CEDH · PRESS;GENERAL;ENG — 29 juin 1999

.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 } .sBB9EE52A { font-family:Arial } .s23A41E03 { width:36pt; display:inline-block } .sACBC61AB { margin-top:0pt; margin-bottom:0pt; text-indent:36pt; text-align:justify } .s76CF415B { page-break-before:always; clear:both } .s32563E28 { margin-top:0pt; margin-bottom:0pt } .sC800182F { font-family:Arial; color:#0000ff } .s4DDA3AA3 { font-family:Arial; font-weight:bold; font-style:italic } .sD35C6159 { width:1.54pt; display:inline-block } .s4598CDF { width:70.9pt; display:inline-block } .sF9A986A5 { width:12.2pt; display:inline-block } .sCB27B9E { width:16.66pt; display:inline-block } .s8242CF8E { width:39.05pt; display:inline-block } .sA36B60A1 { font-family:Arial; font-style:italic } EUROPEAN COURT OF HUMAN RIGHTS     373   29.6.1999   Press release issued by the Registrar   HEARING IN THE CASE OF PERKS AND OTHERS v. THE UNITED KINGDOM   Tuesday, 29 June 1999 at 9 a.m.     The applicants     The cases concern eight applications (application no.   25277/94) brought by eight British nationals, Kevin Perks, Andrea Rowe (Kennedy), Gordon Mudryj, Robert Massey, Alan Beattie, Leveson Knight, Arthur Tilley and John Crane, who were born in 1953, 1971, 1961, 1969, 1971, 1946, 1937 and 1940 respectively.   Summary of the facts   In the early 1990s the applicants were imprisoned for failure to pay community charge (poll tax) following separate proceedings in various Magistrates’ Courts. Legal aid was not available and they were not legally represented. At the time, all the applicants were dependent on state benefits, with the exception of Mr Crane, who was living on a very low income.     The applicants were released on bail after applying for judicial review before the High Court. Following judicial review proceedings each applicant obtained an order quashing the magistrates’ imprisonment order in his or her case.   Complaints     The applicants complain that their imprisonment was unlawful and contrary to Article   5 § 1 of the European Convention on Human Rights, that, in breach of Article 5 § 5 of the Convention, they could not obtain compensation for their allegedly unlawful imprisonment, and that Article 6 §§ 1 and 3(c) were infringed as legal aid was not available to them in the committal proceedings before the Magistrates’ Courts.   Procedure     The applications were lodged with the European Commission of Human Rights between 26 April 1994 and 24 August 1995. Having declared the applications admissible, the Commission adopted reports on 9 September 1998 in which it expressed the unanimous opinion that there had been no violation of Article 5 §§ 1 and 5 and that there had been violations of Article 6 §§ 1 and 3(c). The cases were brought before the Court by the United Kingdom Government on 20 November 1998. Composition of the Court     Under the transitional rules of Protocol No. 11 to the Convention, the applications were assigned to a Chamber of the European Court of Human Rights. The cases will be heard by a Chamber composed as follows:   Jean-Paul Costa (French), President , Pranas Kūris (Lithuanian), Françoise Tulkens (Belgian), Karel Jungwiert (Czech), Hanne Sophie Greve (Norwegian), Kristaq Traja (Albanian), Judges , Sir Rupert Jackson (British), ad hoc Judge , Willi Fuhrmann (Austrian), Substitute Judge   and also Sally Dollé , Section Registrar   Representatives of the parties   Government:   Martin Eaton , Agent ,   Nicholas Lavender , Counsel ,   Michael Collon , Adviser ;   Applicants:   Ben Emmerson , Counsel ,   Ian Wise,   Richard Wise ,   Deborah Still , Advisers .       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 November 1 1998 a full-time Court was established, replacing the original two-tier system of a part-time Court and Commission.