Ma`rifat Hoghoughi

Abstract The widespread deprivation of citizens and the erosion of the rule of law are among the most important challenges of contemporary governance systems, leaving deep and multi-layered effects in the legal, political, and social spheres. This article, adopting a political-legal approach and utilizing an analytical-comparative method, examines the two-way relationship between deprivation of citizenship and the weakening of the rule of law. The main assumption of the research is that as the gap between written law and its fair implementation increases, the areas of structural deprivation of citizens and the crisis of legal legitimacy intensify. The studies in this article show that the erosion of the rule of law often occurs not in the form of a sudden collapse, but through gradual processes such as the concentration of power, the securitization of rights, discriminatory legislation, and the weakening of judicial independence.By examining the case studies of Egypt, Iraq, Turkey, and Lebanon, we analyze common patterns of erosion of the rule of law and the spread of citizen deprivation. The results of this section show that, despite historical and political differences, the mechanisms of deprivation in these countries share significant similarities and have often led to a decline in public trust, weakened political participation, and increased inequality. We then examine the legal dimensions of widespread citizen deprivation, including violations of the principle of equality before the law, denial of effective access to a fair trial, and the reduction of fundamental rights to privilege. Finally, the article concludes that citizenship deprivation and the erosion of the rule of law reproduce each other in a vicious cycle, emphasizing the need for simultaneous reform strategies at the legal, institutional, and social levels