So far 20 people have lost their Dutch nationality because they had a conviction for terrorism or because it was in the ‘national interest’, justice minister Dilan Yesilgöz has told MPs. 

The state has had the right to strip people of their nationality, as long as they hold another, since 2017.

The total is likely to rise because 24 more cases are currently before the courts, the minister said. Of them, five cases concern people who are said to be a danger to national security. 

In total, the justice ministry has a list of 300 people who travelled from the Netherlands to Syria and Iraq to join IS or its affiliated groups. Of them, 105 have died and 90 have returned to the Netherlands. The rest are either in another country or prison camps. 

The Dutch state is also aware of some 300 children with a ‘Dutch link’ who have been in Iraq or Syria. Of them, 80 are back in the Netherlands but the rest remain abroad. Thirty are known to have died.