CEDH · PRESS;GENERAL;ENG — 11 juin 1999

.s3ABFC313 { font-size:10pt } .s598389F9 { margin-top:0pt; margin-bottom:0pt; text-align:center; font-size:12pt } .s29100277 { font-family:Arial; font-weight:bold } .s85646119 { margin-top:0pt; margin-bottom:0pt; text-align:justify; font-size:12pt } .s23A41E03 { width:36pt; display:inline-block } .sBB9EE52A { font-family:Arial } .s7ED160F0 { text-decoration:none } .s33165EBA { font-family:Arial; font-size:8pt; vertical-align:super; color:#0069d6 } .s4DDA3AA3 { font-family:Arial; font-weight:bold; font-style:italic } .sA36B60A1 { font-family:Arial; font-style:italic } .s2EF62ED2 { margin-top:0pt; margin-bottom:0pt; font-size:12pt } .s4B8D41EE { font-family:Arial; font-size:10pt } .sEDC5336B { margin-top:0pt; margin-bottom:0pt; page-break-inside:avoid; page-break-after:avoid; font-size:12pt } .sCB27B9E { width:16.66pt; display:inline-block } .sE4698C4F { width:35.05pt; display:inline-block } .s6442AFE5 { width:23.04pt; display:inline-block } .sF6A12959 { width:33%; height:1px; text-align:left } .sA1D3DA2E { margin-top:0pt; margin-bottom:0pt; text-align:justify } .s653E6C45 { font-family:Arial; font-size:6.67pt; vertical-align:super; color:#0069d6 } .s32563E28 { margin-top:0pt; margin-bottom:0pt } EUROPEAN COURT OF HUMAN RIGHTS                       324                     11.6.1999   Press release issued by the Registrar   JUDGMENT IN THE CASE OF NUNES VIOLANTE v. PORTUGAL     The European Court of Human Rights (Fourth Section) has delivered judgment [1] in the case of Nunes Violante v. Portugal (application no.   33953/96), concerning the length of civil proceedings.     The Court held unanimously that there had been a violation of the European Convention on Human Rights Article 6 § 1 (right to a fair trial within a reasonable time) in the case of António Nunes Violante, a Portuguese national born in 1935 and resident in Tomar (Portugal). The proceedings, concerning the applicant’s claim from a union pension fund in relation to a work injury, have already lasted more than nine years and two months and have not yet been completed. The Court awarded 800 000 Portuguese escudos in compensation for non-pecuniary damage and 200 000 PTE in costs.     Judgment was given by a chamber of seven judges, composed as follows:   Matti Pellonpää (Finnish), President Georg Ress (German), Antonio Pastor Ridruejo (Spanish) Lucius Caflisch [2] (Swiss), Jerzy Makarczyk (Polish), Ireneu Cabral Barreto (Portuguese), Nina Vajić (Croatian), Judges   and also Vincent Berger Section Registrar       The full text of the judgment can be found on the Court’s Internet site: http://www.dhcour.coe.fr . It is available only in French.     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 permanent Court was established, replacing the original two-tier system of the part-time Court and European Commission of Human Rights.    [1] The judgment was notified in writing on 8 June 1999. It becomes final subject to Articles 43 and 44 of the Convention:   Under Article 43 , within three months from the date of the Chamber judgment, any party to the case may, in exceptional cases, request that the case be referred to the 17-member Grand Chamber of the Court.   A panel of five judges accepts the request if the case raises a serious question affecting the interpretation or application of the Convention or its Protocols, or a serious issue of general importance.   Under Article 44 , the Chamber judgment becomes final (a) when the parties declare that they will not request that the case be referred to the Grand Chamber; or (b) three months after the date of the judgment, if reference of the case to the Grand Chamber has not been requested; or (c) when the panel of the Grand Chamber rejects the request to refer under Article 43.   [2] Elected as the judge in respect of Liechtenstein.