Wants to strip "foreign criminals" of citizenship
Diljá Einarsdóttir says that most Nordic countries allow this and that Iceland should look to the Nordic countries in this regard. Composite image
Diljá Mist Einarsdóttir, a member of parliament for the Independence Party, will submit a bill to strip Icelandic citizenship from citizens born abroad, including if they are guilty of serious crimes.
She said this in an interview with mbl.is, but yesterday she published an article in Morgunblaðið under the headline "Strip foreign criminals of citizenship”. According to the bill, a person could lose their citizenship if they are guilty of a serious crime or provide false or misleading information to the government when applying for citizenship.
She says that she submitted this bill along with other members of parliament from the Independence Party during the last election period and plans to submit it again when parliament convenes in February.
“I plan to submit this immediately in the first days of the parliament and also request a conversation with the new Minister of Justice about her views on this,” she says, referring to Minister of Justice Þorbjörg Sigríður Gunnlaugsdóttir.
It would not make people stateless
This would only apply to those who have dual citizenship. Therefore, it would not be possible to deprive an individual of their citizenship if they were to become stateless as a result, but that would be unconstitutional.
To her knowledge, all Nordic countries have such provisions in their laws except Sweden, which has also begun to look into this.
“Of course, we should look to the Nordic countries in this regard,” Einarsdóttir says.
The government’s charter stipulates that residence permits can be revoked for holders who are found guilty of serious crimes, but it does not mention citizens of foreign origin.
Guðrún Hafsteinsdóttir, the former Minister of Justice, had also put such changes on the agenda.