Armenian, Assyrian and Hellenic Genocide News

Chamber Judgements concerning Turkey
by Registry of the European Court of Human Rights
Posted: Wednesday, December 20, 2000 01:27 am CST

Press release issued by the Registrar

CHAMBER JUDGMENTS CONCERNING TURKEY

The European Court of Human Rights has today notified in writing the following five Chamber judgments:
https://www.echr.coe.int/Eng/Press/2000/Dec/Dec142000judsepress.htm

2) Institute of French Priests and Others v. Turkey (no. 26308/95) Friendly settlement

The Institute of French Priests (Institut de Pretres francais) and a group of priests and parishioners complained about the Turkish courts? decision to register a plot of land belonging to the Institute in the name of the Treasury and of the Directorate General of Foundations, on the ground that the Institute was no longer eligible for special treatment as a religious body, because it had let part of its garden and buildings to a private company for various sporting activities. The applicants invoked Articles 1 of Protocol No. 1 (protection of property) to the Convention and Article 9 (freedom of thought, conscience and religion).

The case has been struck out after a friendly settlement was agreed between the parties, in which:

"The Treasury and the Directorate General of Foundations recognise a life tenancy in favour of the priests representing the applicant Institute. This life tenancy shall comprise the full use and enjoyment of the land and the buildings thereon. The Institute shall thereby be entitled to rent the land for profit-making purposes in order to meet its needs. The Institute agrees to the levy by the Treasury and the Directorate General of Foundations of a reasonable sum from the income received in rent. The Treasury and the Directorate General of Foundations agree to undertake the formalities necessary to register their respective declarations in the land register with a view to renewing the life tenancy in favour of the priests who will replace the current life tenants... The Directorate General of Foundations waives its claim to USD 41,670 owed by the applicant Institute in rent collected over the five years since its property title was annulled."

The Court's judgment are accessible on its Internet site

https://hudoc.echr.coe.int/Hudoc1doc2/HFJUD/200012/institut%20de%20pretres%20 fr%20-%2026308js.chb4%2099992000f.doc

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.

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