Abstract
According to Article 2 of the 1978 citizenship statute, “the legislation of the USSR on Soviet citizenship consists of the present Law, defining in conformity with Article 23 of the USSR Constitution the grounds and procedure for acquiring and losing Soviet citizenship, and other legislative acts of the USSR”. The reference to “other legislative acts of the USSR” is interesting because it implies the possibility that further legislation on the subject might be forthcoming: in fact, of course, some supplementary instructions intended to clarify the method of application of various provisions of the 1978 statute have already been issued. Whether the cryptic statement concerning additional legislative activity means a medley of such ancillary measures, ad hoc edicts dealing with special cases involving citizenship status, and occasional clauses in legislation addressed to different themes (e.g., the federal Fundamentals of legislation on marriage and the family), or more ambitious ventures into the field of citizenship regulation is not clear from the letter of the law. On the whole, the first alternative sounds likelier.
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Notes
V.V. Polianskii, “Printsipy sovetskogo grazhdanstva”, Sovetskoe gosudarstvo i pravo, 1980, No.5, pp.126–127 (hereafter abbr. as SGiP). The author notes parenthetically that the USSR Constitution of 1924 might be viewed as having followed a similar principle of letting the union republics have their own legislation in the field of citizenship since the federal branch was only charged with promulgating “basic legislation in the field of union citizenship”, (p.127, fn.13). Nevertheless, he says, the formula was not put into effect.
G.I. Tunkin, “Zakon o grazhdanstve SSSR”, SGiP, 1979, No.7, p.24.
Ibid., pp.24–25.
Vedomosti Verkhovnogo Soveta SSSR, 1979, No.25, Art.436 (hereafter abbr. as VVS SSSR); English translation in Review of Socialist Law, 1979, No.4, pp.468— 469.
Pravda, Izvestiia, December 2, 1978 (hereafter abbr. as Pr., Izv., respectively); VVS SSSR, 1978, No.48, Art.817. Also, International Affairs, 1979, No.1, p.145.
Khronika tekushchikh sobytii, 1979, vyp.51, pp.208–210. A somewhat different account of this episode appears in V. Bukovskii,/vozvrashchaetsiia veter…,New York, 1978, p.364. It adds the interesting detail that during the interrogation session Andropov long studied the passport and other documents and then reportedly said to his assistants, poking a finger at Sharygin’s passport: “Why do you keep repeating: Englishman, Englishman… He was after all born here, in the USSR.” On the other hand, this version omits to mention that Sharygin had not completed formalities to acquire British citizenship and had traveled to the USSR with British papers containing a specific reservation concerning the availability of diplomatic protection in the Soviet Union and the East European countries.
Technically speaking, even if the de cujus had procured a full—fledged British passport stamped with a Soviet entry visa, he might have met with the same fate given the Soviet regime’s refusal to acknowledge the validity of a foreign citizenship where, in the opinion of the Soviet authorities, the bearer also possesses Soviet citizenship. In this case, the “defective” passport made the KGB’s task easier, but it did not alter the basic situation.
H.—J. Uibopuu, “Soviet Nationality: Privilege or Burden? An International Lawyer’s View”, Israel Yearbook on Human Rights, 1977, Vol.7, p.61, and fns.37 and 38.
Ibid., citing G. Geilke, Das Staatsangehörigkeitsrecht der Sowjetunion, Frankfurt am Main—Berlin, 1964, p.191.
H.—J. Uibopuu, op. cit., p.62.
Iu. Lurii, “Sovetskii zakon o grazhdanstve i emigranty”, Russkaia Mysl’, May 31, 1979, p.6.
V.S. Shevtsov, Grazhdanstvo v sovetskom soiuznom gosudarstve, Moscow, 1969, p.125, fn.3, points out that Article 5 of the 1938 citizenship statute “textually reproduced Art.7 of the Code on Marriage, Family and Guardianship of the Uzbek SSR”.
