CEDH · PRESS;HEARINGS;ENG — 30 mai 2000

.s800EAC49 { font-size:12pt } .sFE10DC93 { margin-top:0pt; margin-bottom:0pt; text-align:center } .s29100277 { font-family:Arial; font-weight:bold } .sA1D3DA2E { margin-top:0pt; margin-bottom:0pt; text-align:justify } .s94935B0F { width:389.85pt; display:inline-block } .sBB9EE52A { font-family:Arial } .s13F94BDE { font-family:Arial; letter-spacing:-0.1pt } .sA36B60A1 { font-family:Arial; font-style:italic } .s32563E28 { margin-top:0pt; margin-bottom:0pt } .s4DDA3AA3 { font-family:Arial; font-weight:bold; font-style:italic } .sD35C6159 { width:1.54pt; display:inline-block } .s4598CDF { width:70.9pt; display:inline-block } .s38DD6A04 { width:18.2pt; display:inline-block } .sCB27B9E { width:16.66pt; display:inline-block } .sC5412BEF { width:51.05pt; display:inline-block } EUROPEAN COURT OF HUMAN RIGHTS   391   30. 5.2000   Press release issued by the Registrar   HEARING IN THE CASE OF KROMBACH v. FRANCE   Tuesday 30 May 2000 at 2.30 p.m.   The applicant   The case concerns an application brought by a German national, Dieter Krombach, who was born in 1935 and lives in Lindau (Germany). He is a doctor.   Summary of the facts   In April 1977 Mr Krombach married his second wife, a French national who had two children from a previous marriage.     During the summer of 1982 the son and daughter of the applicant’s wife spent the school holidays at his home. The daughter, K.B., aged 14 and a French national, who had spent the day of 9 July 1982 windsurfing, complained when she returned home of fatigue and of not being able to achieve a sufficiently well-developed sun-tan. At about 8.30 p.m. the applicant administered to her in the form of an injection, as he had on several previous occasions, a preparation containing iron, sold under the name of Kobalt-Ferrcelit, which was in principle intended for the treatment of anaemia. On 10 July 1982, at about 9 a.m., he discovered K.B. dead in her bedroom.   Criminal proceedings taken against the applicant in Germany ended with a decision to drop the case, which was upheld in 1987.   A judicial investigation was conducted in France as the result of a complaint lodged by the victim’s father, with an application to join the proceedings as a civil party. By a judgment of 8 April 1993 the Indictment Division of the Paris Court of Appeal committed the applicant for trial in the assize court to answer the charge of murder. By a judgment given in the defendant’s absence on 9 March 1995 by the Paris Assize Court, the applicant was sentenced to fifteen years’ imprisonment for manslaughter. He was also ordered to pay 350,000 French francs to the victim’s father.   Complaints   The applicant complains that he was denied legal representation when he was tried in absentio before the Assize Court under Article 630 of the Code of Criminal Procedure. He relied on Article 6 §§ 1 and 3   (b) (right to a fair trial) of the European Convention on Human Rights. He further complains, under Article 2 of Protocol No. 7, that, as he had been convicted in absentio , he had been denied a right of appeal on points of law by virtue of Article 636 of the Code of Criminal Procedure.     Procedure   The application was lodged with the European Commission of Human Rights on 29   November 1995. The case was brought before a Grand Chamber of the European Court of Human Rights on 1 November 1998 and was declared partly admissible by the Third Section of the Court on 29 February 2000.   Composition of the Court   The case will be heard by a Chamber composed as follows:   Willi Fuhrmann (Austrian), President , Jean-Paul Costa (French), Loukis Loucaides (Cypriot), Pranas Kūris (Lithuanian), Françoise Tulkens (Belgian), Karel Jungwiert (Czech), Nicolas Bratza (British), judges , Hanne Sophie Greve (Norwegian), Kristaq Traja (Albanian), Mindia Ugrekhelidze (Georgian), substitute judges ,   and also Sally Dollé , Section Registrar .   Representatives of the parties   Government:   Jean-François Dobelle , Agent ,   Bruno Nedelec , Gilbert Bitti , Pierre-Christian Soccoja ,   François Capin Dulhoste , Counsel ;   Applicant:   François Serres , Counsel .   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 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.