CEDH · PRESS;GENERAL;ENG — 15 octobre 2002

.s800EAC49 { font-size:12pt } .s5FFF0A77 { margin-top:0pt; margin-bottom:0pt; font-size:1pt } .sBB9EE52A { font-family:Arial } .sFE10DC93 { margin-top:0pt; margin-bottom:0pt; text-align:center } .s29100277 { font-family:Arial; font-weight:bold } .s32563E28 { margin-top:0pt; margin-bottom:0pt } .s94935B0F { width:389.85pt; display:inline-block } .s9793A85B { margin-top:0pt; margin-bottom:0pt; text-indent:14.2pt } .s76CF415B { page-break-before:always; clear:both } .sCB9E0544 { margin-top:0pt; margin-bottom:0pt; text-align:left } .s4DDA3AA3 { font-family:Arial; font-weight:bold; font-style:italic } .s69BE285C { margin-top:0pt; margin-left:85.05pt; margin-bottom:0pt; text-indent:-85.05pt } .s18D96D33 { width:15.69pt; text-indent:0pt; display:inline-block } .s32AFAD20 { width:26.35pt; text-indent:0pt; display:inline-block } .s3964C3A3 { width:1.36pt; display:inline-block } .s901C2590 { width:56.7pt; display:inline-block } .sA36B60A1 { font-family:Arial; font-style:italic }   EUROPEAN COURT OF HUMAN RIGHTS     496   15.10.2002   Press release issued by the Registrar   CHAMBER HEARING ON THE ADMISSIBILITY AND MERITS IN THE CASE OF APPLEBY AND OTHERS v. THE UNITED KINGDOM   Tuesday 15 October 2002 at 9.30 a.m.   The applicants   The application (no. 44306/98) was brought by Mary Eileen Appleby, a British citizen born in 1952; Pamela Beresford, a British citizen born in 1966; Robert Alphonsus Duggan, an Irish citizen born in 1947; and an environmental group, Washington First Forum. The three individual applicants, who all live in Washington, Tyne and Wear (England), set up Washington First Forum to campaign against a plan to build on the only public playing field in the vicinity of Washington town centre (part of the Princess Anne Park, known as the Arena).   Summary of the facts   In March and April 1998 the applicants set about collecting signatures for a petition to persuade the Council to reject the project. They tried to set up a stall and canvas views in “The Galleries”, a shopping complex in Washington that had become the effective town centre. They were prevented from doing so, however, by Postel, the private company which had bought most of the shopping area and had, under domestic law, the power to exclude anyone conducting unauthorised activities on its land.   On or about 14 March 1998, the first applicant, together with her husband and son, set up two stands in the entrance to The Galleries shopping mall. However, security guards employed by Postel stopped them collecting signatures and forced them to remove their stands. The manager of the one of the shops in the mall gave the applicants permission to set up stands within that store. However permission was not granted in April 1998 when the applicants wished to collect signatures for a further petition.   The manager of the Galleries informed the applicants that permission had been refused because the owner took a strictly neutral stance on all political and religious issues.   However, the applicants claim other organisations have been allowed to carry out collections, set up stalls and displays within the Galleries, including the Stop Smoking Campaign (advertising display and distribution of nicotine patches),   Royal British Legion (collection for Armistice Day), various photographers (advertising and taking photographs), British Gas (staffed advertising display) and Sunderland Council (concerning the future leadership of the Council).   Complaints   The applicants complain that they have been prevented from meeting in their town centre to share information and ideas about proposed building plans. They rely on Articles 10 (freedom of expression), 11 (freedom of association) and 13 (right to an effective remedy) of the European Convention on Human Rights.   Procedure   The application was lodged with the European Commission of Human Rights on 1 September 1998 and transmitted to the Court on 1 November 1998.   Composition of the Court   The case will be heard by a Chamber composed as follows:   Matti Pellonpää (Finnish), President , Nicolas Bratza (British), Antonio Pastor Ridruejo (Spanish), Viera Strážnická (Slovakian), Rait Maruste (Estonian), Stanislav Pavlovschi (Moldovan), Lech Garlicki (Polish), judges , Elisabeth Palm (Swedish), Marc Fischbach (Luxemburger), Josep Casadevall (Andorran), substitute judges , and also Michael O’Boyle , Section Registrar .   Representatives of the parties   Government:   Christopher Whomersley , Agent , Jonathan Crow , Counsel , Judith-Anne Mackenzie , Adviser ;   Applicants:   Joanne Sawyer , Rabinder Singh , Andres Sharland , Counsel .   Mary Eileen Appleby and Pamela Beresford will also attend the hearing.   ***   After the hearing the Court will begin its deliberations, which are held in private. A decision on admissibility - and, if appropriate, a judgment will be delivered at a later date.   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)   The European Court of Human Rights was set up in Strasbourg in 1959 to deal with alleged violations of the 1950 European Convention on Human Rights. On 1 November 1998 a full-time Court was established, replacing the original two-tier system of a part-time Commission and Court.