E.g., B. Volin, Grazhdanin SSSR, Moscow, 1938, p.17. In the same vein, A.I. Lepeshkin, Kurs Sovetskogo gosudarstvennogo prava,Moscow, 1961, Vol.1, pp. 461, 469; F.I. Kozhevnikov, Sovetskoe gosudarstvo i mezhdunarodnoe pravo, 1917— 1947gg., Moscow, 1948, p.166; Diplomaticheskii slovar’, Moscow, 1960, Vol.1, p.405. For similar comments by non—Soviet authors, see D.V. Sandifer, “Soviet Citizenship”, American Journal of International Law, 1936, No.4, p.624; T.A. Taracouzio, The Soviet Union and International Law, New York, 1935, pp.90–91; R. Dufour, “La Nationalité dans l’U.R.S.S.”, Revue Générale de Droit International Public,1930, pp.511, 516.
Cf., I. Trainin, “K voprosu o grazhdanstve”, Sovetskoe gosudarstvo, 1938, No.5, p.70.
VVS SSSR, 1947, No.10; Sbornik zakonov SSSR i ukazov Prezidiuma Verkhovnogo Soveta SSSR za 1947 god, Moscow, 1948, p.36.
VVS SSSR, 1948, No.6; Sbornik zakonov SSSR i ukazov Prezidiuma Verkhovnogo Soveta SSSR za 1948 god, Moscow, 1949, p.17.
F.I. Kozhevnikov, op. cit., p.167.
A.Ia. Berchenko, “Voprosy sovetskogo grazhdanstva”, in Torzhestvo leninskoi natsional’noi politiki, Moscow, 1963, p.276.
Cf., V.S. Shevtsov, op. cit., p.126.
Text in VVS SSSR, 1958, No.28, Art.373; Sbornik deistvuiushchikh dogovorov, soglashenii i konventsii, zakliuchennykh SSSR s inostrannymi gosudarstvami, Moscow, 1961, Vol.20, pp.438–442 (hereafter abbr. as SDD).
See, for instance, M. Rusakov, “Sovetskoe grazhdanstvo (Praktika RSFSR)”, Administrativnyi vestnik, 1930, No.3, pp.18–20; idem, “Brak i grazhdanstvo po sovetskomu zakonodatel’stvu”, ibid., 1927, No.10–11, pp.104–109; N.I. Palienko, “Pravo grazhdanstva v Soiuze SSR”, Vestnik sovetskoi iustitsii,1925, No.7(41), p.272; S.S. Kishkin, Sovetskoe grazhdanstvo, Moscow, 1925, pp.44–47.
G.I. Tunkin, op. cit., p.25. It must be admitted that the tone of the 1978 citizenship act matches that of the 1979 Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women insofar as the latter declares (Art.9) that: “State Parties shall grant women equal rights with men to acquire, change or retain their nationality. They shall ensure in particular that neither marriage to an alien nor change of nationality by the husband during marriage shall automatically change the nationality of the wife, render her stateless or force upon her the nationality of the husband. States Parties shall grant women equal rights with men with respect to the nationality of their children.” The USSR signed the Convention on July 17, 1980, and ratified it on Dec.19, 1980. VVS SSSR, 1982, No.25, Art.464.
S.V. Chernichenko, Mezhdunarodno–pravovye voprosy grazhdanstva, Moscow, 1968, p.104.
Ibid., p.117, citing Mezhdunarodnaia zhizn’, 1930, No.5, p.79.
Soviet News, 1976, No.5819, p.35, and 1980, No.6024, p.183.
See the figures for the city of Kiev reported in G.K. Matveev, “Voprosy sovetskogo kollizionnogo semeinogo prava”, Pravovedenie, 1972, No.2, p.99, fn.2, reproduced on p.10 above (text accompanying fn.32 in Chapter I).
K.L. Emelianova, “Nekotorye voprosy sovershenstvovania deiatel’nosti organov ZAGS”, Pravovedenie,1968, No.4, p.102.
