Syrian Citizenship Disappeared “There is the 1962 census issue, which has to do with the fact that the Syrian nationality was given to members of a family and not to others, although they were entitled to it. There is also those who are not registered in the civil register. At that time they were considered part of the same problem. Those are people of different nationalities living in Syria who do not exist on Syrian records, which means that it is a different issue. There were those who mixed the 1962 census issue with the non-registered persons issue. There were also persons of different nationalities, mostly Kurds, who came to Syria from Turkey or Iraq for economic, political, security or other causes. We have nothing to do with this issue. We are talking about the census. Recently work was completed on the technical aspects of the law.”51 12. The 2011 Decree No. 49 : Following the onset of peaceful protests in Syria, which demanded sweeping reforms in the country, Decree No. 49 was issued on 7 April 2011, and was announced on the official website of The Syrian People’s Assembly under the title “Granting Syrian Arab Nationality to those Registered as ajanib in al-Hasakah”.52 The decree states: Article 1: individuals who are registered as ajanib in the al-Hasakah province shall be granted Syrian nationality.53 Article 2: the Minister of the Interior shall issue the decisions containing the executive instructions to this decree. Article 3: This decree shall enter into force on the day of its publication in the Official Journal. Several months after the issuance of Decree No. 49 of 2011, a ministerial decree nationalizing maktumeen was reported. The Personal Status Department employees, however, told the submitters that it was not yet in effect, and they actually didn’t know which department would take it over. 51 The inaugural speech of President Bashar al-Assad, on 18 July 2007, during which he said: “As for me, I shall remain as you have known me, one of you, I work for you, I drink with you from the spring of patriotism and pan-Arabism and breath the blessings of God and the people.”, al- Jamahir newspaper, issue, 12388. For more info see: http://jamahir.alwehda.gov.sy/node/322621 18 52 Many Syrian Kurdish politicians and activists believed that the decree timing was intended by the government to have the Kurds on its side or at least to apart them from the then protests. “Presidential Decree No 49 of 7 April 2011, granted Syrian citizenship to the Kurdish population registered as foreigners in the al-Hasakah province”, Syrian Parliament website, 7 April 2011. For more info see: http://parliament.gov.sy/arabic/index.php?nod e=201&nid=4451&RID=-1&Last=10058&First=0&CurrentPage=12&Vld=-1&Mode=&Service=-1&Loc1=&Key1=&SDate=&EDate=&Year=&Country=&Num=&Dep=-1& (Last visit: 6 August 2018). 53 Ajanib means foreigner in Arabic