CASE OF BAKA v. HUNGARY
Hearing: Baka v. Hungary (no. 20261/12) (Grand Chamber hearing, 2015-06-17 00:00:00)
Application no.: 20261/12
Document type: GRANDCHAMBER
Document date: 2016-06-23 00:00:00
ECLI: ECLI:CE:ECHR:2016:0623JUD002026112
Respondent state: HUN
Articles of the Convention: 6;6-1;10;10-1;10-2;41
Judges: Aleš Pejchal;András Baka;Angelika Nußberger;Dmitry Dedov;Egidijus Kūris;Erik Møse;Ganna Yudkivska;Guido Raimondi;Helen Keller;Helena Jäderblom;Jon Fridrik Kjølbro;Julia Laffranque;Krzysztof Wojtyczek;Ledi Bianku;Linos-Alexandre Sicilianos;Luis López Guerra;Mirjana Lazarova Trajkovska;Nebojša Vučinić;Paul Lemmens;Paul Mahoney;Paulo Pinto De Albuquerque;Robert Spano;Vincent A. De Gaetano
Represented by: CECH A.
Issue: Articles 47 (2), 48 (1) and (3) and 50 (3) of the 1949 Constitution ; Fundamental Law of Hungary of 25 April 2011 ; Section 11 (2) of the Transitional Provisions of the Fundamental Law of Hungary (2011, entered into force on 1 January 2012) ; Sections 62, 69, 73 and 74/A (1) of the Organisation and Administration of the Courts Act (Act LXVI of 1997) ; Section 185 of the Organisation and Administration of the Courts Act (Act CLXI of 2011, entered into force on 1 January 2012) ; Section 45 (1) of Parliamentary decision 46/1994. (IX.30.) OGY on the Rules of Parliament
Strasbourg case-law cited: Aktaş v. Turkey, no. 24351/94, § 79, ECHR 2003 V (extracts);Albayrak v. Turkey, no. 38406/97, §§ 40-42, 31 January 2008;Animal Defenders International v. the United Kingdom [GC], no.  48876/08 § 108, ECHR 2013 (extracts);Association Ekin v. France, no. 39288/98, § 61, ECHR 2001 VIII;Axel Springer AG v. Germany [GC], no. 39954/08, § 90, 7 February 2012;Bayer v. Germany, no. 8453/04, § 38, 16 July 2009;Bochan v. Ukraine (no. 2) [GC], no. 22251/08, § 42, ECHR 2015;Boulois v. Luxembourg [GC], no. 37575/04, §§ 90-91, ECHR 2012;Boyle and Rice v. the United Kingdom, 27 April 1988, § 52, Series A no. 131;Castells  v. Spain, 23 April 1992, §§  47-48, Series A no. 236;Colombani and Others v. France, no. 51279/99, § 66, ECHR 2002 V;Creangă v. Romania [GC], no. 29226/03, §§ 88-90, 23 February 2012;D.H. and Others v. the Czech Republic [GC], no. 57325/00, §§ 177-179, ECHR 2007 IV;Delfi AS v. Estonia [GC], no. 64569/09, § 131, ECHR 2015;Di Giovanni v. Italy, no. 51160/06, 9 July 2013;Dzhidzheva-Trendafilova v. Bulgaria (dec.), no. 12628/09, 9 October 2012;Efendiyeva v. Azerbaijan, no. 31556/03, § 59, 25 October 2007;El Masri v. the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia [GC], no. 39630/09, §§ 151-152, ECHR 2012;Fadeyeva v. Russia, no. 55723/00, § 79, ECHR 2005 IV;Fruni v. Slovakia, no. 8014/07, § 145, 21 June 2011;G. v. Finland, no. 33173/05, 27 January 2009;Golder v. the United Kingdom, 21 February 1975, § 36, Series A no. 18;Guja v. Moldova [GC], no. 14277/04, § 52, ECHR 2008;Handyside v. the United Kingdom, 7 December 1976, Series A no. 24;Harabin v. Slovakia, no. 58688/11, 20 November 2012;Henryk Urban and Ryszard Urban v. Poland, no. 23614/08, § 53, 30 November 2010;Ivanova v. Bulgaria, no. 52435/99, §§ 83-84, 12 April 2007;Juričić v. Croatia, no. 58222/09, 26 July 2011;Karaduman and Tandoğan v. Turkey, nos. 41296/04 and 41298/04, § 9, 3 June 2008;Kayasu v. Turkey, nos. 64119/00 and 76292/01, 13 November 2008;Kudeshkina v. Russia, no. 29492/05, §§ 79-100, 26 February 2009;Kuznetsov and Others v. Russia, no. 184/02, § 87, 11 January 2007;Kyprianou v. Cyprus [GC], no. 73797/01, §§ 171 and 181, ECHR 2005 XIII;Lindon, Otchakovsky-Laurens and July v. France [GC], nos. 21279/02 and 36448/02, § 46, ECHR 2007-IV;Lombardi Vallauri v. Italy, no. 39128/05, §§ 45-56, 20 October 2009;Makhmudov v. Russia, no. 35082/04, §§ 68-73, 26 July 2007;Mamère v. France, no. 12697/03, §§ 23-24, ECHR 2006 XIII;Markovic and Others v. Italy [GC], no. 1398/03, § 99, ECHR 2006 XIV;Morice v. France [GC], no. 29369/10, 23 April 2015;Nachova and Others v. Bulgaria [GC], nos. 43577/98 and 43579/98, § 