Approved by resolution of the RSFSR Council of Ministers of October 17, 1969, No.592, Sbornik postanovlenii Pravitel’stva RSFSR,1969, No.22, Art.123. The Instruction entered into force on November 1, 1969.
Kommentarii k zakonodatel’stvu o registratsii aktov grazhdanskogo sostoiania, Moscow, 1977, p.186.
Ibid., p.188.
E.g., G.K. Matveev, in SGiP, 1974, No.5, p.151.
Report of the Human Rights Committee, General Assembly, Official Records: 33rd session, Supplement No.40 (A/33/40), p.73.
Kommentarii… (note 29 above), p.185. This principle has now been legislatively confirmed in the Law on the legal status of foreign citizens in the USSR of June 24, 1981 (scheduled to enter into force on January 1, 1982) — Article 17. Text of the Law and the Resolution putting it into effect in Pravda and Izvestiia,June 25, 1981.
Thomas Kent, “U.S., Soviets Create Own Detente”, The Korea Herald, June 6, 1980, p.5.
U.S. Department of State, Bureau of Public Affairs, Implementation of Helsinki Accord, June 1— November 30, 1979, 7th Semiannual Report, Special Report No.62, p.15.
Thomas Kent, loc. cit.
Yu. Luryi, “Soviet Family Law”, Manitoba Law Journal, 1980, No.2, p.129.
Note, for instance, the letter from Yelena Bonner Sakharov to the editor of the New York Times, July 25, 1980, p.A24, appealing on behalf of her son’s fiancée for an exit permit to enable her to leave the USSR and go to the United States to be reunited with the man she wanted to marry.
Yu. Luryi, op. cit., pp.129–130, mentions certain incidents where the authorities plainly tried to fabricate reasons to prevent the conclusion of particular “mixed” marriages. In one case, K. Fedicheva, prima ballerina of the Leningrad Ballet, managed to marry an American, but then was suddenly notified by the local procurator that her previous divorce was not valid and that therefore her latest marriage was null and void. Apparently, the entire affair was utter nonsense and had been manufactured whole—cloth for the occasion. “Only after great trouble and pressure from Western public opinion, was she able to exercise her right to enter into a marriage of her choice and to leave the U.S.S.R.” In another case, a Canadian slated to marry a Soviet citizen was unexpectedly informed by the head of the office of registry of civil status that he needed special permission from the Executive Committee of the City Soviet in order to get married. Knowing that there was no legal ground for the demand, the Canadian citizen strongly objected and “the marriage was finally registered”.
Thomas Kent, /oc. cit.
U.S. Department of State, Bureau of Public Affairs, Implementation of the Helsinki Accord, 6th semiannual report, Dec. 1, 1978—May 31, 1979, Special Report No.54, p.16; ibid., 8th semiannual report, Dec. 1, 1979—May 31, 1980, Special Report No.73, pp.15–16.
Khronika tekushchikh sobytii, 1980, vyp.53, pp.142–143.
Yu. Luryi, op. cit., p.129.
V.V. Polianskii, op. cit., pp.123, 125.
S.V. Chernichenko, op. cit., p.25.
See, for instance, the report in Radio Liberty Research, RL 21/77, p.2, that G.D. Reimar was arrested on the grounds that he tried to renounce Soviet citizenship. “An additional 200 Germans living in Alma—Ata Oblast’ also submitted their passports to city authorities, indicating a renunciation of their citizenship in protest against being refused permission to emigrate from the USSR.” Also, A. Zarin§, “Latvian Dissident Renounces Soviet Citizenship for the Eleventh Time”, RL 214/77, concerning the case of Gunars Rode, unusual in that while wishing to shed Soviet citizenship, the person indicated no interest in emigrating and apparently wanted to remain in the USSR in a stateless capacity. For other such episodes: New York Times,February 8, 1979, p.A10, the case of Mustafa Dzhemilev; Khronika zashchity pray y SSSR, 1973, vyp.3, p.35, the case of Lev Eliashevich; 1973, vyp.4, p.34, the case of the Stezhko family; 1975, vyp.15, the case of Daniil Shumuk; 1977, vyp.27, p.15, “O presledovanii nemtsev v Litve”, Dokument No.6; Khronika tekushchikh sobytii, 1976, vyp.42, p.57, the case of Vasilii Romaniuk.
