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Hundreds of Indonesian Former IS Members, Families Could Become Stateless

Rikar Hussein

   WASHINGTON/JAKARTA - A recent decision by the government in Jakarta not
   to repatriate hundreds of its citizens suspected of membership in the
   Islamic State (IS) terror group has set off a debate over the fate of
   the Indonesians, with some experts warning it could become an
   international dilemma if their citizenship is revoked.

   Indonesian officials in the past reported that there were 689 former IS
   Indonesians detained mainly in northeast Syria, Turkey and Afghanistan.
   However, the country's Ministry of Law and Human Rights earlier this
   week said the number was as high as 1,276.

   President Joko Widodo on Feb.12 said his government was no longer
   responsible for them "because it was their decision" to abandon their
   country to join IS. A day later, the presidential chief of staff,
   Moeldoko, told media the former IS members were considered stateless --
   people who have lost their nationality "automatically" without having
   to go through the country's legal procedures.

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