ECtHR - Alpeyeva and Dzhalagoniya v. Russia

Court name: European Court of Human Rights
State: Russian Federation
Date of decision:
Legal instruments: European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR), European Union law, Other international law
Key aspects: Acquisition of nationality, Deprivation of nationality, Determination/confirmation of nationality, Respect for private and family life, Stateless status and documentation

Two applications (joined before the Court) concerned the removal of and the refusal to exchange passports, leaving the applicants stateless and without identity documentation, after the relevant Russian authorities found their Russian citizenship to be granted erroneously. The Court held the withdrawal of identity documents, which affected the exercise of their rights and freedoms in their daily lives, was a violation of Article 8 of the Convention.