CEDH · PRESS;ADMISSIBILITYDECISIONS;ENG — 7 mai 2001

.s800EAC49 { font-size:12pt } .sFE10DC93 { margin-top:0pt; margin-bottom:0pt; text-align:center } .s29100277 { font-family:Arial; font-weight:bold } .sA1D3DA2E { margin-top:0pt; margin-bottom:0pt; text-align:justify } .s94935B0F { width:389.85pt; display:inline-block } .sF15DF662 { margin-top:0pt; margin-bottom:0pt; text-indent:36pt; text-align:center } .sBB9EE52A { font-family:Arial } .s32563E28 { margin-top:0pt; margin-bottom:0pt } .s19E53254 { width:2.39pt; display:inline-block } .s4DDA3AA3 { font-family:Arial; font-weight:bold; font-style:italic } .sA36B60A1 { font-family:Arial; font-style:italic } EUROPEAN COURT OF HUMAN RIGHTS     408   7.6.2001   Press release issued by the Registrar   CASE OF LE PEN v. FRANCE   The European Court of Human Rights (Third Section) has dismissed an application against France lodged by Mr Jean-Marie Le Pen.   Mr Le Pen submitted that criminal proceedings against him had not been fair, relying on Article 6 §§ 1 and 3 (a) and (b) of the European Convention on Human Rights. The proceedings in question, arising from an incident in Mantes-la-Jolie during the 1997 general election, led to the applicant’s conviction by the Versailles Criminal Court for violent disorder after an assault on Mrs Peulvast-Bergeal, the Mayor of Mantes. The Versailles Court of Appeal upheld the conviction after reclassifying the offence as assaulting a person vested with public authority. Mr Le Pen was sentenced to three months’ imprisonment, suspended, fined FRF 5,000 and debarred from standing for election for one year. The Court of Cassation dismissed an appeal by Mr Le Pen on points of law.   The Court took the view that by reclassifying the offence the Court of Appeal had neither prevented the accused from discovering in detail the nature of the charge against him nor infringed his right to prepare his defence effectively. It accordingly held that the application was manifestly ill-founded.         Registry of the European Court of Human Rights F – 67075 Strasbourg Cedex Contact:   Roderick Liddell (telephone: (0)3 88 41 24 92) Fax: (0)3 88 41 27 91   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.