Dutch Court upholds citizenship revocation for convicted terrorist

The Council of State, the highest administrative court in the Netherlands, has ruled that the Minister of Justice and Security has the authority to revoke the Dutch citizenship of a man convicted of terrorist activities in Syria.

The individual, a 38-year-old of Moroccan descent, was found guilty of traveling to Syria to fight alongside jihadist factions Ahrar al-Sham and Jund al-Aqsa. Because the man holds dual Dutch and Moroccan nationality, the government is legally permitted to revoke his Dutch citizenship without making him stateless.

This ruling overturns a previous decision by the Amsterdam District Court, which had characterized the revocation as discriminatory. While the Council of State acknowledged that the policy creates a distinction between citizens with dual nationality and those with only one, it classified this as ‘indirect rather than direct discrimination.’

The court concluded that the distinction serves a ‘legitimate aim’ and is necessary, stating, “By committing terrorist offenses, the man has turned against Dutch interests to such an extent that his ties with the Netherlands can no longer continue.”