CEDH · PRESS;GENERAL;ENG — 14 septembre 1999

.s800EAC49 { font-size:12pt } .sFE10DC93 { margin-top:0pt; margin-bottom:0pt; text-align:center } .s3F59B822 { font-family:Arial; font-weight:bold; text-transform:uppercase } .s29100277 { font-family:Arial; font-weight:bold } .sA1D3DA2E { margin-top:0pt; margin-bottom:0pt; text-align:justify } .s44EC9D0F { width:404pt; display:inline-block } .s40F41F73 { margin-top:0pt; margin-bottom:0pt; text-align:right } .sBB9EE52A { font-family:Arial } .s98A7B623 { margin-top:0pt; margin-bottom:0pt; text-align:justify; page-break-inside:avoid; page-break-after:avoid } .s23A41E03 { width:36pt; display:inline-block } .s4954B46 { margin-top:0pt; margin-bottom:0pt; text-indent:28.35pt; text-align:justify } .s241FF221 { margin-top:0pt; margin-left:28.35pt; margin-bottom:0pt; text-align:justify } .s76CF415B { page-break-before:always; clear:both } .s32563E28 { margin-top:0pt; margin-bottom:0pt } .s4DDA3AA3 { font-family:Arial; font-weight:bold; font-style:italic } .s7ED160F0 { text-decoration:none } .s33165EBA { font-family:Arial; font-size:8pt; vertical-align:super; color:#0069d6 } .sD35C6159 { width:1.54pt; display:inline-block } .s4598CDF { width:70.9pt; display:inline-block } .s38DD6A04 { width:18.2pt; display:inline-block } .sACBC61AB { margin-top:0pt; margin-bottom:0pt; text-indent:36pt; text-align:justify } .sCB27B9E { width:16.66pt; display:inline-block } .s8242CF8E { width:39.05pt; display:inline-block } .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 } .s653E6C45 { font-family:Arial; font-size:6.67pt; vertical-align:super; color:#0069d6 } European Court of Human Rights     460 14.9.1999     Press release issued by the Registrar   HEARING IN THE CASE OF IGNACCOLO-ZENIDE v.   ROMANIA   Tuesday 14 September 1999 at 9.30 a.m.     The applicant     The case concerns an application (application no. 31679/96) lodged by a French national, Rita Ignaccolo-Zenide, who was born in 1953 and lives in Metz (France).   Summary of the facts   Following the applicant’s divorce in 1989 the French courts gave her visiting rights concerning the two children of the marriage. In the summer of 1990 her former husband took the children to the United States. In September he failed to present them to their mother so that she could exercise her visiting rights. After changing addresses several times in order to evade the jurisdiction of the American courts, to which the case had been referred under the Hague Convention of 25   October 1980 on international child abduction, the applicant’s former husband succeeded in escaping to Romania in March 1994, and has lived there since then.   In 1991 a French court gave the applicant parental authority over the children jointly with her ex-husband and ruled that the children should live with her. By an injunction issued on 14 December 1994 the Bucharest Court of First Instance ordered the children to be returned to the applicant. However, her efforts to obtain enforcement of the judgment of 14   December 1994 were unsuccessful. Since 1990 the applicant has seen her children only once, during an interview organised by the Romanian authorities on 29 January 1997.   Complaint     The applicant, who criticises the Romanian authorities for not enforcing the injunction, complains of an infringement of her right to respect for her family life, set forth in Article 8 of the European Convention on Human Rights.   Procedure     The application was lodged with the European Commission of Human Rights on 22   January 1996. After declaring the application admissible, the Commission adopted a report on 9   September 1998 in which it expressed the opinion that there had been a violation of Article 8 (unanimously). The case was referred to the Court by the Romanian Government on 27   January 1999.   Composition of the Cour     On 31 March 1999 the panel of the Grand Chamber allocated the case to a Chamber, composed as follows   Elisabeth Palm (Swedish), President, Josep Casadevall (Andorran), Gaukur Jörundsson (Icelandic), Riza Türmen (Turkish), Wilhelmina Thomassen (Dutch), Rait Maruste (Estonian), Judges , Ana Diculescu-Şova (Romanian), ad hoc Judge , Luigi Ferrari Bravo [1] (Italian) Boštjan Zupančič (Slovenian), Tudor Pantiru (Moldovan), Substitute Judges ,   and also Michael O’Boyle , Section Registrar .     Representatives of the parties   Government:   Corneliu-Liviu Popescu , Agent ,   Mihai Selegean ,   Titus Corlăţean , Advisers ;   Applicant:   Joël Lagrange , Counsel .   The applicant, Rita Ignaccolo-Zenide , will also attend the hearing.   ***     After the hearing the Court will begin its deliberations, which are held in private. Judgment will be delivered at a later date.     Registry of the European Court of Human Rights F – 67075 Strasbourg Cedex Contacts:   Roderick Liddell (telephone: (0)3 88 41 24 92) or   Emma Hellyer (telephone: (0)3 90 21 42 15) Fax: (0)3 88 41 27 91       The European Court of Human Rights was set up in 1959 in Strasbourg 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. [1] Judge elected in respect of San Marino.