According to APA, the changes to the law “On Citizenship,” in which citizens of Azerbaijan obtaining other citizenships, will be charged if fail to inform the authorities within a month, will be discussed in Milli Majlis (the Parliament) on May 30.
Among the amendments is the new annex No.4 to the article No. 5, which states that “the citizenship of the Azerbaijan Republic is determined and confirmed by the relevant executive authority.” The part No. 1 of article No.6, which listed birth certificate as one of the documents that verify citizenship of Azerbaijan, will be abolished. The proposed part No. 2 to the article No. 10 reads that “if Azerbaijani citizen, who obtained foreign citizenship does not inform the relevant executive authority about it within a month, s/he will bear responsibility in accordance with the Criminal Code.”
In addition, changes are proposed to the article No. 18 on forfeiting the citizenship of Azerbaijan:
“In accordance with the Convention on Reduction of Statelessness of August 30, 1961 the following can serve as reasons for forfeiting the citizenship of the Republic of Azerbaijan:
1) Citizen of Azerbaijan Republic voluntarily obtains citizenship of another country;
2) Citizen of Azerbaijan Republic voluntarily serves at state bodies and municipalities, or armed forces and/or another armed units of a foreign country;
3) The behavior of the Citizen of Azerbaijan Republic is damaging to the state security;
4) While acquiring the citizenship of the Azerbaijan Republic, a person has deliberately falsified the data necessary to acquire the citizenship, or submitted a falsified document.”
