New Uzbekistan law grants citizenship to nearly 50,000 stateless persons News
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New Uzbekistan law grants citizenship to nearly 50,000 stateless persons

The president of Uzbekistan signed legislation on Friday granting citizenship to some stateless persons within its borders.

There are over 97,000 stateless persons residing in Uzbekistan, the majority of whom were left stateless by the dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991. The new citizenship bill signed by President Shavkat Mirziyoyev would grant citizenship to persons who had received permanent residency in Uzbekistan prior to January 1, 1995. Estimates suggest 49,228 stateless persons will attain citizenship under the new law.

The Secretary-General’s office of the United Nations issued a statement congratulating Uzbekistan on passing the new law, and noted that this is a significant contribution toward efforts to end statelessness globally by 2024.

The new citizenship provision is scheduled to come into effect on April 1.