On automatic loss of citizenship: Looking into the Alvin Teage Jalloh v Olubanke King-Akerele case through the lens of international law

Abstract

Matters regarding citizenship fall in the domain of domestic law, and international law has very little to contribute in this regard. But over the years, the all-pervading grasp of international human rights has not let the matter of citizenship go untouched as it has pondered over the issues of the right to nationality, statelessness, and dual citizenship due to the substantial human rights implications stemming from them. Although the decision of the Supreme Court of Liberia in the case of Alvin Teage Jalloh v Olubanke King-Akerele was based entirely on its constitutional norms, the findings of the Court reflect the stand of international law in this matter. Due to the massive legal, social, and political implications of the status of citizenship, the latter has been gradually gaining momentum in the realm of international law. Both Myanmar’s Nationality Law of 1982 and India’s National Register of Citizens (NRC) are shrouded in controversy due to their impact on the human rights of a considerable human population. The issue of the automatic loss of citizenship can snowball into a ‘leviathan’ in the contemporary politics of different states. The present case note looks into how this issue was handled by the Liberian Supreme Court and evaluates the decision on the scales of the established principles of international law.