CEDH · PRESS;GCREFERRALS;ENG — 11 avril 2005

.s800EAC49 { font-size:12pt } .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 } .sBB9EE52A { font-family:Arial } .s32563E28 { margin-top:0pt; margin-bottom:0pt } .s7ED160F0 { text-decoration:none } .s33165EBA { font-family:Arial; font-size:8pt; vertical-align:super; color:#0069d6 } .s4DDA3AA3 { font-family:Arial; font-weight:bold; font-style:italic } .sA36B60A1 { font-family:Arial; font-style:italic } .sADADF4A7 { font-family:Arial; text-decoration:underline } .sCB9E0544 { margin-top:0pt; margin-bottom:0pt; text-align:left } .s9F8EB0C0 { width:18.63pt; display:inline-block } .s9E97F54A { width:85.05pt; display:inline-block } .sF6A12959 { width:33%; height:1px; text-align:left } .s2EB42ED2 { margin-top:0pt; margin-bottom:0pt; font-size:10pt } .s653E6C45 { font-family:Arial; font-size:6.67pt; vertical-align:super; color:#0069d6 } EUROPEAN COURT OF HUMAN RIGHTS   195 11.4.2005   Press release issued by the Registrar   CASES ACCEPTED FOR REFERRAL TO THE GRAND CHAMBER   The Grand Chamber panel of five judges has accepted the following cases for referral to the Grand Chamber under Article 43 [1] of the European Convention on Human Rights:   Achour v. France (application no. 67335/01). The case concerns the sentence passed against the applicant, who was classified in law as a recidivist under a criminal statute that was enacted after the commission of the first offence. In a judgment of 10 November 2004 (see press release no. 558), the Court held that there had been a violation of Article 7 of the Convention (no punishment without law). The case was referred to the Grand Chamber at the Government’s request.   Apicella v. Italy (no. 64890/01), Cocchiarella v. Italy (no. 64886/01), Ernestina Zullo v. Italy (no. 64897/01), Giuseppe Mostacciuolo v. Italy (no. 1) and (no. 2) (nos. 64705/01 and 65102/01), Giuseppina and Orestina Procaccini v. Italy (no. 65075/01), Musci v. Italy (no. 64699/01) and Riccardi Pizzati v. Italy (no. 62361/01). The eight cases concern the length of proceedings brought by the applicants and the amount of compensation awarded them by the Italian courts under the “Pinto Act” for the excessive length of those proceedings. In judgments of 10 November 2004 (see press release no. 562), the Court held that there had been a violation of Article 6 § 1 of the Convention (right to a fair hearing within a reasonable time). The cases were referred to the Grand Chamber at the Government’s request.   Sejdovic v. Italy (no. 56581/00). The case concerns the applicant’s conviction in absentia . In a judgment of 10 November 2004 (see press release no. 559), the Court held that there had been a violation of Article 6 of the Convention (right to a fair trial) and that the violation had occurred as a result of a structural problem related to the malfunctioning of Italian legislation and practice. That problem arose from the inability of persons convicted in absentia to obtain a new court ruling on the charges brought against them. The case was referred to the Grand Chamber at the Government’s request.     ***   Further information about the Court can be found on its Internet site ( http://www.echr.coe.int ).   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. [1] Under Article 43 of the European Convention on Human Rights, within three months from the date of a Chamber judgment, any party to the case may, in exceptional cases, request that the case be referred to the 17 ‑ member Grand Chamber of the Court. In that event, a panel of five judges considers whether the case raises a serious question affecting the interpretation or application of the Convention or its protocols, or a serious issue of general importance, in which case the Grand Chamber will deliver a final judgment. If no such question or issue arises, the panel will reject the request, at which point the judgment becomes final. Otherwise Chamber judgments become final on the expiry of the three-month period or earlier if the parties declare that they do not intend to make a request to refer.