147, ECHR 2005-VII;Nedelcho Popov v. Bulgaria, no. 61360/00, 22 November 2007;Ohneberg v. Austria, no. 10781/08, § 25, 18 September 2012;Oleksandr Volkov v. Ukraine, no. 21722/11, ECHR 2013;Olujić v. Croatia, no. 22330/05, 5 February 2009;Özpınar v. Turkey, no. 20999/04, § 30, 19 October 2010;Pellegrin v. France [GC], no. 28541/95, ECHR 1999 VIII;Perinçek v. Switzerland [GC], no.  27510/08, § 196, ECHR 2015 (extracts);Pitkevich v. Russia (dec.), no. 47936/99, 8 February 2001;Poyraz v. Turkey, no. 15966/06, §§ 55-57, 7 December 2010;Roche v. the United Kingdom [GC], no. 32555/96, § 119, ECHR 2005 X;Roland Dumas v. France, no. 34875/07, § 43, 15 July 2010;Savino and Others v. Italy, nos. 17214/05, 20329/05 and 42113/04, §§ 68-69, 28 April 2009;Stanev v. Bulgaria [GC], no. 36760/06, § 230, ECHR 2012;Steel and Morris v. the  United Kingdom, no. 68416/01, §  95, ECHR 2005-II;Stran Greek Refineries and Stratis Andreadis v. Greece, 9 December 1994, §§ 47-50, Series A no. 301 B;Sükut v. Turkey (dec.), no. 59773/00, 11 September 2007;Sürek v. Turkey (no. 1) [GC], no. 26682/95, § 61, ECHR 1999-IV;Tsanova Gecheva v. Bulgaria, no. 43800/12, 15 September 2015;Vilho Eskelinen and Others v. Finland [GC], no. 63235/00, ECHR 2007 II;Vistiņš and Perepjolkins v. Latvia [GC], no. 71243/01, § 99, 25 October 2012;Vogt v. Germany, 26 September 1995, § 53, Series A no. 323;Wille v. Liechtenstein [GC], no. 28396/95, ECHR 1999 VII;Zander v. Sweden, 25 November 1993, § 24, Series A no. 279 B


External sources: Point 20 of the Basic Principles on the Independence of the Judiciary adopted by the Seventh United Nations Congress on the Prevention of Crime and the Treatment of Offenders (Milan, 1985) and endorsed by UN General Assembly Resolutions 40/32 of 29 November 1985 and 40/146 of 13 December 1985;Paragraphs 1.3, 5.1 and 7.2 of the European Charter on the Statute for Judges (Strasbourg, 8-10 July 1998) (meeting organised under the auspices of the Council of Europe), endorsed by the Presidents of the Supreme Courts of Central and Eastern European countries (Kyiv, 12-4 October 1998), and again by judges and representatives from Ministries of Justice from 25 European countries (Lisbon, 8-10 April 1999);Paragraphs 59-60 of Opinion no. 1 (2001) of the Consultative Council of European Judges (CCJE) on standards concerning the independence of the judiciary and the irremovability of judges (23 November 2001);Opinion no. 3 (2002) of the Consultative Council of European Judges (CCJE) on the principles and rules governing judges’ professional conduct, in particular ethics, incompatible behaviour and impartiality (19 November 2002);General Comment no. 32 on Article 14 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (Right to equality before courts and tribunals and to a fair trial) of the United Nations Human Rights Committee (23 August 2007);Paragraphs 3, 6 and 9 of the Magna Carta of Judges (Fundamental Principles) adopted by the Consultative Council of European Judges (CCJE) (November 2010);Opinion on the Legal Status and Remuneration of Judges Act (Act CLXII of 2011) and the Organisation and Administration of the Courts Act (Act CLXI of 2011), adopted by the Venice Commission at its 90th Plenary Session (Venice, 16-17 March 2012, CDL-AD(2012)001);Report on the “Request for the opening of a monitoring procedure in respect of Hungary” adopted by the Committee on the Honouring of Obligations and Commitments by the Member States (Monitoring Committee) of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (10 June 2013)
Conclusion: Violation of Article 6 - Right to a fair trial (Article 6 - Civil proceedings;Article 6-1 - Access to court;Civil rights and obligations;Determination (civil));Violation of Article 10 - Freedom of expression -{General} (Article 10-1 - Freedom of expression);Pecuniary and non-pecuniary damage - award (Article 41 - Non-pecuniary damage;Pecuniary damage;Just satisfaction)
Separate opinion: TRUE