CEDH · PRESS;HEARINGS;ENG — 3 mai 2006

.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 } .sCB9E0544 { margin-top:0pt; margin-bottom:0pt; text-align:left } .s7ED160F0 { text-decoration:none } .s653E6C45 { font-family:Arial; font-size:6.67pt; 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 } .s3CED24E9 { width:27.05pt; text-indent:0pt; display:inline-block } .sC7EAD8B { font-family:Arial; font-weight:bold; text-decoration:underline } .sA36B60A1 { font-family:Arial; font-style:italic } .sF6A12959 { width:33%; height:1px; text-align:left } .s2EB42ED2 { margin-top:0pt; margin-bottom:0pt; font-size:10pt } EUROPEAN COURT OF HUMAN RIGHTS   255 3.5.2006   Press release issued by the Registrar   GRAND CHAMBER HEARING HERMI v. ITALY   The European Court of Human Rights is holding a Grand Chamber hearing today 3 May 2006 at 9 a.m., in the case of Hermi v. Italy (application no. 18114/02).   The applicant   The applicant, Fausi Hermi, is a Tunisian national who was born in 1969. He is currently in Frosinone Prison (Italy).   Summary of the facts   The applicant was arrested in 1999 in possession of 485 grams of heroin and criminal proceedings were brought against him for drug trafficking. On 24 March 2000 the preliminary hearing judge sentenced him to six years’ imprisonment and a fine of about 20,658   euros   (EUR). The applicant appealed against that judgment.   The applicant’s lawyer applied for his client to be released from prison to attend a hearing before Rome Court of Appeal. That court dismissed the application and, in a judgment of 3 November 2000, upheld the impugned judgment. The applicant appealed unsuccessfully on points of law.   Complaint   The applicant complained that he was unable to take part in his appeal hearing, relying on Article 6 § 1 (right to a fair trial) of the European Convention on Human Rights.   Procedure   The application was lodged with the European Court of Human Rights on 31 March 2002 and declared partly admissible on 23 September 2004.   In its Chamber judgment of 28 June 2005, the Court held, by four votes to three, that there had been a violation of Article 6 § 1.   On 23 September 2005 the Government requested that the case be referred to the Grand Chamber under Article 43 [1] (referral to the Grand Chamber) and on 30 November 2005 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), Boštjan M. Zupančič (Slovenian), Riza Türmen (Turkish), Corneliu Bîrsan (Romanian), John Hedigan (Irish) András Baka (Hungarian), Vladimiro Zagrebelsky (Italian), Javier Borrego Borrego (Spanish), Alvina Gyulumyan (Armenian), Dean Spielmann (Luxemburger), Egbert Myjer (Netherlands), David Thór Björgvinsson (Icelandic), Danutė Jočienė (Lithuanian), Dragoljub Popović (citizen of Serbia and Montenegro), Ineta Ziemele (Latvian), judges , Sverre Erik Jebens (Norwegian), Margarita Tsatsa-Nikolovska (citizen of “the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia”), Renate Jaeger (German), substitute judges , and also Lawrence Early , Deputy Grand Chamber Registrar .   Representatives of the parties   Government :   Francesco Crisafulli , Co-Agent ,   Applicant :   Daniela Puccinelli , Counsel .     After the hearing the Court will begin its deliberations, which are held in private. Judgment will be delivered at a later date.   ***   Press Contacts   Emma Hellyer (telephone: 00 33 (0)3 90 21 42 15) Stéphanie Klein (telephone: 00 33 (0)3 88 41 21 54) Beverley Jacobs (telephone: 00 33 (0)3 90 21 54 21)   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. [1] Under Article 43 of the Convention, 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.