In November 2012, Jawad Fairooz was stripped of his Bahraini nationality while he was visiting the UK. The former Bahraini MP received the news from his wife – who had heard it in a TV announcement.
As his citizenship was stripped without prior notice and while he was abroad, he was denied the right to return to Bahrain and challenge the decision. He was made stateless, with no legal recourse on the basis of a law that I think most in the UK would agree is draconian, arbitrary and in violation of international law.
Now Home Secretary Priti Patel also wants the power to deprive people of their citizenship without notice. Not only is this an attack on fundamental principles of justice and international law, it will inevitably target minorities and those of migrant heritage overwhelmingly. Attempting to justify the tactic, the Home Office has resorted to a discredited and alarming argument: that citizenship is a privilege, not a right.
