According to Kurdpress, thousands of Syrian Kurds who have been deprived of citizenship for decades have started the process of obtaining Syrian citizenship by visiting registration centers in different regions of the country since last week, an action that many see as the return of their legal identity after years of discrimination.

In the sports hall of the city of Qamishli in the northeast of Syria, dozens of people are waiting in long lines to complete the documents and submit the application for citizenship. 49-year-old Firas Ahmad told AFP: "A person without citizenship is practically considered dead." I couldn't even register my children or our house in my name."

A large part of the so-called "unregistered" Kurds, were deprived of Syrian citizenship since the controversial 1962 census in Haskeh province, and as a result, they were deprived of many basic citizenship rights.

This process just started after the issuance of a decree by the President of Syria, Ahmad al-Shora, in January. According to this decree, Kurds living in Syria, including those without official registration, can receive citizenship. Also, the cultural and linguistic rights of Kurds have been recognized and the Kurdish language has been accepted as one of the national languages ​​of the country.

This decision was taken after weeks of clashes between Kurdish forces and government forces; Conflicts that finally led to an agreement to integrate the administrative and military structure of the Kurdish regions into the central government.

The lack of citizenship during the past years had wide consequences for the Syrian Kurds; from the inability to register births and property ownership to restrictions on education, employment, travel and political participation.

Galia Kalash, a mother of five children, told AFP: "My children could not complete their education and we never had the opportunity to travel." Even our house is not registered in our name yet."

It is estimated that about 150,000 people in Syria are still without official registration. The population of Syrian Kurds is estimated to be around two million people, most of whom live in the northeastern regions of the country.

Syrian authorities have announced that the registration centers will be active for a month, but there is a possibility of extending this deadline.

Abdullah al-Abdullah, one of the civil affairs officials of the Syrian government, said: "The most important compensation for these people is to receive citizenship after years of deprivation."

Many applicants say that this action is not only to receive an official certificate, but also to recover their lost dignity and rights.