Final decision on poet’s great-great-granddaughter: Mickiewicz or Mickevič?

On 28 February the Supreme Administrative Court of Lithuania delivered a final judgement on so-called Mickiewicz case concerning the spelling of the surname of Alexia Mickiewicz, Adam Mickiewicz’s great-great-granddaughter, the citizen of Lithuania and France. The court obliged the Migration Office to issue a document that contains the Lithuanian and original spelling of the surname. “The decision leaves more questions open than answers” – stated the European Foundation of Human Rights.

Roman Gorecki-Mickiewicz, Adam Mickiewicz’s descendant who lives in Lithuania, tried to obtain the right to use original spelling of the name and surname of his daughter. In a passport of his daughter Alexia the name and surname were put in the original form. However, after the expiry date of the document the office refused to issue a document with the original name and explained that there are no ‘W’ and ‘X’ letters in the Lithuanian alphabet. The girl lives in Lithuania and her surname is put in the original version in all documents and records.

The Supreme Administrative Court of Lithuania obliged the Migration Office to issue Alexia Gorecki-Mickiewicz, the Lithuanian citizen with a passport that contains the original spelling of her name and surname. However, today the Supreme Administrative Court changed its decision. The original version of the surname can be still used, but the Lithuanian spelling in also required.

“It is not clear which version is to be placed on the ID card and whether the original spelling of the name and surname is an official version or not. If not – on what basis the Lithuanian version will be created since the residents register contains letters ‘W’ and ‘X’ – wondered Ewelina Baliko, the lawyer of the Euroepan Foundation of Human Rights who represents the Mickiewicz family in the court.

At the beginning of March the court will announce final decisions on the case of Pauwels and Wardyn.