PASSPORTIZATION IN INTERNATIONAL LAW THEORY AND PRACTICE OF LARGE SCALE EXTRATERRITORIAL CONFFERALS OF NATIONALITY Aantal woorden: 52.508 Mats Cuvelier Studentennummer: 01301521 Promotor: Prof. dr. Tom Ruys Commissaris: drs. Luca Ferro Masterproef voorgelegd voor het behalen van de graad Master of Laws in de Rechten Academiejaar: 2017 - 2018 I. INTRODUCTION AND RESEARCH QUESTIONS ...................................................................................................................................................................... 5 II. NATIONALITY AND NATURALIZATION IN PUBLIC INTERNATIONAL LAW ............................................................................................................ 9 1. NATIONALITY AND THE LIMITS OF STATE SOVEREIGNTY ......................................................................................................................................... 9 1.1. BEFORE NOTTEBOHM — SOVEREIGNTY REIGNS SUPREME? ................................................................................................................. 10 1.2. THE NOTTEBOHM CASE ................................................................................................................................................................................................. 14 1.3. THE GENUINE LINK DOCTRINE ................................................................................................................................................................................ 18 A. THE DUALIST CONCEPTION OF NATIONALITY .............................................................................................................................................. 19 B. THE NOTION OF EFFECTIVE NATIONALITY ................................................................................................................................................... 20 1.4. THE FUNCTIONAL APPROACH TO NATIONALITY ........................................................................................................................................... 23 2. THE CONSEQUENCES OF NATIONALITY ......................................................................................................................................................................... 28 2.1. PERSONAL JURISDICTION .......................................................................................................................................................................................... 28 2.2. THE PROTECTION OF NATIONALS ......................................................................................................................................................................... 33 A. DIPLOMATIC PROTECTION ..................................................................................................................................................................................... 33 B. THE FORCIBLE PROTECTION OF FOREIGN NATIONALS ABROAD ..................................................................................................... 36 3. INTERNATIONAL LAW AND NATURALIZATION .......................................................................................................................................................... 44 3.1. DEFINING NATURALIZATION .................................................................................................................................................................................... 44 3.2. THE LIMITATIONS ON THE NATURALIZATION POWER OF STATES ...................................................................................................... 45 A. THE REQUIREMENT OF CONSENT ...................................................................................................................................................................... 45 B. THE OBLIGATION TO PREVENT STATELESSNESS ....................................................................................................................................... 48 C. THE PROHIBITION OF DISCRIMINATION ........................................................................................................................................................ 50 3.3. EXTRATERRITORIAL NATURALIZATION ............................................................................................................................................................. 52 A. TENTATIVE OVERVIEW OF STATE PRACTICE ................................................................................................................................................. 53 B. PRINCIPLES OF EXTRATERRITORIAL NATURALIZATION ....................................................................................................................... 62 (I) SELF-PRESERVATION AND THE LOSS OF NATIONALS .................................................................................................................... 62 (II) EXTRATERRITORIAL NATURALIZATION AS INTERVENTION ...................................................................................................... 63 (III) PASSPORTIZATION, ABUSE OF RIGHTS AND THE RETURN OF THE ‘GENUINE LINK’ ................................................ 69 C. CONCLUSION: THE RULES OF THE GAME ....................................................................................................................................................... 74 III. PASSPORTIZATION IN RUSSIAN PRACTICE ....................................................................................................................................................................... 77 1. DOMESTIC POLICY AND LEGAL CONTEXT ....................................................................................................................................................................... 77 1.1. THE COMPATRIOT ISSUE IN RUSSIAN FOREIGN POLICY ............................................................................................................................ 77 1.2. RUSSIAN CITIZENSHIP LAW ........................................................................................................................................................................................ 81 2. PUTTING THE PRINCIPLES TO THE TEST: THREE CASE STUDIES ...................................................................................................................... 89 2.1. MOLDOVA (TRANSNISTRIA) ....................................................................................................................................................................................... 89 2 A. BACKGROUND ............................................................................................................................................................................................................... 89 B. LEGAL STATUS OF TRANSNISTRIA ..................................................................................................................................................................... 93 C. RUSSIAN PASSPORT POLICY IN TRANSNISTRIA ......................................................................................................................................... 96 D. ASSESSMENT ................................................................................................................................................................................................................. 101 2.2. GEORGIA (SOUTH OSSETIA & ABKHAZIA) ....................................................................................................................................................... 103 A. BACKGROUND ............................................................................................................................................................................................................. 103 B. LEGAL STATUS OF SOUTH OSSETIA AND ABKHAZIA .............................................................................................................................. 107 C. RUSSIAN PASSPORT POLICY IN ABKHAZIA AND SOUTH OSSETIA .................................................................................................. 112 D. ASSESSMENT ................................................................................................................................................................................................................. 118 2.3. UKRAINE (CRIMEA AND DONBASS) .................................................................................................................................................................... 121 A. BACKGROUND .............................................................................................................................................................................................................. 121 B. LEGAL STATUS OF CRIMEA & DONBASS ........................................................................................................................................................ 126 C. RUSSIAN PASSPORT POLICY IN UKRAINE ................................................................................................................................................... 130 D. ASSESSMENT ................................................................................................................................................................................................................ 137 IV. CONCLUSION ...................................................................................................................................................................................................................................