The human right to marry: a refugee’s perspective

Abstract

In the European Court of Human Rights cases of Muñoz Díaz v Spain in 2009 (Muñoz Díaz v Spain [2009], Application No. 49151/07) and Serife Yigit v Turkey in 2010 (Serife Yegit [2010], Application No. 3976/05), involving unregistered/informal ‘marriages’ of a Roma couple and a Muslim couple, respectively, the Grand Chamber took the position that civil marriages are available to all people in the state without distinction and therefore no breach of Article 12’s right to marry (nor Article 14’s prohibition of discrimination) had occurred when the respective states failed to recognise the informal marriages of the applicants. This article considers these two cases, and asks whether the court’s position is challenged by migrants/refugees, whose access to formal marriages maybe impeded due to a lack of identity and status documentation.

Keywords:

• Muslim marriage
• unregistered marriage
• human rights
• Article 12 ECHR
• Article 8 ECHR
• refugees

Notes

1. Muñoz Díaz [2009].

2. Serife Yegit [2010].

3. For the purposes of this paper, migrants/refugees refers specifically to Muslim refugees arriving from Syria, and other conflict zones.

4. The details of this case study came to light during a focus group discussion on Muslim marriage practices for a separate project. Real names have been concealed.

5. In Dickson v Rennie [2014] EWHC 4306 (Fam), it was confirmed that both of these provisions can in fact be used together where the payer’s income exceeds the maximum maintenance assessment figure.

6. X v Federal Republic of Germany (App No 6167/73, ECHR) (1974).

7. Muñoz Díaz v Spain [2009], Application No. 49151/07, para 9.

8. Law no. 25/1971 of 19 June 1971.

9. Muñoz Díaz [2009], para 10.

10. Muñoz Díaz [2009], para 35.

11. Muñoz Díaz [2009], para 72.

12. Muñoz Díaz [2009], para 65.

13. Muñoz Díaz [2009], para 63.

14. Serife Yegit [2010].

15. Serife Yegit [2010], para 12.

16. Serife Yegit [2010], para 72.

17. Serife Yegit [2010], paras 82, 87.

18. Serife Yegit [2010], para 75.

19. Serife Yegit [2010], para 84.

20. Serife Yegit [2010], paras 18, 86.

21. Serife Yegit [2010], para 86.

22. Serife Yegit [2010], paras 100–103.

23. Serife Yegit [2010], para 94.