CEDH · PRESS;FORTHCOMINGHEARINGS;ENG — 12 juin 2007

.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 } .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 } .sF6C3BEA1 { width:7.1pt; display:inline-block } .sADADF4A7 { font-family:Arial; text-decoration:underline } .s653E6C45 { font-family:Arial; font-size:6.67pt; vertical-align:super; color:#0069d6 } .sCB9E0544 { margin-top:0pt; margin-bottom:0pt; text-align:left } .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 } .s4BAE41EE { font-family:Arial; font-size:11pt } .s2EB42ED2 { margin-top:0pt; margin-bottom:0pt; font-size:10pt } EUROPEAN COURT OF HUMAN RIGHTS   410 12.6.2007   Press release issued by the Registrar   ANNOUNCEMENT OF GRAND CHAMBER HEARING   The European Court of Human Rights will be holding a Grand Chamber [1] hearing in the Human Rights Building, Strasbourg, on Wednesday 13 June 2007, at 9 a.m. local time in the case of:   El Majjaoui & Stichting Touba Moskee v. the Netherlands (application no.   25525/03)   The applicants are: Lamaiz El Majjaoui, a Moroccan national, born in 1965 who lived in Flushing (the Netherlands) at the relevant time; and, Stichting Touba Moskee, a foundation based in Flushing, which runs a Mosque catering for Muslim believers belonging to the local Moroccan ethnic community.   On 2 December 1999 Stichting Touba Moskee applied for a work permit (tewerkstellingsvergunning) to allow it to appoint Mr El Majjaoui as its imam.   On 30 October 2000 the General Directors of the Employment Services Authority turned down the application on the ground that it had to be assumed that there was already an adequate supply of priority candidates (European Union or European Economic Area nationals, or others with equivalent status as regards residence and the right to work, possessing the requisite qualifications) since insufficient efforts had been made to fill the position from that priority group, for example, by advertising the position in the local and national press. In addition, it had not been shown that Mr El Majjaoui would earn the statutory minimum wage.   Mr El Majjaoui lodged an objection on 29 November 2000, stating, among other things, that rules about the minimum wage did not apply to him and that there was a dearth of imams in the Netherlands. His objection was rejected on 19 September 2001.   He and Stichting Touba Moskee then appealed to the Regional Court of The Hague on 16 October 2001. They claimed that, among other things, efforts to find a suitable imam through the Labour Exchange (Arbeidsbureau) had failed and, given the unreasonable length of time taken up by the pending proceedings (by that time, nearly two years) and in the absence of any other candidate for the position, Mr El Majjaoui had started work as the imam at the mosque and everyone was satisfied with his performance. It was also argued that the decision of 19 September 2001 violated Article 9 (freedom of thought, conscience and religion) of the European Convention on Human Rights. The applicants’ case and subsequent appeal were rejected.   The applicants complain about the refusal to give Mr El Majjaoui a work permit, relying on   Article 9 and Article 18 (limitation on use of restrictions on rights) of the Convention.   ***   Decisions, judgments and further information about the Court can be found on its Internet site ( http://www.echr.coe.int ). [2]   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) Tracey Turner-Tretz (telephone : 00 33 (0)3 88 41 35 30)   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] On 7 December 2006 the Chamber to which the case had originally been assigned relinquished its jurisdiction in favour of the Grand Chamber, under Article 30 of the European Convention on Human Rights.   [2] These summaries by the Registry do not bind the Court.