On 7 September 2026, the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) communicated the case M.A. v. Poland (Application no. 7829/23), concerning the expulsion of a lawfully resident on national security grounds and the procedural safeguards available to him.
The applicant, a stateless of Palestinian origin, had legally resided in Poland since 2016 with his Polish wife and their child, who has disabilities. In 2020, his details were entered in the Register of Undesirable Foreigners without his knowledge and he was denied access to the information underlying that decision. In separate proceedings, he was ordered in 2021 to return to the Palestinian Authority and prohibited from entering Poland and other Schengen States for five years. He challenged both decisions unsuccessfully and left for Belgium in 2023, where he obtained international protection in 2026.
The applicant complains that he could not effectively challenge the undisclosed national security grounds for his inclusion in the Register, that his family life was affected and that the risks associated with his return were inadequately assessed. He also alleges a lack of effective remedies. The Court asked the parties, inter alia, whether the Register proceedings complied with Article 1 § 1 of Protocol No. 7 and whether the authorities had adequately and rigorously assessed the risk of ill-treatment upon return under Article 3 ECHR.