CEDH · PRESS;HEARINGS;ENG — 26 janvier 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 } .s32563E28 { margin-top:0pt; margin-bottom:0pt } .s4DDA3AA3 { font-family:Arial; font-weight:bold; font-style:italic } .s7ED160F0 { text-decoration:none } .s33165EBA { font-family:Arial; font-size:8pt; vertical-align:super; color:#0069d6 } .s76CF415B { page-break-before:always; clear:both } .sD33AE1D1 { width:3.28pt; display:inline-block } .sF9A986A5 { width:12.2pt; display:inline-block } .sB70F9E4 { width:1.1pt; display:inline-block } .s23A41E03 { width:36pt; display:inline-block } .s173C6E87 { width:31.27pt; display:inline-block } .s4598CDF { width:70.9pt; display:inline-block } .sA36B60A1 { font-family:Arial; font-style:italic } .sCB27B9E { width:16.66pt; display:inline-block } .sC5412BEF { width:51.05pt; display:inline-block } .sF6A12959 { width:33%; height:1px; text-align:left } .s2EB42ED2 { margin-top:0pt; margin-bottom:0pt; font-size:10pt } .s653E6C45 { font-family:Arial; font-size:6.67pt; vertical-align:super; color:#0069d6 } EUROPEAN COURT OF HUMAN RIGHTS     59   26.1.2000   Press release issued by the Registrar   HEARING IN THE CASE OF SCOZZARI & GIUNTA v. ITALY   Wednesday, 26 January 2000, at 9 a.m.   IN CAMERA     The applicants   The case concerns an application brought by two Italian nationals, Dolorata Scozzari, who was born in 1960, and Carmela Giunta, who was born in 1939.   Summary of the facts   The first applicant is the mother of two children, aged 13 and six. On 9   September 1997 the Florence Youth Court made an order suspending the first applicant’s parental rights and placing the children in a children’s home near Florence because of the difficult situation in the first applicant’s home, due among other things to her former husband’s increasingly violent behaviour towards her and the children. The first applicant did not see her children again until 29 April 1999.   Complaints   The first applicant, who purports to act for both herself and her children, complains firstly of the decision to suspend her parental rights and of the fact that she has been allowed very few visits to her children to date. Both applicants complain about the decision to place the children in the care of the children’s home, partly because two of the co-founders and current directors of the home, who have been actively involved in the proceedings concerning the children, were convicted in 1985 of ill-treating and sexually abusing handicapped people in the home’s care. The second applicant complains that the authorities delayed in allowing her to see the children and has never considered whether the children could stay with her. They rely on Article 8 of the European Convention on Human Rights.   Procedure   The applications were lodged with the European Commission of Human Rights on 9   December 1997 and 16 June 1998 respectively. The Commission decided on 8 July 1998 to join them and on 15 September 1998 declared the first application admissible in part and the second application admissible.   The Commission adopted a report on 2 December 1998 in which it expressed the opinion that there had been no violation of Article 8 of the Convention as regards the order suspending the first applicant’s parental rights and placing the children in care (24 votes to 1); no violation of Article 8 as regards the decision to place the children in the children’s home (13 votes to   12); a violation of Article 8 as regards the prevention of all contact between the first applicant and her children (21 votes to 4); no violation of Article 8 as regards the second applicant (unanimously); no violation of Article 3; no violation of Article 2 of Protocol No. 1 to the Convention (unanimously) and that no separate issue arose under Article 14 or Article   6 § 1 of the Convention (unanimously). The Commission referred the case to the Court on 4 December 1998. The Italian Government also brought the case before the Court on 21 January 1999.   On 16 September 1999 the Belgian Government decided to intervene in the proceedings under Article 36 of the Convention and Rule 61 of the Rules of Court as one of the children has Belgian nationality.   On 1 December 1999 the Court decided under Rule 33 § 2 to exclude the press and the public from the hearing.   Composition of the Court   Under the transitional provisions of Protocol No. 11 to the Convention, the case was transmitted to the Grand Chamber of the European Court of Human Rights. It will be heard by the Grand Chamber composed as follows:   Luzius Wildhaber (Swiss), President , Elisabeth Palm (Swedish), Luigi Ferrari Bravo [1] (Italian), Gaukur Jörundsson (Icelandic), Lucius Caflisch [2] (Swiss), Ireneu Cabral Barreto (Portuguese), Jean-Paul Costa (French), Karel Jungwiert (Czech), Marc Fischbach (Luxemburger), Boštjan Zupančič (Slovenian), John Hedigan (Irish), Wilhelmina Thomassen (Dutch), Margarita Tsatsa-Nikolovska (FYROMacedonia), Tudor Panţîru (Moldovan), Egils Levits (Latvian), Kristaq Traja (Albanian), Judges , Carlo Russo, ad hoc Judge , Nina Vajić (Croatian), Willi Fuhrmann (Austrian), Riza Türmen (Turkish), Substitute Judges ,   and also Michele de Salvia , Registrar .     Representatives of the parties   Italian Government:   Vitaliano Esposito , Co-Agent ,   Applicants:       Annamaria Mazzarri , Counsel .   Belgian Government:   Annick Davis,       Muriel Gilet, both of counsel ,   Dolorata Scozzari and Carmela Giunta will also 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 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. [1] Elected as the judge in respect of San Marino. [2] Elected as the judge in respect of Liechtenstein.