EUROPEAN COURT OF HUMAN RIGHTS

 594

 12.9.2000

Press release issued by the Registrar

CHAMBER JUDGMENT CONCERNING ESTONIA

The European Court of Human Rights has today notified in writing the following chamber judgment:

Section 1

Slavgorodski v. Estonia (application no. 37043/97) Friendly settlement

Vitali Slavgorodski, an Estonian national, complained, under Article 6 of the European Convention on Human Rights, that he did not have a fair trial. In addition, he complained that he had been a victim of a violation of former Article 25 of the Convention in that, during his imprisonment, the prison authorities opened letters from the former European Commission of Human Rights before forwarding them to him. He also complained about interference by the prison authorities with his other correspondence.

The case has been struck out following a friendly settlement in which the applicant is to be paid 67,567.60 Estonian kroons (EEK) for any damage and EEK 17,567.60 for costs and expenses.

The Estonian Government also expressed its “regret for the opening of the letters of the European Commission of Human Rights and for the opening of the letters of the applicant sent to the European Commission of Human Rights between 1996-1998”.

The judgment is available only in English.

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The Court’s judgments are accessible on its Internet site (http://www.echr.coe.int).

Registry of the European Court of Human Rights
F – 67075 Strasbourg Cedex
Contacts: Roderick Liddell (telephone: (0)3 88 41 24 92)
 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 Strasbourg in 1959 to deal with alleged violations of the 1950 European Convention on Human Rights. On 1 November 1998 a full-time Court was established, replacing the original two-tier system of a part-time Commission and Court.