UK Citizens Suspected Of Terror Ties Stripped Of British Citizenship
By Ashish ValentineUK Citizens Suspected Of Terror Ties Stripped Of British Citizenship
By Ashish ValentineThe UK has in recent years set a precedent for stripping its naturalized and dual citizens of their British citizenship, often deporting them to their countries of origin when the Home Office judges this action to be “conducive to the public good.” The power has been used extensively to strip UK nationality from citizens suspected of involvement with terror groups, even when they do not have criminal convictions. It has also been used more recently against individuals who pose no perceived national security risk; in two separate cases, a British-Indian and a group of British-Pakistani men were stripped of their British citizenships and deported for child sex offenses. Concerns continue that the rule could establish tiers of citizenship, making naturalized citizens’ and even native-born British children of immigrants’ status in the country contingent on their perceived contributions rather than their right to be there. Joining us to talk about the practice and immigrants’ and citizens’ rights in the UK is Nadia O’Mara, advocacy and policy officer at human rights organization Liberty.