"There are plans to introduce a legal amendment, for Germans with multiple

nationalities who fight for a terror militia, to lose their German citizenship," said interior ministry spokeswoman Eleonore Petermann.

Justice Minister Katarina Barley has separately said that the change would be "implemented soon", her spokeswoman said.

Under German law, individuals with more than one nationality can already lose their German citizenship if they fight for a foreign army without permission from the German defence ministry.

The amendment would therefore add participation in combat for a foreign militant group to the existing law.

The new rule would also only apply under strict conditions -- the individual must be above 18 years of age, and have more than one nationality, so that he or she would not be left stateless after losing the German citizenship.

The legal change will not apply retroactively, meaning that German IS fighters who are already jailed will not be affected.

Chancellor Angela Merkel's spokesman Steffen Seibert rejected claims that

the amendment would leave dual nationals feeling like "second-class citizens".

"We must not forget what this is about," he said.

"This is about concrete participation in combat operations for a terror militia abroad," he said. Merkel's government had committed to examining such an amendment during their coalition negotiations last year, he noted.

With the Islamic State organisation crumbling, many European countries are now being confronted with the urgent question of what to do with returning

fighters.

Britain recently sparked uproar when it decided to strip a teenage girl of her nationality, arguing that she could obtain Bangladeshi citizenship through her mother, a claim the government in Dhaka has rejected.</s>Germany's coalition government says it will introduce legislation that will allow authorities to strip people with dual nationality of their German citizenship if they fight for a foreign armed group.

The proposed rule will apply to people over 18 and, for reasons of constitutional law, only to future cases, a spokeswoman for the interior ministry said on Monday.

"There are plans to introduce a legal amendment, for Germans with multiple nationalities who fight for a terror militia, to lose their German citizenship," said Eleonore Petermann.

The move comes as Germany and other European countries consider what to do about citizens who fought for the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL or ISIS) group and were captured in Syria.

More than 900 people from Germany left the country to join armed groups in Syria and Iraq, according to a 2017 report by the Soufan Group, a New York-based security consultancy. About a third have returned home.

There are more than 1,000 ISIL prisoners from Europe in detention facilities overseen by the US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces in eastern Syria.

Washington has urged its European allies to repatriate the fighters, but Germany's Foreign Minister Heiko Maas previously said German ISIL prisoners could only "return if it is ensured they can immediately be taken into custody".

Still, the fact that the planned legislation cannot be applied retroactively means the proposal is unlikely to ease the German government's dilemma on how to handle former fighters.

Berlin hopes the legislation will have a "preventive effect" and discourage citizens from joining armed groups.

Officials said the proposals would be drawn up soon but did not offer a precise timetable.

German law already allows for people with dual citizenship to be stripped of their German nationality if they volunteer for their other country's armed forces without the consent of authorities in Germany.

The planned amendment would add participation in combat for a foreign armed group to the existing law.

Meanwhile, Steffen Seibert, spokesman for Chancellor Angela Merkel, rejected claims that the amendment would leave dual nationals feeling like "second-class citizens".

"We must not forget what this is about," he said.

"This is about concrete participation in combat operations for a terror militia abroad," he said.

Merkel's government had committed to examining such an amendment during their coalition negotiations last year, he noted.

Bernd Baumann, a politician with the opposition far-right Alternative for Germany party, said the proposed legislation came "much too late" and would not help with ISIL fighters returning from Syria and Iraq.

Stephan Thomae, a politician with the opposition Free Democrats, described the plan as "pure display window politics" and said the government should concentrate on taking a clear position on how to deal with captured ISIL fighters.

Neighbouring France has had a process since the 1990s for stripping French citizenship from dual nationals who carry out "acts of terrorism", though it has rarely been used.

The UK recently sparked controversy when it decided to strip a teenage girl who left to join ISIL in Syria of her nationality, arguing that she could obtain Bangladeshi citizenship through her mother, a claim the government in Dhaka has rejected.</s>Germany to strip terror fighters of citizenship in future

BERLIN (AP) — The German government plans to introduce legislation enabling authorities to strip Germans with dual nationality of their German citizenship if they fight for a terror group.

Interior Ministry spokeswoman Eleonore Petermann said Monday that the new rule will be applicable to over-18s and "for reasons of constitutional law" can only apply to future cases and can't be used for retrospective cases.

Officials said the legislation will be drawn up soon but didn't offer a precise timetable.

German law already allows for dual nationals to be stripped of their German nationality if they volunteer for their other country's armed forces without the consent of German authorities.

The move comes as Germany and other European countries consider what to do about those citizens who fought for the Islamic State group.</s>German dual nationals who fight for Islamic State will lose their citizenship under new measures announced by Angela Merkel’s government on Monday.

