CASE OF S.A.S. v. FRANCE
Hearing: S.A.S. v. France (no. 43835/11) (Grand Chamber hearing, 2013-11-27 00:00:00)
Application no.: 43835/11
Document type: GRANDCHAMBER
Document date: 2014-07-01 00:00:00
ECLI: ECLI:CE:ECHR:2014:0701JUD004383511
Respondent state: FRA
Articles of the Convention: 8;8-1;8-2;9;9-1;9-2;14;14+8;14+9;34;35;35-1
Judges: Aleš Pejchal;André Potocki;Angelika Nußberger;Dean Spielmann;Elisabeth Steiner;Erik Møse;Ganna Yudkivska;Guido Raimondi;Helena Jäderblom;Ineta Ziemele;Josep Casadevall;Khanlar Hajiyev;Ledi Bianku;Mark Villiger;Mirjana Lazarova Trajkovska;Paul Lemmens
Represented by: SHARMA S. ; RAMBY DE MELLO M. ; MUMAN T. ; SINGH JUSS S.
Issue: Articles 1, 2 and 3 of the Law of 11 October 2010 “prohibiting the concealment of one’s face in public places”
Strasbourg case-law cited: Ahmet Arslan and Others v. Turkey, no 41135/98, 23 February 2010;Aktas v. France (dec.), no 43563/08, 30 June 2009;Al-Nashif v. Bulgaria, no 50963/99, § 89, 20 June 2002;Anibal Vieira & Filhos LDA and Maria Rosa Ferreira da Costa LDA v. Portugal (dec.), nos. 980/12 and 18385/12, 13 November 2012;Arrowsmith v. the United Kingdom, no 7050/75, report of the Commission of 12 October 1978, DR 19;Bayatyan v. Armenia [GC], no 23459/03, § 122, ECHR 2011;Burden v. the United Kingdom [GC], no 13378/05, § 34, ECHR 2008;Buscarini and Others v. San Marino [GC], no 24645/94, § 34, ECHR 1999-I;Cha’are Shalom Ve Tsedek v. France [GC], no 27417/95, ECHR 2000-VII;Chassagnou and Others v. France [GC], nos. 25088/94, 28331/95 and 28443/95, ECHR 1999-III;D.H. and Others v. the Czech Republic [GC], no 57325/00, §§ 175 and 184-185, ECHR 2007-IV;Dahlab v. Switzerland, no 42393/98, ECHR 2001-V;Deceuninck v. France (dec.), no 47447/08, 13 December 2011;Dudgeon v. the United Kingdom, 22 October 1981, § 41, Series A no 45;El Morsli v. France (dec.), no 15585/06, 4 March 2008;Eweida and Others v. the United Kingdom, nos. 48420/10, 59842/10, 51671/10 and 36516/10, ECHR 2013;Hadrabová and Others v. the Czech Republic (dec.), nos. 42165/02 and 466/03, 25 September 2007;Hasan and Chaush v. Bulgaria [GC], no 30985/96, § 78, ECHR 2000-XI;Ireland v. the United Kingdom, 18 January 1978, § 162, Series A no 25;Ivanov v. Russia (dec.), no 35222/04, 20 February 2007;Jian v. Romania (dec.), no 46640/99, 30 March 2004;Johnston and Others v. Ireland, 18 December 1986, Series A no 112, § 42;Kalaç v. Turkey, 1 July 1997, § 27, Reports of Judgments and Decisions 1997 IV;Kara v. the United Kingdom, no 36528/97, 22 October 1998;Kereshashvili v. Georgia (dec.), no 5667/02, 2 May 2006;Kervanci v. France, no 31645/04, 4 December 2008;Kokkinakis v. Greece, 25 May 1993, Series A no 260-A;Konstantin Markin v. Russia [GC], no 30078/06, § 127, ECHR 2012 (extracts);Köse and Others v. Turkey (dec.), no 26625/02, ECHR 2006-II;Kurtulmuş v. Turkey (dec.), no 65500/01, ECHR 2006-II;Leyla Şahin v. Turkey, no 44774/98, 29 June 2004;M. v. the United Kingdom, no 13284/87, 15 October 1987;Mann Singh v. France (dec.), no 24479/07, 11 June 2007;Manoussakis and Others v. Greece, 26 September 1996, Reports 1996-IV;Marckx v. Belgium, 13 June 1979, Series A no 31, § 27;Maurice v. France [GC], no 11810/03, § 117, ECHR 2005 IX;McFeeley and Others v. the United Kingdom, no 8317/78, 15 May 1980, § 83, Decisions and Reports (DR) 20;Michaud v. France, no 12323/11, ECHR 2012, §§ 51-52;Miroļubovs and Others v. Latvia, no 798/05, 15 September 2009;Nolan and K. v. Russia, no 2512/04, § 73, 12 February 2009;Norris v. Ireland, 26 October 1988, §§ 30-34, Series A no 142;Norwood v. the United Kingdom (dec.), no 23131/03, ECHR 2004 XI;Otto-Preminger-Institut v. Austria, 20 September 1994, § 50, Series A no 295-A;Özer v. Turkey (no 2), no 871/08, § 36, 26 January 2010;Philis v. Greece, no 28970/95, 17 October 1996;Phull v. France (dec.), no 35753/03, ECHR 2005 I;Popa v. Romania (dec.), no 4233/09, 18 June 2013, §§ 32-33;Predescu v. Romania, no 21447/03, §§ 25-27, 2 December 2008;Ranjit Singh v. France (dec.), no 27561/08, 30 June 2009;Refah Partisi (the Welfare Party) and Others v. Turkey [GC], nos. 41340/98, 41342/98, 41343/98 and 41344/98, ECHR 2003-II;Řehák v. the Czech Republic (dec.), no 67208/01, 18 May 2004;Schuler-Zgraggen v. Switzerland, 24 June 1993, § 67, Series A no 263;Serif v. Greece, no 38178/97, § 53, ECHR 1999-IX;Staatkundig Gereformeerde Partij v. the Netherlands (dec.), 10 July 2012;Sutter v. Switzerland, no 8209/78 of 1 March 1979;Svyato-Mykhaylivska Parafiya v. Ukraine, no 77703/01, § 132, 14 June 2007;United Communist Party of Turkey and Others v. Turkey, 30 January 1998, § 45, Reports of Judgments and Decisions 1998 I;Varbanov v. Bulgaria, no 31365/96, § 36, ECHR 2000 X;Wingrove v. the United Kingdom, 25 November 1996, § 58, Reports 1996-V;X and Others v. Austria [GC], no 19010/07, § 94, ECHR 2013;X, Y and Z v. the United Kingdom, 22 April 1997, § 44, Reports 1997 II;Young, James and Webster v. the United Kingdom, 13 August 1981, § 63, Series A no 44
Conclusion: Preliminary objection dismissed (Article 34 - Victim);Preliminary objections dismissed (Article 34 - Actio popularis);Preliminary objections dismissed (Article 35-1 - Exhaustion of domestic remedies);Remainder inadmissible;No violation of Article 8 - Right to respect for private and family life (Article 8-1 - Respect for private life);No violation of Article 9 - Freedom of thought conscience and religion (Article 9-1 - Manifest religion or belief);No violation of Article 14+8 - Prohibition of discrimination (Article 14 - Discrimination) (Article 8-1 - Respect for private life;Article 8 - Right to respect for private and family life);No violation of Article 14+9 - Prohibition of discrimination (Article 14 - Discrimination) (Article 9 - Freedom of thought conscience and religion;Article 9-1 - Manifest religion or belief)
Separate opinion: TRUE