Citizenship acts and regulations of Senegal and Lebanon; recognition of dual citizenship by either country
| Publisher | Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada |
| Author | Research Directorate, Immigration and Refugee Board, Canada |
| Publication Date | 1 October 1989 |
| Citation / Document Symbol | SEN2710 |
| Cite as | Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada, Citizenship acts and regulations of Senegal and Lebanon; recognition of dual citizenship by either country, 1 October 1989, SEN2710, available at: http://www.refworld.org/docid/3ae6ac9166.html [accessed 19 May 2013] |
| Disclaimer | This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States. |
According to the Country Reports on Human Rights Practices for 1988, (Washington: U.S. Department of State, 1989), p. 1414, Lebanon does recognize dual citizenship. According to Mariages et Régimes Matrimoniaux Etrangers, (Montreal: Editions Claude Ananou, 1987), p. 86, the woman who marries a Lebanese man becomes a Lebanese citizen, while a Lebanese woman who marries a foreigner loses her Lebanese nationality unless the other country's legislation does not grant her nationality.
The Right to Leave and Return in International Law and Practice, (Dordrecht/Boston/Lancaster: Martinus Nijhoff Publishers, 1987), p. 107, regarding Lebanese citizenship, the same source, states:
"The legislation of most countries permits denial of a passport and/or exit visa in situations where a threat to national security may exist. As is true in other regions of the world, these laws are often written in very general language. For example, a Lebanese consular mission may withdraw or refuse to renew a Lebanese passport (subject to the approval of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs) `if the holder has committed acts likely to harm Lebanese prestige or security or if he has engaged in a political activity incompatible with Lebanese interests abroad or necessitating his expulsion from the country concerned'."
Whether withdrawal or refusal to renew passport constitutes loss of Lebanese citizenship, is not clarified among the sources presently available to the IRBDC. However, The Right to Leave and Return, p. 108, states:
"Given the present state of internal armed conflict and lack of effective government in Lebanon, it would be unwise to draw any juridical conclusions regarding respect for the right to leave and return from the political-military activities of either the Lebanese government or the various warring factions."
The book Who's Who in Lebanon, (Beirut: Publitec Publications, 1982), page 23, states:
"Immigration by other Arabs [other than Syrian or Palestinian] -often political refugees- has been considerable. No statistics are available for the number who have acquired Lebanese nationality but the authorities have made it increasingly difficult".
The Right to Leave and Return, p. 116, regarding Senegal citizenship, states:
"[O]nly naturalized citizens may be deprived of their nationality, and then only upon conviction of a serious offence or for having engaged in activities `incompatible with Senegalese status or injurious to Senegalese interests'. While nationality may be withdrawn by administrative decree, there seem to be no instances of its abuse in Senegal despite the rather broad language just cited."
Further information on the requested subjects could not be found among the sources presently available to the IRBDC.
