Citizenship opens new world for stateless man from Georgia

After decades of frustration and broken dreams, Jirair has finally been recogized as a citizen of the country where he was born.

Decades of statelessness not only stopped 24-year-old Jirair from working legally or obtaining health insurance. It also crushed his lifelong dream of representing Georgia at an international wrestling championship.

Jirair’s life was transformed in 2015 after he applied to be recognized as stateless. That year, he received his first identity card and travel document.

He also attend the ceremony in New york marking the first anniversary of the #IBelong Campaign launched by UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, where he spoke about what it meant to be stateless.

In 2016, changes to the law enabled Jirair to prove his presence in Georgia in 1993. The amended citizenship law allowed local authorities to prove the physical presence of a person based on the testimonies of relatives, friends and other witnesses, enabling Jirair to prove close ties with Georgia.

Finally, in June 2017, Jirair proudly received his Georgian citizenship.

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