CEDH · CASELAW;COMMUNICATEDCASES;ENG — 29 mai 2024

.s800EAC49 { font-size:12pt } .s379BC09C { margin-top:36pt; margin-bottom:0pt; text-align:right } .sBB9EE52A { font-family:Arial } .s10950C61 { margin-top:0pt; margin-bottom:0pt; text-indent:14.2pt; text-align:justify } .s5E1364CA { margin-top:0pt; margin-bottom:12pt; text-align:center; page-break-inside:avoid; page-break-after:avoid; font-size:14pt } .s34DFC730 { margin-top:0pt; margin-bottom:0pt; text-align:center; page-break-inside:avoid; page-break-after:avoid } .s339D85E6 { margin-top:0pt; margin-bottom:14pt; text-align:center; page-break-inside:avoid; page-break-after:avoid } .s665E407E { margin-top:66pt; margin-bottom:14pt; text-align:center; page-break-inside:avoid; page-break-after:avoid } .s29100277 { font-family:Arial; font-weight:bold } .sA36B60A1 { font-family:Arial; font-style:italic } .s5FFF0A75 { margin-top:0pt; margin-bottom:0pt; font-size:7pt } .s32563E28 { margin-top:0pt; margin-bottom:0pt } .s65E06E64 { margin-top:66pt; margin-bottom:0pt; text-align:center; page-break-inside:avoid; page-break-after:avoid } Published on 17 June 2024   FIFTH SECTION Application no. 16517/20 Petra ŠTĚRBOVÁ against the Czech Republic lodged on 17 April 2020 communicated on 27 May 2024 SUBJECT MATTER OF THE CASE The application concerns the repercussions on the applicant’s freedom of movement of the measures taken by the Czech authorities in response to the spreading of the SARS‑CoV‑2 virus that causes COVID-19 in the context of the state of emergency in spring 2020. In particular, on 12 March 2020 the Government of the Czech Republic declared a state of emergency on the basis of Constitutional Law no. 110/1998 on Security of the Czech Republic ( ústavní zákon o bezpečnosti České republiky ). This was followed by crisis measures restricting the freedom of movement and imposing other limitations, successively ordered by the Government under Law no. 240/2000 on Crisis Management ( zákon o krizovém řízení ) for the period from 16 to 24   March 2020 and by the Ministry of Health under Law no. 258/2000 on Protection of Public Health ( zákon o ochraně veřejného zdraví ) for the period from 24 March to 30 April 2020. On 22 April 2020 (Pl. ÚS 8/20) the Constitutional Court rejected, on various procedural grounds, the applicant’s constitutional complaint, in which she argued that her constitutionally guaranteed right to freedom of movement had been violated by the declaration of a state of emergency and subsequent crisis measures. The application raises questions under Article 2 of Protocol No. 4 and Article 13 of the Convention.       QUESTIONS TO THE PARTIES 1.     Did the applicant have at her disposal an effective domestic remedy for her complaints under Article 2 § 1 of Protocol No. 4, as required by Article   13 of the Convention? If so, did she exhaust those remedies in order to comply with the requirements of Article 35 § 1 of the Convention? 2.     Has there been a violation of the applicant’s right to freedom of movement, guaranteed by Article   2 §   1 of Protocol No.   4, during the period from 16 to 24 March 2020, on account of government resolution no. 194 of 15 March 2020 on the adoption of crisis measures prohibiting, with exceptions, free movement of persons throughout the country? In particular, was that restriction in accordance with the law and necessary in terms of Article 2 § 3 of Protocol No. 4, in view of the COVID ‑ 19 pandemic and the need to protect the population’s health? What is the State’s margin of appreciation in this context? Have the authorities envisaged or considered any less severe measures in the present case to achieve the aim pursued?