The same is true where the request for emigration is turned down. In the case of V. Nekipelov, Khronika tekushchikh sobytii, 1980, vyp.53, pp.139–140, for instance, the federal Presidium formally rejected his application to emigrate to Israel and relinquish Soviet citizenship taking no notice of the fact that he had earlier written to that organ to renounce his Soviet citizenship and had mailed his Soviet passport along.
Lieutenant–General Viktor S. Paputin, later reported to have died in Afghanistan in the course of the operation to remove President Amin. See, David Binder, “U.S. Links Afghan Events and Soviet General’s Death”, New York Times, Feb. 3, 1980, p.10.
V.S. Paputin, Speech in Izv., Dec. 3, 1978.
S.V. Chernichenko, op. cit., pp.84–85, citing Mezhdunarodnaia zhizn’, 1930, No. 5, p.79.
VVS SSSR, 1945, No.78; 1946, No.2; 1946, No.21; 1946, No.36; 1946, No.37; 1947, No.18; Sbornik zakonov SSSR i ukazov Prezidiuma Verkhovnogo Soveta SSSR (1938g. –noiabr’ 1958g.), Moscow, 1959, pp.78–84.
A.I. Lepeshkin, op. cit., p.478.
J. Vernant, The Refugee in the Post–War World, New Haven, 1953, p.55.
V.V. Polianskii, op. cit., p.126.
E.g., G. Riege, “Die Staatsangehörigkeitsdoktrin der BRD — Interpretation und Konsequenzen”, Neue Justiz, 1979, No.2, p.70.
S.J. Roth, “The New Soviet Citizenship Law and Jewish Emigration”, Institute of Jewish Affairs Research Report, USSR/79/3, p.3.
V.V. Egor’ev, G.N. Lashkevich, M.A. Plotkin, B.D. Rozenblium, Zakonodatel’stvo i mezhdunarodnye dogovory Soiuza SSR i soiuznykh respublik o pravovom polozhenii inostrannykh fizicheskikh i iuridicheskikh lits, Moscow, 1926, p.90.
O.E. Polents, in E.A. Korovin, ed., Mezhdunarodnoe pravo, Moscow, 1951, p.254.
Cf., I.I. Solodkin, in M.D. Shargorodskii & N.S. Beliaev, eds., Sovetskoe ugolovnoe pravo, chast’ obshchaia, Leningrad, 1960, p.191. Idem, in N.A. Beliaev & M.D. Shargorodskii, eds., Kurs Sovetskogo ugolovnogo prava, chast’ obshchaia, Leningrad, 1968, Vol.1, p.143; M.A. Geifer, in V.M. Chkhikvadze, ed., Sovetskoe ugolovnoe pravo, obshchaia chast’, Moscow, 1959, p.80.
See the author’s “The Soviet Union and International Co–operation in Legal Matters: Criminal Law—The Current Phase”, International and Comparative Law Quarterly, October 1970, pp.626–670. For text of the treaties with Iraq and the GDR, VVS SSSR, 1980, No.35, Art.712, and SDD, Moscow, 1976, Vol.30, pp.91– 100; with Bulgaria, VVS SSSR, 1976, No.8, Art.133; and with Vietnam and Greece, ibid., 1982, No.44, Art.827 and No.45, Art.839.
V.V. Polianskii, op. cit., p.126. Also, V. Shevtsov, Grazhdanstvo SSSR, Moscow, 1980, p.41, fn.1.
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Ginsburgs, G. (1983). Legislative Basis. Recognition. Marriage. Residence Abroad. Extradition. In: The Citizenship Law of the USSR. Law in Eastern Europe, vol 25. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-015-1184-1_3
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