CEDH · PRESS;HEARINGS;ENG — 14 septembre 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 } .s32563E28 { margin-top:0pt; margin-bottom:0pt } .sBB9EE52A { font-family:Arial } .s4DDA3AA3 { font-family:Arial; font-weight:bold; font-style:italic } .sA36B60A1 { font-family:Arial; font-style:italic } .s76CF415B { page-break-before:always; clear:both } .s7ED160F0 { text-decoration:none } .s653E6C45 { font-family:Arial; font-size:6.67pt; vertical-align:super; color:#0069d6 } .sCB9E0544 { margin-top:0pt; margin-bottom:0pt; text-align:left } .s33165EBA { font-family:Arial; font-size:8pt; vertical-align:super; color:#0069d6 } .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 } .s3CED24E9 { width:27.05pt; text-indent:0pt; display:inline-block } .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 } EUROPEAN COURT OF HUMAN RIGHTS   465 14.9.2005   Press release issued by the Registrar   GRAND CHAMBER HEARING BLEČIĆ v. CROATIA   The European Court of Human Rights is holding a Grand Chamber hearing today Wednesday 14 September 2005 at 9 a.m., in the case of Blečić v. Croatia (application no. 59532/00).   The applicant   Krstina Blečić is a Croatian national who was born in 1926 and lives in Zadar (Croatia).   Summary of the facts   In 1953, the applicant acquired a specially protected tenancy ( stanarsko pravo ) of a flat in Zadar.   On 26 July 1991, she went to stay with her daughter in Rome for the summer, locking her flat, with all the furniture and personal belongings in it, and asking a neighbour to pay the bills in her absence and to take care of the flat.   From 15 September 1991, the town of Zadar was exposed to constant shelling and the supply of electricity and water was disrupted for over 100 days. In October 1991 the applicant’s pension was stopped. She also lost the right to medical insurance. She therefore decided to stay in Rome.   In November 1991, a certain M.F., with his wife and two children, broke into the applicant’s flat in Zadar.   On 12 February 1992, Zadar Municipality ( Općina Zadar ) brought a civil action against the applicant for termination of her tenancy, on the ground that she had been absent from the flat for more than six months without justification.   The applicant claimed that she had not been able to return to Zadar given the war in Croatia and because she had no money, no medical insurance and was in poor health. When she had enquired about her flat and her possessions, M.F. had also threatened her over the telephone.   The Croatian courts ultimately terminated the applicant’s specially protected tenancy, finding that the reasons given by the applicant did not justify her absence.   Complaints   The applicant complains that her rights to respect for her home and to the peaceful enjoyment of her possessions had been violated, relying on Article 8 (right to respect for home) and Article 1 of Protocol No. 1 (protection of property) of the European Convention on Human Rights.   Procedure   The application was lodged with the European Court of Human Rights on 6 May 2000 and declared partly admissible on 30 January 2003. In a judgment of 29 July 2004 (see press release no. 387 of 2004) the Court held that there had been no violation of Article 8 or Article 1 of Protocol No. 1. The applicant requested that the case be referred to the Grand Chamber under Article 43 [1] and on 15 December 2004 the panel of the Grand Chamber accepted that request.   Composition of the Court   The case will be heard by the Grand Chamber composed as follows:   Luzius Wildhaber (Swiss), President , Christos Rozakis (Greek), Jean-Paul Costa (French), Nicolas Bratza (British), Boštjan M. Zupančič (Slovenian), Lucius Caflisch (Swiss) [2] , Loukis Loucaides (Cypriot) Ireneu Cabral Barreto (Portuguese), Corneliu Bîrsan (Romanian), Nina Vajić (Croatian), John Hedigan (Irish), Mindia Ugrekhelidze (Georgian), Antonella Mularoni (San Marinese), Stanislav Pavlovschi (Moldovan), Lech Garlicki (Polish), Renate Jaeger (German), David Thór Björgvinsson (Icelandic), judges , Sverre Erik Jebens (Norwegian), Ljiljana Mijović (Citizen of Bosnia and Herzegovina), Rait Maruste (Estonian), substitute judges , and also Lawrence Early , Deputy Grand Chamber Registrar. . Representatives of the parties   Government :   Štefica Stažnik , Agent ,   Domagoj Maričić, Co-agent ,   Anthony Lester , QC, Counsel ,   Zlata Hrvoj Šipek , Adviser ;   Applicant :   Toni Vukičević , Paul Troop, Francisco Javier Leon Diaz, Counsel ,   Massimo Moratti, Adviser .     After the hearing the Court will begin its deliberations, which are held in private.   ***   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. [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.   [2] Judge elected in respect of Liechtenstein.