Bulgaria - Sofia City Administrative Court, Sager Al-Anezi v. State Agency for Refugees

Court name: Sofia City Administrative Court
State: Bulgaria
Date of decision:
Legal instruments: 1954 Statelessness Convention, 1961 Statelessness Convention, European Union law, International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR), Other international law
Key aspects: Deportation and removal, Detention, Stateless status and documentation

The case concerns the appeal by the stateless person from Kuwait, Mr. Sager Al-Anezi, against the decision of the asylum authorities in Bulgaria to reject his application for international protection as manifestly unfounded under a fast-track procedure carried out while Mr.Al-Anezi was placed in detention for removal. By a final judgment, the Sofia City Administrative Court allowed the appeal of Mr. Al-Anezi. The court judgment contains inter alia detailed analysis on the significance of the right to nationality as a fundamental human right; the application of the 1951 Convention relating to the Status of Refugees to stateless persons and the situation of Bidoon in Kuwait.