CEDH · PRESS;HEARINGS;ENG — 3 juin 2009

.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 } .s7ED160F0 { text-decoration:none } .s3DC36BA9 { font-family:Arial; text-decoration:underline; color:#0069d6 } .s33165EBA { font-family:Arial; font-size:8pt; vertical-align:super; color:#0069d6 } .sCB9E0544 { margin-top:0pt; margin-bottom:0pt; text-align:left } .s69BE285C { margin-top:0pt; margin-left:85.05pt; margin-bottom:0pt; text-indent:-85.05pt } .s2009959B { width:33.98pt; display:inline-block } .s23A41E03 { width:36pt; display:inline-block } .s844D19F { width:7.32pt; display:inline-block } .sC7CB852C { width:34.65pt; display:inline-block } .s10A1E69F { margin-top:0pt; margin-left:36pt; margin-bottom:0pt; text-indent:36pt } .s9F3E65F5 { width:31.99pt; text-indent:0pt; display:inline-block } .s94DD5772 { width:32.67pt; text-indent:0pt; display:inline-block } .sBF0FE613 { width:36pt; text-indent:0pt; display:inline-block } .s653E6C45 { font-family:Arial; font-size:6.67pt; vertical-align:super; color:#0069d6 } .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 }   441 03.06.2009   Press release issued by the Registrar   GRAND CHAMBER HEARING SEJDIĆ AND FINCI v. BOSNIA AND HERZEGOVINA   The European Court of Human Rights is holding a Grand Chamber hearing today Wednesday 3 June 2009 at 9:15 a.m. , on the admissibility and merits in the case of Sejdić and Finci v. Bosnia and Herzegovina (applications nos. 27996/06 and 34836/06). The applicants allege that Bosnian law prevents them from running for the Presidency and the House of Peoples of the Parliamentary Assembly because of their ethnic origins.   The hearing will be broadcast from 2.30 p.m. on the Court’s Internet site ( http://www.echr.coe.int ).   Summary of the facts   The applicants, Dervo Sejdić and Jakob Finci, are citizens of Bosnia and Herzegovina. They were born in 1956 and 1943 respectively and live in Sarajevo. The former is of Roma origin and the latter is a Jew. They are both prominent public figures. The Bosnian Constitution, in its Preamble, makes a distinction between two categories of citizens: the so-called “constituent peoples” (Bosniacs [1] , Croats and Serbs) and “others” (Jews, Roma and other national minorities together with those who do not declare affiliation with any ethnic group). The House of Peoples of the Parliamentary Assembly (the second chamber) and the Presidency are composed only of persons belonging to the three constituent peoples. Mr Jakob Finci enquired with the Central Election Commission about his intentions to stand for election to the Presidency and the House of Peoples of the Parliamentary Assembly. On 3 January 2007 he received a written confirmation from the Central Election Commission that he was ineligible to stand to such elections because of his Jewish origin.   Complaint   The applicants complain because, despite possessing experience comparable to the highest elected officials, they are prevented by the Constitution of Bosnia and Herzegovina, and the corresponding provisions of the Election Act 2001, from being candidates for the Presidency and the House of Peoples of the Parliamentary Assembly solely on the ground of their ethnic origins. They invoke Articles 3 (prohibition of inhuman and degrading treatment), 13 (right to an effective remedy) and 14 (prohibition of discrimination) of the European Convention on Human Rights, Article 3 of Protocol No. 1 to the Convention (right to free elections) and Article 1 of Protocol No. 12 to the Convention (general prohibition of discrimination).   Procedure   The applications were lodged with the European Court of Human Rights on 3 July and 18 August 2006 respectively. On 10 February 2009, the Chamber before which the case was pending decided to relinquish jurisdiction in favour of the Grand Chamber pursuant to Article 30 of the Convention. The Venice Commission, the AIRE Centre and the Open Society Justice Initiative have been authorized to intervene as third parties pursuant to Article 36 of the Convention.   Composition of the Court   The case will be heard by the Grand Chamber composed as follows:   Jean-Paul Costa (France), President , Christos Rozakis (Greece), Nicolas Bratza (the United Kingdom), Peer Lorenzen (Denmark), Françoise Tulkens (Belgium), Josep Casadevall (Andorra), Giovanni Bonello (Malta) Lech Garlicki (Poland), Khanlar Hajiyev (Azerbaijan), Ljiljana Mijović (Bosnia and Herzegovina), Egbert Myjer (the Netherlands), David Thór Björgvinsson (Iceland), George Nicolaou (Cyprus), Luis López Guerra (Spain), Ledi Bianku (Albania), Ann Power (Ireland), Mihai Poalelungi (Moldova), judges , Işıl Karakaş (Turkey), András Sajó (Hungary), Rait Maruste (Estonia), substitute judges ,   and also Vincent Berger , Jurisconsult .   Representatives of the parties   Government :   Zikreta Ibrahimović, Agent,     Belma Skalonjić , Assistant,     Filip Turčinović , Adviser;   Applicants :   F. Javier Leon Diaz,           Clive Baldwin   ,               Sheri P. Rosenberg , Counsel.   One of the applicants (Mr Finci ) will also be present.   ***   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 Stefano Piedimonte (telephone : 00 33 (0)3 90 21 42 04) Tracey Turner-Tretz (telephone : 00 33 (0)3 88 41 35 30) Paramy Chanthalangsy (telephone : 00 33 (0)3 88 41 28 30) Kristina Pencheva-Malinowski (telephone : 00 33 (0)3 88 41 35 70) Céline Menu-Lange (telephone : 00 33 (0)3 90 21 58 77)   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] Recognised as “Muslims” in the former Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, the group changed its name during the 1992-95 war into “Bosniacs”. The term “Bosniacs” ( Bošnjaci ) should not be confused with the term “Bosnians“ ( Bosanci ) which denotes citizens of Bosnia and Herzegovina irrespective of their ethnic origin. [2] This summary by the Registry does not bind the Court.