CEDH · PRESS;HEARINGS;ENG — 9 septembre 2004

.s800EAC49 { font-size:12pt } .s5FFF0A77 { margin-top:0pt; margin-bottom:0pt; font-size:1pt } .sBB9EE52A { font-family:Arial } .sFE10DC93 { margin-top:0pt; margin-bottom:0pt; text-align:center } .s29100277 { font-family:Arial; font-weight:bold } .s40F41F73 { margin-top:0pt; margin-bottom:0pt; text-align:right } .s32563E28 { margin-top:0pt; margin-bottom:0pt } .s4DDA3AA3 { font-family:Arial; font-weight:bold; font-style:italic } .s9793A85B { margin-top:0pt; margin-bottom:0pt; text-indent:14.2pt } .sCB9E0544 { margin-top:0pt; margin-bottom:0pt; text-align:left } .s61E420C2 { font-family:Arial; font-variant:small-caps } .s69BE285C { margin-top:0pt; margin-left:85.05pt; margin-bottom:0pt; text-indent:-85.05pt } .s9A223E1B { width:11.03pt; text-indent:0pt; display:inline-block } .s595A57E4 { width:85.05pt; text-indent:0pt; display:inline-block } .sA8C2B9B0 { width:20.37pt; text-indent:0pt; display:inline-block } .s9F8EB0C0 { width:18.63pt; display:inline-block } .s9E97F54A { width:85.05pt; display:inline-block } .sA36B60A1 { font-family:Arial; font-style:italic }   EUROPEAN COURT OF HUMAN RIGHTS   419 9.9.2004   Press release issued by the Registrar   CHAMBER HEARING KUZNETSOV AND OTHERS v. RUSSIA     A Chamber of the European Court of Human Rights is holding a hearing on Thursday 9   September at 9 a.m. on the admissibility and merits in the case of Kuznetsov and Others v. Russia (application no. 184/02).   The applicants   The applicants, Konstantin Nikanorovich Kuznetsov and 102 others, are Russian nationals who live in the town of Chelyabinsk (Russia). They are all Jehovah’s Witnesses.   Summary of the facts   On 6 February 1999 a lease was signed which allowed the community of Jehovah’s Witnesses to which the applicant belonged to rent the auditorium of a vocational training college and associated facilities in Chelyabinsk, in order to hold religious meetings.   On Sunday, 16 April 2000, in accordance with the lease agreement, Jehovah’s Witnesses were using the college facilities to hold a meeting for predominantly hearing-impaired Jehovah’s Witnesses to study the Bible and join in public worship. Many of the participants were elderly and also had impaired vision. The meeting was open to the public.   The applicants claim that their meeting was disrupted by the regional Human Rights Commissioner, accompanied by two senior police officers, who allegedly called for the meeting to be stopped. Mr Kuznetsov submits that, given the intimidating behaviour of the Commissioner and the police, he thought it best to comply.   The following day the Jehovah’s Witnesses group was given notice of the termination of its lease agreement with the college “because of certain irregularities committed by the college administration at the time of its signing”.   The applicants unsuccessfully requested a criminal investigation into the actions of the Commissioner and the police officers. They also filed a civil complaint with the Sovietskiy District Court of Chelyabinsk, which was dismissed on the ground that the applicants had failed to show a causal link between the Commissioner’s arrival and the premature termination of their meeting.           Complaints   The applicants complain – under Articles 8 (right to respect for private life), 9 (freedom of religion), 10 (freedom of expression), 11 (freedom of assembly) and 14 (prohibition of discrimination) – that they were prevented from holding a religious meeting following undue interference on the part of the authorities and that they were victims of discrimination on account of their religious beliefs. They also rely on Article 6 (right to a fair hearing).   Procedure   The application was lodged on 17 December 2001.   Composition of the Court   The case will be heard by a Chamber composed as follows:   Christos Rozakis (Greek), President , Peer Lorenzen (Danish), Snejana Botoucharova (Bulgarian), Anatoli Kovler (Russian), Vladimiro Zagrebelsky (Italian), Elisabeth Steiner (Austrian), Khanlar Hajiyev (Azerbaijani), judges , Giovanni Bonello (Maltese) , Françoise Tulkens (Belgian) , Nina Vajić (Croatian) , substitute judges , and also Søren Nielsen , Section Registrar .   Representatives of the parties   Government :   Paul Laptev , Agent ,   Yuriy Berestnev , Counsel ,   Dmitry Yuzvikov , Adviser;   Applicants :   Richard Daniel and John Burns , Counsel .   Konstantin Kuznetsov and three other applicants, Olga Lappo , Olga Lyubchenko and Inna   Nadyrshina will also attend the hearing.   ***   After the hearing the Court will begin its deliberations, which are held in private. A decision on admissibility and, if applicable, a judgment will be delivered at a later date.             Registry of the European Court of Human Rights F – 67075 Strasbourg Cedex Press contacts:   Roderick Liddell (telephone: +00 33 (0)3 88 41 24 92)   Emma Hellyer (telephone: +00 33 (0)3 90 21 42 15)   Stéphanie Klein (telephone: +00 33 (0)3 88 41 21 54) Fax: +00 33 (0)3 88 41 27 91   The European Court of Human Rights was set up in Strasbourg by the Council of Europe Member States in 1959 to deal with alleged violations of the 1950 European Convention on Human Rights. Since 1 November 1998 it has sat as a full-time Court composed of an equal number of judges to that of the States party to the Convention. The Court examines the admissibility and merits of applications submitted to it. It sits in Chambers of 7 judges or, in exceptional cases, as a Grand Chamber of 17 judges. The Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe supervises the execution of the Court’s judgments. More detailed information about the Court and its activities can be found on its Internet site.