The Belgian government reached an agreement today to introduce a legal reform that would allow the stripping of Belgian citizenship from people convicted of serious crimes such as organised crime, murder or sexual offences.
Justice Minister Annelies Verlinden said the reform targets those who acquired Belgian citizenship within 15 years of committing the crime, state news agency Belga reported. The current period is ten years.
“Anyone guilty of serious crimes that undermine the foundations of our society can lose Belgian citizenship,” she said, adding that the reform aims to send a strong signal.
Under the new rules, judges will be required to automatically consider stripping citizenship in terrorism cases involving dual nationals, even if the prosecution does not request it.
While courts can ultimately decide not to strip citizenship, they must provide explicit justification.
For other serious crimes, including murder, sexual offenses or organized crime, citizenship can only be revoked in certain cases where the crimes pose a fundamental threat to society.
The reform also introduces a 15-year statute of limitations for filing such claims, AA writes.
