Talk about the file of acquiring Libyan citizenship came back to the front again after the government formed a central committee to consider requests for citizenship for a number of groups, including the children of Libyan women married to foreigners, whose number is estimated at more than 15,000 Libyans, in addition to another group of Libyans who have obtained administrative numbers and claiming to be of Libyan origin, and they have not obtained citizenship yet
welcome
The Association of Libyan Women Married to a Non-Libyan and their Children, welcomed the decision to form a central committee to study applications for obtaining Libyan citizenship, and to prove the validity of belonging to Libyan origin.
The association explained – in a statement – that they are subjected to exclusion and marginalization, and the situation reached the stage of preventing them from participating in the elections, losing the right of citizenship, imposing tuition fees on their children, and not recognizing their civil rights.
Not enough time
On the other hand, the journalist writer from the Twareg tribe, Mussa Tehosai, in a statement to Arraed, appealed to the government to look at the category of those who obtained administrative numbers, especially in the south, and put an end to their suffering, which has lasted for nearly 40 years, expecting that the formed committee will not complete its tasks or that something will come of it, because time is not enough. Given the age of the government, calling on it not to use this file for political reasons
Tehosai added that there are approximately 14,000 families waiting to obtain citizenship from the Twareg component only, explaining that their receipt of the administrative number is only to facilitate financial and service procedures, and that they are deprived of obtaining a passport, pursuing studies abroad, the pilgrimage, and receiving treatment. Like what happened with the wounded in the process of defending the capital who only have administrative number.
Very Dangerous
On the other hand, the head of the Parliament’s Defense and National Security Committee, Talal Al-Maihoub, considered the government’s decision “extremely dangerous,” calling it a threat to the country’s national security from a demographic point of view, calling for an investigation in this regard.
Formation of a committee
On the 26th of this month, the government formed a committee to study applications for obtaining Libyan citizenship and to prove the validity of belonging to Libyan origin to consider the procedures submitted to it regarding a number of groups, namely the children of Libyan women, the wife of the Libyan citizen, the custodial widow, the custodial divorcee, and the children of a naturalized citizen who were not included in the certificate of the nationality of their father and thoes who have Libyan origin and could not prove that he belonged to Libyan origin
What does the law say?
Article 3 of the Libyan law stipulates that citizenship may be granted to a person born to a Libyan father, and not to a person born to a Libyan mother, unless the father is unidentified. For example, children under the age of 18 may not apply for citizenship, except in the case of the death of the foreign parent, or considered missing by a court ruling. if they passed this age they must bring a consent from their families to obtain the nationality and bring documents stating that their parents obtained prior approval from the Ministry of Social Affairs before their marriage contract, and then the competent authorities have the discretion to accept this request.
Will these steps taken by the government, through its formation of this committee, contribute to lifting the suffering of a number of groups of the Libyan people, who are waiting for a long time for their rights?
