The Office of Citizenship and Migration Affairs intends to revoke the decision to strip zemessargs Nikita Obozny of his citizenship. After verification, it was found that the Ukrainian citizenship, which caused the dispute, was never properly formalized.
The story of zemessargs Nikita Obozny, who faced the loss of Latvian citizenship due to alleged dual citizenship, took an unexpected turn. After the intervention of the Ukrainian embassy, it was revealed that he was never officially a citizen of Ukraine, reports Latvian television.
Nikita was born in Latvia. His father was a non-citizen of Latvia, while his mother was a citizen of Ukraine. In early childhood, the boy ended up in an orphanage. Later, the Ukrainian embassy issued him a passport, which for many years was considered confirmation of his Ukrainian citizenship.
It was the presence of this document that became the basis for initiating the procedure to revoke his Latvian citizenship. The Office of Citizenship and Migration Affairs (OCMA) concluded that Nikita possessed dual citizenship, which is not permitted by law in his case.
However, the man challenged the decision in court and sought additional clarifications through Ukrainian institutions.
A turning point came with an official letter from the Ukrainian embassy. The document stated that the necessary procedures for obtaining Ukrainian citizenship concerning Nikita had not been completed, and therefore he is not a citizen of Ukraine.
According to Nikita himself, this document confirmed what he had been saying from the very beginning.
"I received an official letter stating that neither I nor my legal representatives underwent the required procedures. Therefore, I am not a citizen of Ukraine and never have been," he said.
The decision to revoke citizenship has not yet come into effect solely because the man timely appealed to the court.
According to Nikita, the last few months have been a difficult test for the entire family.
"If I hadn't filed the lawsuit, citizenship would have already been lost. It was a very tough time for both me and my family. There were significant financial expenses and immense stress," he says.
The OCMA confirmed that they received information from the Ukrainian side and intend to revoke their previous decision after obtaining the original documents.
The head of the department, Maira Roze, acknowledged that the agency would be able to review the case based on new data.
"Yes, we will revoke the previous decision. Essentially, the decision to revoke citizenship will be canceled," Roze stated.
Nikita's former representative, now the parliamentary secretary of the Ministry of Justice, Viesturs Vitovskis, believes that this case has highlighted a broader issue. According to him, obtaining the necessary documents from foreign institutions often takes months, and sometimes even years.
After the story became public, other residents of Latvia facing difficulties due to dual citizenship issues began to approach lawyers and politicians.
Vitovskis believes that the state needs to reconsider its existing approach to such cases and take into account the real circumstances of each situation, rather than limiting itself to a formal assessment of documents.
Against this backdrop, changes to legislation are already being prepared to help avoid similar conflicts in the future.
The story of Nikita Obozny showed that an error or ambiguity in documents from many years ago can jeopardize a person's citizenship, and correcting such a situation requires significant effort, time, and legal proceedings.
Leave a comment