In response to a human rights wound lasting more than six decades, and with the passage of 63 years since the Special Census in al-Hasakah (1962), we proudly announce the launch of the Network of Statelessness Victims in al-Hasakah (NSVH)—an independent, victim-led initiative providing an inclusive framework for coordination, solidarity, and advocacy for the right to nationality and legal recognition.
NSVH is led by victims who were stripped of Syrian nationality or born without civil registration due to the Special Census of 5 October 1962 and subsequent exclusionary policies. The Network works to empower victims to represent themselves, share their stories, and lead their claims, adopting a comprehensive rights-based approach that promotes recognition, reparation, institutional reform, and guarantees of non-recurrence.
- Our Vision
A society where dignity of victims of statelessness and their families is upheld through recognition, truth and justice, and in which full citizenship and guarantees of non-recurrence are achieved as pillars of a fair and comprehensive peace in Syria.
- Our Mission
Organizing and empowering statelessness victims and their families to represent themselves and advocate for their rights through legal protection and individual support, documentation and memory-building, advocacy and legislative reform, and the integration of the issue into truth and transitional justice processes. Strengthening capacities, partnerships, and early monitoring mechanisms to ensure equality and non-discrimination, while breaking the cycle of deprivation across generations.
- Why NSVH?
The 1962 Census and subsequent exclusionary policies created a tragic reality in which hundreds of thousands of people—mostly Kurds—were stripped of their right to citizenship. The affected individuals fell into two main categories: (1) Ajanib al-Hasakah, those registered in special books and issued red cards labelling them as “foreigners” in their own homeland, and (2) Maktumeen al-Qayd, individuals left entirely outside the civil registry, without any legal documents.
Thousands of families inherited the consequences of deprivation across generations. Children grew up without legal documents or official identity, deprived of legal personality and the rights it entails, including access to education, healthcare, employment, property ownership, freedom of movement, representation, and participation in public life.
By 2011, more than 517,000 people were estimated to be stateless. Although Legislative Decree 49 of 2011 restored nationality to the majority of those in the “Ajanib” Category, over 150,000 people—mostly Maktumeen—remained outside the framework of citizenship.
Driven by this reality, the Network of Statelessness Victims in al-Hasakah (NSVH) was launched. As an independent, victim-led initiative, it reframes the issue within a human rights framework, treating it as a collective wound requiring recognition and comprehensive redress. NSVH provides a unified voice for advocacy, protection, and dignity, while taking a decisive step toward a future where no child is born without a name or a homeland!
For more information, you can visit our website and read the profile, or contact us directly through:
- Phone (WhatsApp/Signal): +964 751 0483 382
- Email: contact@nsvh.network
Al-Hasakah – 4 October 2025
Network of Statelessness Victims in al-Hasakah (NSVH)