CASE NOTE
SUDITA KEITA v HUNGARY — EUROPEAN COURT OF
HUMAN RIGHTS DECISION ON THE RIGHT TO
PRIVATE LIFE OF STATELESS PERSONS
PATRÍCIA CABRAL *
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Introduction........................................................................................................... 324
Facts ...................................................................................................................... 325
A Issues ........................................................................................................ 326
B Holding ..................................................................................................... 327
1
The Right to Private and Family Life and the Repercussions
of an Uncertain Legal Status ........................................................ 327
2
Statelessness as a Juridically Relevant Factor.............................. 327
3
States’ Obligations to Provide Effective and
Accessible Procedures .................................................................. 328
Analysis ................................................................................................................ 328
Conclusion ............................................................................................................ 329
INTRODUCTION
In the recent case of Sudita Keita v Hungary (‘Sudita Keita’), 1 the European Court
of Human Rights (‘the Court’) found a violation of art 8 of the Convention for the
Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms (‘ECHR’), 2 which
protects the right to private and family life. The case concerned Mr Sudita Keita,
a stateless person whose legal status in Hungary had been uncertain for a period
of almost 15 years, with adverse repercussions on his access to healthcare,
employment and on the enjoyment of his right to private life in general.
*
1
2
Patrícia Cabral is the Legal Policy Officer at the European Network on Statelessness. This
case note is based on a shorter blog post by the same author. See Patrícia Cabral, ‘Sudita Keita
v Hungary — Another Landmark Ruling from Strasbourg on the Right to Private and Family
Life of Stateless People’ European Network of Statelessness (Blog Post, 15 May 2020)
<https://www.statelessness.eu/blog/sudita-keita-v-hungary-another-landmark-rulingstrasbourg-right-private-and-family-life>.
Sudita Keita v Hungary (European Court of Human Rights, Fourth Section, Application No
42321/15, 12 May 2020) (‘Sudita Keita’).
Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms, opened for
signature 4 November 1950, ETS No.005 (entered into force 3 September 1953) art 8
(‘ECHR’), which reads:
1. Everyone has the right to respect for his private and family life, his home and his
correspondence.
2.
There shall be no interference by a public authority with the exercise of this right
except such as is in accordance with the law and is necessary in a democratic
society in the interests of national security, public safety or the economic wellbeing of the country, for the prevention of disorder or crime, for the protection of
health or morals, or for the protection of the rights and freedoms of others.