The move follows the decision of Sajid Javid, the British home secretary, to strip former Bethnal Green schoolgirl Shamima Begum of her British nationality after she travelled to Syria to join Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (Isil)

“This is a signal that, beyond being punishable by the law, you also face losing your nationality if you join a terrorist militia,” a spokesman for the German interior ministry said.

A spokesman for Mrs Merkel stressed that the German measure would only apply to those who take up arms on Isil’s behalf.

“This is about concrete participation in hostilities for a terrorist militia abroad,” Steffen Seibert said.

But opposition politicians accused Germany of failing to take responsibility for the actions of its own citizens while others said the move was too late.</s>BERLIN (AP) — The German government plans to introduce legislation that will enable authorities to strip Germans with dual nationality of their German citizenship if they fight for a terror group abroad, officials said Monday.

The new rule will apply to people over 18 and, for reasons of constitutional law, only to future cases, Interior Ministry spokeswoman Eleonore Petermann said.

The move comes as Germany and other European countries consider what to do about citizens who fought for the Islamic State group and were captured in Syria. But the fact that the legislation can't be applied retroactively means the proposal is unlikely to ease the German government's dilemma on how to handle former jihadi fighters, amid worries about whether they pose a security risk and whether prosecutors can build cases against them.

The government hopes the legislation will have a "preventive effect" and discourage citizens from joining terror groups. Officials said the legislation will be drawn up soon but didn't offer a precise timetable.

German law already allows for people with dual citizenship to be stripped of their German nationality if they volunteer for their other country's armed forces without the consent of German authorities.

Other countries have made similar moves. Neighboring France has had a process since the 1990s for stripping French citizenship from dual nationals who carry out acts of terrorism, though it has rarely been used.

Germany's governing coalition pledged when it took office a year ago to come up with tougher citizenship rules for extremist group fighters, but took until now to agree on details.

Bernd Baumann, a top lawmaker with the opposition far-right Alternative for Germany party, said the proposed legislation came "much too late" and wouldn't help with IS fighters returning from Syria and Iraq.

Stephan Thomae, a lawmaker with the opposition Free Democrats, described the plan as "pure display window politics" and said the government should concentrate on taking a clear position on how to deal with captured IS fighters.</s>The Western Journal has not reviewed this Associated Press story prior to publication. Therefore, it may contain editorial bias or may in some other way not meet our normal editorial standards. It is provided to our readers as a service from The Western Journal.

BERLIN (AP) — The German government plans to introduce legislation enabling authorities to strip Germans with dual nationality of their German citizenship if they fight for a terror group.

Interior Ministry spokeswoman Eleonore Petermann said Monday that the new rule will be applicable to over-18s and “for reasons of constitutional law” can only apply to future cases and can’t be used for retrospective cases.

Officials said the legislation will be drawn up soon but didn’t offer a precise timetable.

German law already allows for dual nationals to be stripped of their German nationality if they volunteer for their other country’s armed forces without the consent of German authorities.

The move comes as Germany and other European countries consider what to do about those citizens who fought for the Islamic State group.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

We are committed to truth and accuracy in all of our journalism. Read our editorial standards.</s>(Hatha al-Youm | Iraq News )- ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – Germany says a new draft law will revoke citizens who join the Islamic State or other terror groups of their German citizenship.On Monday, Eleonore Patermann, a spokesperson for Germany’s Interior Ministry, said the new legislation would only apply to cases in the future and not to those citizens who fought with the Islamic State in Syria or Iraq being held in Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) custody.However, Patermann said she hopes the new law has a “preventative effect” because, in the future, anyone with dual nationality “who has taken part in combat operations for a terrorist militia will forfeit their German citizenship.”Germany’s draft legislation is the latest effort by western governments to address the ongoing threat of terror, especially as the Islamic State’s military defeat is imminent. Foreign defense ministers have warned that the next battle against the extremist group is a war on its ideology to ensure a lasting defeat.According to Germany’s domestic intelligence service, BfV, at least 1,050 German citizens left for Iraq and Syria at the height of the Islamic State’s emergence in 2013.Among those, about 70 German Islamic State members are believed to be under arrest in Syria, Iraq, and Turkey, where a dozen of them hold dual nationality.Related Article: Germany hints it could take back ISIS fighters in SyriaIn early February, the United States called on countries to bring home thousands of Islamic State members which the US-backed SDF captured in Syria.Some senior Syrian Kurdish officials say the number of captured Islamic State fighters has surpassed 1,500 after the recent offensive in Syria’s Deir al-Zor province.US President Donald Trump renewed that call on Feb. 16 when he urged European allies to take back hundreds of Islamic State foreign fighters in the war-torn country.So far, European states have been reluctant to bring back Islamic State fighters or women accused of membership in the extremist group and their children who are stuck in Syria.Many EU countries fear that due to the lack of evidence, Islamic State supporters could be quickly released once they appear in court after returning home.The United Kingdom has refused to take back their citizens who joined the Islamic State and has even stripped them of their citizenships.France, meanwhile, has said Paris would deal with the Islamic State fighters on a “case-by-case” basis.</s>The German coalition government has reportedly reached an agreement to strip German terrorists, who have dual citizenship, from their German citizenship if they are proven to go abroad and fight. The decision will not apply retroactively to members of the Islamic State (ID) held prisoners in Syria.

