Statelessness Working Paper Series No. 2016/02 Thus, it is important that academic investigations, as well as government policies and officials, are sensitive to the decades of cumulative suffering and exclusion resulting from the historic injustice of Kurdish statelessness in Syria. Indeed, interviews with those now in Europe demonstrate that the significant material and psychological impacts of being ‘buried alive’ are often still felt today, and should not be underestimated. 5. Conclusion Although the Syrian context has changed significantly since 2011 with the spread of civil war and emergence of new local governance systems and armed actors, many of Syria’s stateless (or formerly stateless) Kurds continue to suffer from the results of years of exclusion and victimization. While the number of stateless Kurds from Syria has reduced – both in Syria and globally – the problem has become a complex and dynamic one, with much of the community becoming displaced and increasingly dispersed. Though stateless Kurds from Syria generally do not experience specific protection concerns in the KR-I, their situation is often difficult, and many who have left now face uncertainty in third countries in Europe. This paper highlights the limited options for legal resettlement available to stateless Kurds from Syria, leaving no travel option but dangerous illegal routes. Further, it draws attention to those whose applications and status determination as stateless persons are pending in European asylum counties. Advocacy for non-exclusion of stateless individuals (here Kurds of Syria) in resettlement programmes, as well as for expediting the process of status determination in the European context is necessary to provide increased protection for stateless persons, as well as leading to durable solutions for stateless refugees. 8