Courts / Ireland / Report

Court upholds decision to deny Iranian man citizenship on national security grounds

Summary

The Court of Appeal dismissed an Iranian man's appeal against the State's refusal to grant him Irish citizenship on national security grounds. The man, who has lived in Ireland for over 25 years as a refugee, has repeatedly applied for naturalisation and been rejected. In 2014 the High Court allowed him to inspect some state-held documents but required the State to give a more detailed reason for the refusal. The Minister's decision included a report citing national security and international relations concerns, and the man argued he was denied the right to correct damaging accusations. In 2016 the High Court dismissed his action, and the Court of Appeal, sitting with Justices Peart, Hogan and Gilligan, unanimously upheld the Minister's decision, stating that national security interests outweighed the man's position. The court found no fault with the High Court's review and rejected the claim that his EU rights had been breached.

Who, what, where, when and why

What: Report matter: Court upholds decision to deny Iranian man citizenship on national security grounds. Procedural stage: appeal

When:

• 2018-04-18 Publication

Why: The court also ruled that the State should provide a more detailed reason for the decision not to grant the man a certificate. CNI source report

Case subjects

Places mentioned

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Stage Appeal

Read the original CNI report