Press Statement
Govt must immediately acknowledge Malaysian citizenship of family of four young stateless siblings
Press Conference 17 October 2023
Aziq Fadyan, 24 years old, Azreen Batrisya 22 years old, Azzahra Batrisya 12 years old and Azalea Batrisya 9 years old, have been unlawfully denied Malaysian citizenship by the Government, and are now stateless persons. All four of them were born in Malaysia. Their father was a Malaysian citizen, Fadil bin Saharudin. Their mother is an Indonesian. Their marriage was solemnised in Indonesia and Malaysia in 1998 prior to the birth of the four children.
They are entitled as of right to Malaysian citizenship under Article 14(1)(b) and Part II Second Schedule, Section 1(a) and 1(e) of the Federal Constitution. Born and raised in Malaysia, by a Malaysian father, they are citizens of no other country but Malaysia and they are entitled to Malaysian citizenship by virtue of Section 1(a) and 1(e).
As a result of the refusal of the Malaysian government to acknowledge their rights to citizenship, they have been denied a proper education, employment and healthcare. They cannot do the most basic things like opening a bank account or getting a driving license or getting a proper job for a fair salary.
The Government bears total responsibility for the discrimination, humiliation and suffering of these young stateless Malaysians. Though they are faultless, the government have unreasonably and cruelly made them endure the terrible life that stateless persons are subjected to.
We urge the Home Minister and Cabinet to interfere in their matter immediately, and urgently ensure that these Malaysian children are acknowledged as Malaysian citizens. We further urge the Government and Education Minister to ensure the immediate entry into a suitable government school for Azzahra and Azalea, who are 12 and 9 respectively.
The case of Aziq, Azreen, Azzahra and Azalea are just the tip of the iceberg. There are tens of thousands of similar cases in Malaysia, children suffering and their lives ruined although entitled to Malaysian citizenship by law. We urge the government to immediately look into all these cases and grant citizenship to all who are qualified under the Constitution but have been unlawfully deprived of citizenship to date.
Issued by:
Lawyers representing the family & Lawyers for Liberty
1. Surendran, Advisor
2. Nabila Khairuddin, Campaign Coordinator