France strips citizenship of two people convicted of terrorist offenses
Two bi-nationals convicted of planning terrorist attacks in France have been stripped of their French nationality, a rare decision by the state.
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A Franco-Moroccan man and a Franco-Turkish woman have been stripped of their nationalities, according to notices published in the government register on 17 February 2023.
Karim Kinali, 32, who was born in Morocco, was sentenced to seven years in prison in 2019 for planning to assassinate the prefect of the Loiret department and attack a nuclear plant near Orleans.
Unzîle Nûr Sert, 25, who was born in Lyon of Turkish parents, was found guilty in 2017 of planning an attack on a Paris concert hall in March 2016, directed by a member of the Islamic State armed group in Syria, a year after the 2015 attacks on the Bataclan concert hall.
She served five years in prison, and has since been released.
Stripping nationality is rare in France. According to the Interior Ministry, 19 people have had their nationalities revoked for terrorism since 2019.
According to the French Civil Code, the government can strip someone of their nationality if they have been shown to be a fundamental threat to France, or if they have convicted of a terrorist crime.
But it only applies to those who were naturalised French within the last 15 years and are citizens of another country, to avoid making someone stateless.
Sert, who was born in France of foreign parents, acquired French nationality as a teenager.
Her lawyers said they will appeal the decision to the Council of State, saying that she has already paid her dues with her prison time, and has been followed intensely by deradicalisation groups and no longer poses a threat to France.
(with AFP)
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