4 KURIĆ AND OTHERS v. SLOVENIA JUDGMENT 14. The Grand Chamber heard addresses by Mr Lana, Mr Saccucci and Mr Bembič, as well as their answers to questions put by the judges. Additional information was submitted by the applicants and the respondent Government in writing. THE FACTS I. THE CIRCUMSTANCES OF THE CASE 15. The first applicant, Mr Mustafa Kurić, was born in 1935 and lives in Koper (Slovenia). He is a stateless person. The second applicant, Mr Velimir Dabetić, was born in 1969 and lives in Italy. He is a stateless person. The third applicant, Ms Ana Mezga, is a Croatian citizen. She was born in 1965 and lives in Portorož (Slovenia). The fourth applicant, Mrs Ljubenka Ristanović, is a Serbian citizen. She was born in 1968 and lives in Serbia. The fifth applicant, Mr Tripun Ristanović, the son of the fourth applicant, was born in 1988 and is currently living in Slovenia. He is a citizen of Bosnia and Herzegovina. The sixth applicant, Mr Ali Berisha, was born in 1969 in Kosovo. According to the most recently available data, he is a Serbian citizen. He currently lives in Germany. The seventh applicant, Mr Ilfan Sadik Ademi, was born in 1952. He lives in Germany and is now a Macedonian citizen. The eighth applicant, Mr Zoran Minić, was born in 1972. According to the Government, he is a Serbian citizen. A. Background to the case 1. Citizenship in the SFRY 16. The Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (“the SFRY”) was a federal State composed of six republics: Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Serbia, Slovenia, Montenegro and Macedonia. SFRY nationals had “dual citizenship” for internal purposes, that is, they were citizens both of the SFRY and of one of the six republics. Until 1974, federal citizenship prevailed over republic citizenship: republic citizenship could only be held by a Yugoslav citizen. 17. The regulation of citizenship was similar in all republics of the SFRY, with the basic principle of acquiring citizenship by blood (jus sanguinis). In principle, a child acquired his or her parents’ citizenship; if the parents were citizens of different republics, they jointly agreed on their child’s citizenship. On the date of acquisition of the citizenship of another republic, a person’s prior republic citizenship came to an end.