CEDH · PRESS;GENERAL;ENG — 18 novembre 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 } .s7ED160F0 { text-decoration:none } .s48F8B750 { font-size:8pt; display:none } .sE676BEE { margin-top:0pt; margin-left:389.85pt; margin-bottom:0pt } .s32563E28 { margin-top:0pt; margin-bottom:0pt } .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 } .s1CA886F1 { margin-top:0pt; margin-left:85.05pt; margin-bottom:0pt; text-indent:-85.05pt; text-align:left } .s32AFAD20 { width:26.35pt; text-indent:0pt; display:inline-block } .s9F8EB0C0 { width:18.63pt; display:inline-block } .s9E97F54A { width:85.05pt; display:inline-block } .sF6A12959 { width:33%; height:1px; text-align:left } .s2EB42ED2 { margin-top:0pt; margin-bottom:0pt; font-size:10pt } .s23A41E03 { width:36pt; display:inline-block }   EUROPEAN COURT OF HUMAN RIGHTS [Note1]   574 18.11.2003   Press release issued by the Registrar   CHAMBER HEARING ON THE ADMISSIBILITY AND MERITS IN THE CASE OF MARTINEZ SALA AND OTHERS v. SPAIN   Tuesday 18 November 2003 at 9.30 a.m.   The applicants   The case concerns an application (no. 58438/00) brought by 15 Spanish nationals, including David Martinez Sala. The applicants live in Catalonia (Spain).   Summary of the facts   Between 29 June and 7 July 1992, shortly before the Olympic Games in Barcelona, the applicants, who were suspected of being sympathisers of a Catalan independence movement, were arrested by Guardia Civil officers from Barcelona, Manresa, Sant Cugat and Girona in connection with an investigation into terrorist offences. They were transferred to the Guardia Civil headquarters in Madrid.   The applicants complain that they were subjected to physical and psychological torture and inhuman and degrading treatment on their arrest and while in custody in Catalonia and at the Guardia Civil headquarters in Madrid.   The Government say that the applicants were examined a number of times by doctors while in custody but did not present any marks or signs of the alleged ill-treatment. They had all had access to legal advice, initially from lawyers assigned to them by the courts and subsequently from lawyers of their own choice.   On 10 July 1995 the Audiencia Nacional convicted six of the applicants of belonging to or aiding and abetting an armed gang, possessing explosives, possessing firearms and of acts of terrorism. It gave them prison sentences ranging from one to ten years. It said that it was unable to examine the allegations of torture and ill-treatment at the trial.   As regards the complaints of ill-treatment, on 5 November 1997 the Madrid investigating judge made a provisional discharge order on the ground that there was insufficient evidence to support them. An application by the applicants to the same investigating judge to have that order set aside and an appeal to the Madrid Audiencia Provincial were dismissed, the latter on 22 February 1999. The applicants lodged an amparo appeal with the Constitutional Court, which was dismissed on 29 November 1999.           Complaints   The applicants rely on Article 3 (prohibition of torture and inhuman or degrading treatment) of the European Convention on Human Rights.   Procedure   The application [Note2] was lodged on 13 June 2000. In a partial admissibility decision of 2 July 2002, the Court adjourned its examination of the applicants’ allegations of ill-treatment while in the security forces’ custody and declared the remainder of the application inadmissible.   Composition of the Court   The case will be heard by a Chamber composed as follows: [Note3]   Nicolas Bratza (British), President , Viera Strážnická (Slovakian), Marc Fischbach (Luxemburger), Josep Casadevall (Andorran), Rait Maruste (Estonian), Stanislav Pavlovschi (Moldovan), judges , Antonio Pastor Ridruejo (Spanish) , ad hoc judge , Lech Garlicki (Polish) , Elisabet Fura-Sandström (Swedish) , substitute judges , and also Michael O’Boyle , Section Registrar .   Representatives of the parties   Government:   Ignacio Blasco Lozano , Agent ,   Applicants:   Sebastià   Salellas i Magret , Counsel , Montserrat Salvador i Cortés and Benet Salellas I Vilar , Advisers .   Some of the applicants will also attend the hearing.   After the hearing the Court will begin its deliberations, which are held in private. A decision on admissibility – and, if appropriate, a 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.   [Note1]   Press release for hearings . To be saved in PowerDocs as follows: (1) Document Name: case name [+ date] + language (e.g. Sliven 31012003E or C.T. v. Finland 31012003E ), (2)   Document type: PR, (3) Group: PRESS, (4) Subject: H . When you have completed your document, run the “CleanUpMyDocumentToBePublished” macro to remove all comments or remove them manually. [Note2]   For transitional-period cases before the former Court on 1 November 1998. [Note3]   For Mr Caflisch, add the following footnote: “Elected as the judge in respect of Liechtenstein.”