GEORGIA
“I took a photo of the sea because it is the only thing big enough to contain all the emotions that I feel as a stateless person.” (Nino, 19)
After the dissolution of the Soviet Union, many Soviet citizens fell between the cracks of the nationality laws of the successor States such as Georgia, and found themselves stateless. Even today, there are persons who are unable to acquire or confirm the citizenship of the country they call home. Statelessness is therefore passed on from generation to generation.
Since 2012, Georgia operates a procedure to regularize the situation of stateless persons that sets them on a path to Georgian citizenship.
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- Zhirair is 22 years old and stateless. He lives with his grandmother who says: “Without documentation, it is as if your legs are broken. Without documentation, you are not a human being.” Zhirair dreams of becoming a famous athlete, but says that the one thing he needs achieve his dreams is citizenship. © UNHCR