On 21 June, the European Court of Human Rights delivered its judgement in Ramadan v. Malta, a case concerning the revocation of Maltese citizenship that rendered the applicant stateless. The Court did not find any violation of Article 8 of the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR), but noted that arbitrary revocation of citizenship can in certain circumstances be problematic under Article 8 because of its impact on the right to private life. Judge Pinto de Albuquerque’s dissenting opinion called on the Court to recognize the right to citizenship as an autonomous right under the ECHR and referenced to UNHCR’s Global Action Plan to End Statelessness. A request to refer the case to the Grand Chamber is currently pending.
