CEDH · PRESS;HEARINGS;ENG — 18 septembre 2003

.s800EAC49 { font-size:12pt } .s5FFF0A77 { margin-top:0pt; margin-bottom:0pt; font-size:1pt } .sBB9EE52A { font-family:Arial } .sFE10DC93 { margin-top:0pt; margin-bottom:0pt; text-align:center } .s29100277 { font-family:Arial; font-weight:bold } .s32563E28 { margin-top:0pt; margin-bottom:0pt } .s94935B0F { width:389.85pt; display:inline-block } .sA36B60A1 { font-family:Arial; font-style:italic } .sCB9E0544 { margin-top:0pt; margin-bottom:0pt; text-align:left } .s4DDA3AA3 { font-family:Arial; font-weight:bold; font-style:italic } .s61E420C2 { font-family:Arial; font-variant:small-caps } .s69BE285C { margin-top:0pt; margin-left:85.05pt; margin-bottom:0pt; text-indent:-85.05pt } .s18D96D33 { width:15.69pt; text-indent:0pt; display:inline-block } .s32AFAD20 { width:26.35pt; text-indent:0pt; display:inline-block } .s9F8EB0C0 { width:18.63pt; display:inline-block } .s9E97F54A { width:85.05pt; display:inline-block }   EUROPEAN COURT OF HUMAN RIGHTS     451   18.9.2003   Press release issued by the Registrar   CHAMBER HEARING ON THE MERITS IN THE CASE OF JAHN AND THURM, RISSMANN AND HÖLLER   and LOTH   v. GERMANY   Thursday 18 September 2003 at 9.30 a.m.   The applicants   The case concerns three applications (nos. 46720/99, 72203/01 and 72552/01) brought by five German nationals living in Germany: Heidi Jahn and Albert Thurm, born in 1947 and living in Sangerhausen; Erika Rissmann and Ilse Höller, who are sisters, born in 1942 and 1944 and living in Erfstadt and Stotzheim respectively; and, Edith Loth, born in 1940 and living in Frankfurt an der Oder.   Summary of the facts   The applicants all inherited plots of land which had been allocated to their families - subject to certain restrictions regarding the transfer of title to the land   - following the 1945 agrarian reform ( Bodenreformgrundstücke ) in the German Democratic Republic (GDR). Such landowners were known at the time as the new farmers ( Neubauern ).   On 16 March 1990 the Modrow Law ( Gesetz über die Rechte der Eigentümer von Grundstücken aus der Bodenreform ) entered into force, lifting the restrictions regarding the transfer of title and giving those concerned full ownership rights.   After German reunification, however, certain individuals who had inherited land allocated following the agrarian reform, including the applicants, were required to transfer this land to the tax authorities of their local Länder without compensation, under the Federal Republic of Germany’s second Pecuniary Rights Amendment Act ( zweites Vermögensrechtsänderungsgesetz ) of 14 July 1992. This law stipulated that those inheriting   land acquired following the agrarian reform who had not worked in the agriculture, forestry or food-production sectors either on 15 March 1990 or during the previous 10 years, or been members of an agricultural cooperative ( Landwirtschaftliche Produktionsgenossenschaft ) in the GDR, transfer the land to the tax authorities.   Complaints   The applicants submit that being required to transfer their property without compensation infringed their right to the peaceful enjoyment of their possessions under Article 1 of Protocol No. 1 (protection of property) to the European Convention on Human Rights. They also argue that they were victims of discrimination within the meaning of Article 14 of the Convention, taken together with Article 1 of Protocol No. 1.   Procedure   The first application was lodged with the European Commission of Human Rights on 2   September 1996 and transmitted to the Court on 1 November 1998. It was declared admissible on 25 April 2002. The second and third applications were lodged on 23 April 2001 and were declared partly admissible on 15 May 2003.   Composition of the Court   The case will be heard by a Chamber composed as follows:   Ireneu Cabral Barreto (Portuguese), President , Georg Ress (German), Lucius Caflisch (Swiss), Pranas Kūris (Lithuanian), John Hedigan (Irish), Margarita Tsatsa-Nikolovska (Macedonian), Kristaq Traja (Albanian), judges , Riza Türmen (Turkish) , Boštjan Zupančič (Slovenian) , Hanne Sophie Greve (Norwegian) , Alvina Gyulumyan (Armenian) , substitute judges , and also Vincent Berger , Section Registrar .   Representatives of the parties   Government:   Klaus Stoltenberg , Agent ; Hubert Weis and Wolfram Marx , Counsel ; Thomas   Laut , Adviser ;   Applicants:   Beate   Grün , Thorsten Purps , Volker-Ulrich Hahn , Counsel .     Ms Rissmann will 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 Press contacts:   Roderick Liddell (telephone: +00 33 (0)3 88 41 24 92)   Emma Hellyer (telephone: +00 33 (0)3 90 21 42 15)   Stéphanie Klein (telephone: +00 33 (0)3 88 41 21 54) Fax: +00 33 (0)3 88 41 27 91               The European Court of Human Rights was set up in Strasbourg by the Council of Europe Member States in 1959 to deal with alleged violations of the 1950 European Convention on Human Rights. Since 1 November 1998 it has sat as a full-time Court composed of an equal number of judges to that of the States party to the Convention. The Court examines the admissibility and merits of applications submitted to it. It sits in Chambers of 7 judges or, in exceptional cases, as a Grand Chamber of 17 judges. The Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe supervises the execution of the Court’s judgments. More detailed information about the Court and its activities can be found on its Internet site.