Belgium Set to Take Away Citizenship from Convicted Serious Offenders

(MENAFN) The Belgian government finalized a legal overhaul on Friday that will enable authorities to revoke citizenship from individuals convicted of grave offenses such as organized crime, homicide, or sexual assault.

Justice Minister Annelies Verlinden explained that the reform expands the timeframe during which citizenship can be revoked, targeting those who obtained Belgian nationality within the last 15 years before committing the crime, according to a state-owned news agency. This extends the current limit from 10 years.

"Anyone guilty of serious crimes that undermine the foundations of our society may lose their Belgian citizenship," she stated, emphasizing that the reform seeks to "send a strong signal."

Under the proposed legislation, courts will be mandated to automatically consider nationality revocation in cases of terrorism involving dual nationals, regardless of whether the prosecution requests it.

Although judges retain discretion to refrain from revocation, they must provide clear reasoning if the outcome is judged to be "unreasonable and disproportionate."

For other severe offenses like homicide, sexual crimes, or organized crime, citizenship can be withdrawn only in instances where the crimes significantly threaten societal stability.

Additionally, the reform sets a 15-year limit for initiating revocation proceedings.

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