.84, InfAuslR 1985, 237-238;
VG Berlin, Urteil v 24.02.1988 - 23 A 341.87, InfAuslR 1988, 174, 176. However, a recent decision of the Administrative Court in Berlin contradicted the case-law here cited and held
that the claimants of Kurdish origins had ‘unclear nationality’. VG Berlin, Urteil v 1.03.2012 13 K 12.12.
BVerwG, 12.02.1985, NVwZ 1985, 589; BVerwG, 15.10.1985, NVwZ 1986, 759.
OVG Berlin, Urteil v 18.04.1991 - 5 B 41.90. It should be noted that, despite these judgments,
the adminsitration keeps using the category of persons with ‘unclear’ nationality.
OVG Saarland, Beschluss v 13.09.2002 - 3 R 3/02; OVG Saarland, Urteil v 19.01.2001 - 3 Q
151/99; OVG Saarland, Beschluss v 21.01.2000 - 3 Q 142/98; Verwaltungsgerichtshof (VGH,
High Administrative Court) Baden-Württemberg, Beschluss v 13.09.2001 - A 2 S 26/98;
OVG Lüneburg, Urteil v 27.03.2001 - 2 L 2505/98; VG Braunschweig, Urteil v 20.02.2003 - 6
A 811/02; BVerwG, Urteil v 24.10.1995 - 9 C 3/95; Neue Zeitschrift für Verwaltungsrecht –
Rechtsprechungs-Report (NVwZ-RR, New Journal on Administrative Law – Jurisdiction
Report) 1996, 602; BVerwG, 24.10.1995, Deutsches Verwaltungsblatt (DVBl, German
Administrative Gazette) 1996, 205.
Lebanon issued a naturalization decree on June 21, 1994 to settle the legal status of Kurds
living on Lebanese territories. The decree allowed the majority of the non-naturalized
Kurds to acquire citizenship (estimates of the number of naturalized Kurds range
between 10.000 and 18.000). However, between 3.000 and 5.000 Kurds missed out that
opportunity because they were unable to afford the cost of the application, were abroad
and could not travel to Lebanon to file it, or because they did not believe that the granting
of citizenship would materialize. Lokman I Meho, ‘The Kurds in Lebanon: a Social and
Historical Overview’ (2002) 16(12) IJKS 59. Since 1996, it is believed that around 60% of
Kurds in Lebanon hold Lebanese citizenship. David McDowall, A Modern History of the
Kurds (3rd edn, I.B. Tauris & Co. Ltd 2004) 488. At present, there are approximately 75.000100.000 Kurds living in Lebanon. Michael M Gunter, Historical Dictionary of the Kurds
(2nd edn, Scarecrow Press 2011) 199.
tilburg law review 19 (2014) 35-51