CEDH · PRESS;GENERAL;ENG — 19 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 } .s4DDA3AA3 { font-family:Arial; font-weight:bold; font-style:italic } .sADADF4A7 { font-family:Arial; text-decoration:underline } .sCB9E0544 { margin-top:0pt; margin-bottom:0pt; text-align:left } .s9F8EB0C0 { width:18.63pt; display:inline-block } .s9E97F54A { width:85.05pt; display:inline-block } .sA36B60A1 { font-family:Arial; font-style:italic }   EUROPEAN COURT OF HUMAN RIGHTS     455   19.9.2003   Press release issued by the Registrar   ADMISSIBILITY DECISION IN THE CASE OF SHAMAYEV AND 12 OTHERS v. GEORGIA AND RUSSIA   After a hearing on 16 September 2003 (see press release no. 446), the European Court of Human Rights (Second Section) declared admissible the application lodged in the case of Shamayev and 12 Others v. Georgia and Russia (application no. 36378/02). The Court also ruled that the preliminary objections raised by the Russian Government, concerning the question whether the five extradited applicants intended to apply to the Court and whether the lawyers purporting to represent them before the Court had been properly mandated, should be joined to the examination of the merits of the case, which will take place at a later stage.   The Court further decided, under Rule 42 § 2 of its Rules of Procedure (measures for taking evidence), to organise fact-finding missions in Georgia and Russia as soon as possible, with a view to taking evidence from the applicants and witnesses.   The case concerns an application lodged by 13 people apparently of Chechen origin who are at present detained in Russia and Georgia. The application was lodged with the Court on 4 and 9 October 2002.   ***   The text of the decision will be available at a later date on the Court’s Internet site ( http://www.echr.coe.int ).   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.