SUDITA KEITA v. HUNGARY JUDGMENT In the case of Sudita Keita v. Hungary, The European Court of Human Rights (Fourth Section), sitting as a Chamber composed of: Jon Fridrik Kjølbro, President, Faris Vehabović, Robert Spano, ad hoc judge, Iulia Antoanella Motoc, Carlo Ranzoni, Stéphanie Mourou-Vikström, Georges Ravarani, judges, and Andrea Tamietti, Section Registrar, Having regard to: the application against Hungary lodged with the Court under Article 34 of the Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms (“the Convention”) by a stateless person, Mr Michael Sudita Keita (“the applicant”), on 25 August 2015; the decision to give notice to the Hungarian Government (“the Government”) of the application; the parties’ observations; Having deliberated in private on 21 April 2020, Delivers the following judgment, which was adopted on that date: INTRODUCTION The application concerns the protracted difficulties the applicant, a stateless person, had in regularising his legal situation in Hungary, with allegedly adverse repercussions on his access to healthcare and employment and his right to getting married. THE FACTS 1. The applicant was born in 1985 and lives in Budapest. He was represented by Mr Zs. Dukkon, a lawyer practising in Budapest. 2. The Government were represented by their Agent, Mr Z. Tallódi, Ministry of Justice. 3. Péter Paczolay, the judge elected in respect of Hungary, withdrew from sitting in the Chamber (Rule 28 of the Rules of Court). Accordingly, the President of the Section selected Mr Robert Spano, the judge elected in respect of Iceland, as an ad hoc judge from the list of three persons designated by the Government of Hungary as eligible to serve as such a judge (Article 26 § 4 of the Convention and Rule 29 § 1 (a) of the Rules). 4. The facts of the case, as submitted by the parties, may be summarised as follows. 1