Courts / Dublin / Report
Court holds that Russian man was born in Ireland during Second World War
Summary
The High Court has ordered that the birth of 74-year-old Moscow resident Sergey Chesnokov be officially registered in Ireland, finding he was born in Dublin on September 28, 1940. Mr Chesnokov, represented by Conor Dignam SC, applied to have his birth registered to facilitate more time in Ireland with his son and grandchildren. The Registrar General had previously refused the application, citing insufficient independent evidence. In his judgment, Mr Justice John Hedigan assessed the claim within the context of World War II and the subsequent Nazi invasion of the Soviet Union. The judge noted that Mr Chesnokov's mother and aunt returned to the USSR shortly after his birth, and that his birth was registered with Soviet authorities but not Irish ones due to fears of being perceived as anti-Soviet. The judge acknowledged that the lack of oral history was unsurprising given the Stalinist era's paranoia, where silence was the safest option to avoid exile or imprisonment. Despite the absence of concrete contemporary evidence, the judge was satisfied by official documents—including passports and marriage certificates—that consistently listed Dublin as his birthplace, along with family declarations. The court concluded that Mr Chesnokov was entitled to have his birth registered in Ireland.
Who, what, where, when and why
What: Report matter: Court holds that Russian man was born in Ireland during Second World War. Procedural stage: sentence
When:
- September 28th, 1940 Other
- September 1940 Other
- October 1940 Other
- 2015-07-24 Publication
Why: In order to resolve the matter it was necessary to consider the context of time and place. CNI source report
Case subjects
Applicant
Outcome: However the Judge said the fear of being "indicted as being anti-Soviet" was "a very real one." Those considered "contaminated by foreign influence" could lead to exile and imprisonment by the Stalinist authorities. "This history of the Gulag Archipelago identifies many humble folk who fell victim to Stalinist paranoia and spent decades in exile in these infamous work camps.
Places mentioned
- The High Court
- High Court
- Dublin's Henrietta Street
- 5 Henreitta Street
Topics
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