Home Affairs Minister Peter Dutton has stood by a decision to strip IS jihadist and recruiter Neil Prakash of his Australian citizenship and rejected suggestions it renders the 27-year-old stateless.
Mr Dutton says a thorough process was conducted by the Citizenship Loss Board and legal advice from the Australian government solicitor general has been followed.
"I'm saying the advice to the government, based on all the intricate detail and fact of this particular matter, is that Mr Prakash is, by operation of law, a citizen of Fiji," Mr Dutton told reporters in Brisbane on Wednesday.
Peter Dutton says he hopes Neil Prakash "rots in jail". Source: AAP
Melbourne-born Prakash - who is in jail in Turkey facing terrorism charges - was notified at the weekend his citizenship had been annulled because of his connections to IS.
Mr Dutton said Fiji was advised before the decision was made public.
He also said the Australian government has been working with Fiji since that decision but did not explain why.
The Home Affairs minister also declared Prakash "should rot in jail in Turkey".
"And I hope that's the case for a long period of time to come," he said.
Earlier, the head of Fiji's Immigration Department said Prakash, whose father was Fijian, was not one of its citizens, the Fiji Sun newspaper reported on Tuesday.
The federal government is standing by its decision to strip Neil Prakash of his citizenship. Source: AAP
Professor Donald Rothwell, an Australian National University expert on international law, told Associated Press it was up to Fiji to decide who was Fijian.
"It cannot be assumed even though Prakash and his family may have some connections with Fiji, that his Fijian citizenship would be recognised by the Fijian government," Prof Rothwell said.
Prakash has been in custody near the border with Syria since 2016 after attempting to enter Turkey with false documents.
His Australian passport was cancelled in 2014 and he was added to a sanctions list in 2015.
Prakash has been in custody near the border with Syria since 2016. Source: AAP
Prakash has previously admitted being a member of the so-called Islamic State but said he had nothing to do with the group in Australia.
He faces a potential life sentence if convicted in Australia of terrorism offences.
