CEDH · PRESS;HEARINGS;ENG — 19 juin 2008

.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 } .sADADF4A7 { font-family:Arial; text-decoration:underline } .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 } .s595A57E4 { width:85.05pt; text-indent:0pt; display:inline-block } .s8ABC834 { width:3.32pt; text-indent:0pt; display:inline-block } .sA8C2B9B0 { width:20.37pt; 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   454 19.6.2008   Press release issued by the Registrar   CHAMBER HEARING ASSOCIATION OF CITIZENS “RADKO” & PAUNKOVSKI v. “THE FORMER YUGOSLAV REPUBLIC OF MACEDONIA”   The European Court of Human Rights is holding a Chamber hearing today   at 9 a.m. , on the admissibility and merits in the case of Association of Citizens “Radko” & Paunkovski v.   “the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia” (application no. 74651/01).   The hearing will be broadcast from 2.30 p.m. on the Court’s Internet site ( http://www.echr.coe.int ).   The applicants   The applicants are the Association of Citizens “Radko”, and its Chairman, Boris Paunkovski, a Macedonian and Bulgarian national, who was born in 1954 and lives in Ohrid (“the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia”).   Summary of the facts   The case concerns the dissolution of the applicant association for being unconstitutional and for inciting national or religious hatred and intolerance.   The association, named after Ivan Mihajlov-Radko (leader of the Macedonian Liberation Movement from 1925 to 1990), was officially registered in May 2000. Its articles of association defined it as an independent, non-political and public organisation with the aim of “popularising the objectives, tasks and ideas of the Macedonian Liberation Movement” and/or promoting “the Macedonian cultural space and traditional, ethical and human values”. A leaflet describing the association’s activities referred, in particular, to the struggle of Bulgarians from Macedonia. The association intended to achieve those aims through its own newspaper, publications, library and website and by organising seminars, conferences and forums.   There was a high-profile campaign in the media against the association, both before and after its official launch on 27   October 2000. Daily newspapers accused the association of fostering terrorism and fascism as advocated by Hitler’s collaborator, Vančo Mihajlov (otherwise known as Ivan Mihajlov-Radko). In particular, the then President of “the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia”, Boris Trajkovski, allegedly stated to the press that “there is no place here for a man who claims that Macedonians are (ethnic) Bulgarians”.   In October 2000 three lawyers from Skopje, a political party and the Association of War Veterans from the Second World War filed a petition with the Constitutional Court which challenged the constitutionality of the association’s articles and programme and the lawfulness of the decision to register the association.   On 21   March 2001 the Constitutional Court annulled the association’s articles and programme as their aims involved the violent destruction of the constitutional order and incitement to national or religious hatred and intolerance.   On 16 January 2002 Ohrid Court of First Instance dissolved the association. On 11   February 2002 that decision was upheld on appeal.   Complaints   The applicants complain about the Constitutional Court’s decision, claiming that their activities, articles and programme did not advocate violence or the use of anti-democratic or unconstitutional means. They rely on Article   11 (right to freedom of association) of the European Convention on Human Rights. Mr   Paunkovski further relies on Article   10 (right to freedom of expression) of the Convention, complaining that the dissolution of the association took away from him the possibility to express his views on the ethnic origin of certain segments of the population and that the then President had been referring to him in his statement to the media.   Procedure   The application was lodged with the European Court of Human Rights on 30   July 2001.   Composition of the Court   The case will be heard by a Chamber composed as follows:   Peer Lorenzen (Danish), President , Karel Jungwiert (Czech), Volodymyr Butkevych (Ukrainian), Renate Jaeger (German), Mark Villiger (Swiss) [1] , Isabelle Berro-Lefèvre (Monegasque), Mirjana Lazarova Trajkovska (citizen of “the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia”), judges , Zdravka Kalaydjieva (Bulgarian), Rait Maruste (Estonian), substitute judges , and also Claudia Westerdiek , Section Registrar .   Representatives of the parties   Government of “the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia” :   Radica Lazareska Gerovska , Agent;   Government of Bulgaria:     Svetla Atanasova , co-Agent;   Applicants :   Yonko Grozev , Counsel ,   Natasha Dobreva , Adviser .   Boris Paunkovski will also attend the hearing.   ***   After the hearing the Court will begin its deliberations, which are held in private. A decision on admissibility, followed if appropriate by a judgment, will be delivered at a later date. [2]   Press contacts Tracey Turner-Tretz (telephone: 00 33 (0)3 88 41 35 30) Paramy Chanthalangsy (telephone: 00 33 (0)3 90 21 54 91) Sania Ivedi (telephone: 00 33 (0)3 90 21 59 45)   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] Judge elected in respect of Liechtenstein. [2] This summary by the Registry does not bind the Court.