CEDH · PRESS;HEARINGS;ENG — 19 novembre 1998

.s3ABFC313 { font-size:10pt } .s598389F9 { margin-top:0pt; margin-bottom:0pt; text-align:center; font-size:12pt } .s29100277 { font-family:Arial; font-weight:bold } .s2EF16B1D { width:35.4pt; display:inline-block } .sE32676A4 { margin-top:0pt; margin-bottom:0pt; text-align:center; page-break-after:avoid; font-size:12pt } .sBB9EE52A { font-family:Arial } .s32563E28 { margin-top:0pt; margin-bottom:0pt } .s85646119 { margin-top:0pt; margin-bottom:0pt; text-align:justify; font-size:12pt } .sF9C0A319 { margin-top:0pt; margin-bottom:0pt; page-break-after:avoid; font-size:12pt } .s2EF62ED2 { margin-top:0pt; margin-bottom:0pt; font-size:12pt } .s42A0AEC7 { margin-top:0pt; margin-bottom:0pt; text-align:justify; page-break-after:avoid; font-size:12pt } .s76CF415B { page-break-before:always; clear:both } .s4DDA3AA3 { font-family:Arial; font-weight:bold; font-style:italic } .sA36B60A1 { font-family:Arial; font-style:italic } .s5F2817CC { width:1.44pt; display:inline-block } .s2ABE16AD { width:14.77pt; display:inline-block } .s3173968A { margin-top:0pt; margin-bottom:0pt; text-indent:35.4pt; text-align:justify; font-size:12pt } .sB9D5CABB { width:28.35pt; display:inline-block } EUROPEAN COURT OF HUMAN RIGHTS                       755                     19.11.1998     Press release issued by the Registrar   HEARING IN THE CASE OF MATTHEWS v. THE UNITED KINGDOM   Thursday, 19 November 1998 at 9.30 a.m.     The applicant     The case concerns an application brought by Ms Denise Matthews, a Gibraltarian born in 1975.   Summary of the facts     In April 1994, the applicant applied to the Electoral Registration Officer for Gibraltar to be registered as a voter at the elections to the European Parliament.   She was told that Gibraltar had been excluded from the European Parliament elections, and that she would not be able to vote in the elections.   Complaints     The applicant complains that she was not able to vote in the 1994 elections to the European Parliament.   She alleges a violation of Article 3 of Protocol No. 1 to the   Convention, which provides for free elections “in the choice of the legislature”.   She also claims that there was discrimination, in violation of Article 14 of the Convention, in that although she is a British citizen, and entitled to vote in European Parliament elections elsewhere in the European Community, she is denied that right in Gibraltar.   Procedure     The application was introduced with the European Commission of Human Rights on 18 April 1994.   Having found the application admissible the Commission adopted a report on 20 October 1997 in which it expressed the opinion that there had been no violation of Article 3 of Protocol No. 1 (11 votes to 6) or of Article 14 of the Convention (12 votes to 5).   It referred the case to the former Court on 26 January 1998.     Composition of the Court     Under the transitional provisions of Protocol No. 11 to the Convention the case was transmitted to the Grand Chamber of the new European Court of Human Rights on the entry into force of the Protocol on 1 November 1998. It will be heard by the Grand Chamber composed as follows:   Luzius Wildhaber (Swiss, President ), Elisabeth Palm (Swedish, Vice-President ), Luigi Ferrari Bravo (Italian), Gaukur Jörundsson (Icelandic), Georg Ress (German), Ireneu Cabral Barreto (Portuguese), Jean-Paul Costa (French), Willi Fuhrmann (Austrian), Karel Jungwiert (Czech), Marc Fischbach (Luxemburger), Nina Vajić (Croatian), John Hedigan (Irish), Wilhelmina Thomassen (Dutch), Margarita Tsatsa-Nikolovska (TFYROMacedonia), Tudor Pantiru (Moldovian), Kristaq Traja (Albanian), Sir John Freeland (British, ad hoc judge ), Judges, Lucius Caflisch (Swiss), Eglis Levits (Latvian), Pranas Kūris (Lithuanian), Substitute Judges ,   and also Paul Mahoney , Deputy Registrar , and Maud de Boer-Buquicchio , Deputy Registrar.   Representatives of the parties   Government:   Mr M. Eaton , Agent, Mr D. Anderson , Counsel, Ms D. Collins and Ms C. Power , Advisers   Applicant:   Mr M. Llamas , Mr L. Baglietto , Counsel, Mr R. Benzaquen , Legislation Support Unit, Government of Gibraltar, Adviser.   The European Commission of Human Rights will be represented by Jean-Claude Soyer   assisted by Marie-Thérèse Schoepfer .     After the hearing the Court will begin its deliberations, which are held in private. Judgment will be delivered at a later date.     Subject to his duty of discretion, the Registrar is responsible under the Rules of Court for replying to requests for information concerning the work of the Court, and in particular to enquiries from the press.   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