Courts / Ireland / Report
Case brought by son of alleged ISIS fighter raises 'complex issues'
Summary
The High Court is hearing a judicial review application brought by the State against the Minister for Foreign Affairs and the Minister for Justice over the renewal of an Irish passport for a seven‑year‑old boy, Abdul Malik Bekmirzaev, who is currently in Belarus with his mother. The case is described as complex because it involves the 2010 naturalisation of the boy's father, Alexandr Bekmirzaev, who is alleged to have fought for ISIS in Syria. The boy and his mother were deported from a Turkish refugee camp to Belarus in January and now seek to return to Ireland, citing concerns about the Belarusian government's handling of the Covid‑19 pandemic. The boy's legal team claims the passport is being withheld because the Minister for Justice intends to revoke his father's Irish citizenship, arguing that the father's 2001 marriage to a woman believed to be a British national was a convenience that enabled his naturalisation.
Who, what, where, when and why
What: Report matter: Case brought by son of alleged ISIS fighter raises 'complex issues'. Procedural stage: hearing_or_decision
When:
- April 2013 Hearing Or Sentence
- 2020-05-18 Publication
Why: The boy, represented by Michael Lynn SC instructed by solicitor Wendy Lyon, claims that the passport is being withheld because the Minister for Justice intends to revoke Alexandr Bekmirzaev's Irish citizenship. CNI source report
Case subjects
Applicant
Outcome: After hearing submissions from both sides the judge, who said he was prepared to facilitate an early hearing of the dispute, adjourned the case to a date next month.
Places mentioned
- High Court
Topics
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