The administrative measure will apply to persons against from 18 years of age.

 Many European countries are grappling with the conundrum of how to allow citizens who left and fought for ISIS in Syria return when they cannot prove their involvement in crimes.</s>Germany's governing coalition has agreed to strip fighters of the "Islamic State" (IS) militant group of their citizenship, according to German outlets Süddeutsche Zeitung, NDR and WDR.

The new law would apply to jihadists who are of age, have a second nationality and take part in future battles as part of IS. It would not apply to IS fighters who are currently imprisoned.

Read more: Germany preparing to prosecute dozens of IS fighters

Germany's Nationality Act already includes a similar rule for dual nationals who join "the armed forces or a comparable armed unit" of another country without the permission of the German Defense Ministry.

The new legislation would expand the Nationality Act to apply to someone who "takes part in combat operations abroad for a terrorist militia," which is defined as an "armed paramilitary organization" that violates international law in order to "establish new state or state structures."

The governing coalition, comprised of German Chancellor Angela Merkel's conservatives (CDU/CSU) and the center-left Social Democrats (SPD), had pledged to reform the law last year.

But disagreements between the CDU/CSU and SPD stopped them from agreeing on a concrete proposal. The head of the CSU in the German Bundestag, Alexander Dobrindt, reportedly accused Justice Minister Katarina Barley from the SPD of delaying the legislation last week.

Read more: Germany turning away more Yazidi refugees

Barley is said to have resisted attempts by Interior Minister Horst Seehofer, a CSU politician, to link the legislation with further citizenship restrictions not directly related to terrorism.

Part of Seehofer's initial proposal to the Justice Ministry would allow authorities to strip children under the age of five of citizenship if their parents had unlawfully acquired German citizenship, for instance by deception.

Seehofer reportedly gave up on the draft law following strong opposition from the Justice Ministry, but plans to present a new draft bill regarding citizenship as soon as possible.

Germany has been debating what to do about its citizens who fought for IS in Syria and Iraq since US President Donald Trump lcalled for the repatriation and prosecution of some 800 foreign fighters in February.

Every day, DW's editors send out a selection of the day's hard news and quality feature journalism. Sign up for the newsletter here.</s>Germany will strip ISIS fighters of their citizenship, after the government agreed on a new anti-terror law, local media reports.

The new law will apply to adult German nationals with dual citizenship, who take part in future battles for any terrorist 'militia'.

This means it will not apply to foreign ISIS fighters who have fled its territories in recent weeks or are already imprisoned.

The expanded Nationality Act would see citizenship stripped of those who 'takes part in combat operations abroad for a terrorist militia,' in order to 'establish a new state or state structures,' Deutsche Welle reports.

The fall of ISIS in Syria and the increasingly publicized desires by foreign fighters to return to their home countries have seen several Western nations take action against homegrown jihadists.

The UK stripped 19-year-old Shamima Begum, who left east London's Bethnal Green to join ISIS aged 15, of her British citizenship after she was tracked down by a Times journalist in the Al Hol refugee camp and spoke of her desire to return to her home country.

Last week, Sweden moved to make it illegal to join a terror organisation as the government seeks to punish 'returning' jihadist fighters.

The new law, set to enter into force in August, 'will allow us to prosecute and try many more of them than we've been able to until now,' Justice Minister Morgan Johansson said.

However, the legislation will not be retroactive and therefore cannot be applied to the dozens of fighters who have already come back to Sweden.

Under the current laws, Sweden can only prosecute foreign fighters if it can prove that they have been involved in crimes violating the Geneva Convention.

This comes after the Kurdish government suggested that if foreign fighters could not return, then international tribunals similar to the ones used to convict Nazis after the Second World War could be set up to deal with the problem.
Germany says it will amend the German nationality law to strip dual nationals of their citizenship who have fought for foreign militant groups, such as ISIL.