GORZELIK AND OTHERS v. POLAND JUDGMENT
1
In the case of Gorzelik and Others v. Poland,
The European Court of Human Rights, sitting as a Grand Chamber
composed of:
Mr L. WILDHABER, President,
Mr C.L. ROZAKIS,
Mr J.-P. COSTA,
Mr G. RESS,
Mr G. BONELLO,
Mr P. KŪRIS,
Mrs V. STRÁŽNICKÁ,
Mr C. BÎRSAN,
Mr J. CASADEVALL,
Mr B. ZUPANČIČ,
Mrs H.S. GREVE,
Mr E. LEVITS,
Mr A. KOVLER,
Mrs A. MULARONI,
Mrs E. STEINER,
Mr S. PAVLOVSCHI,
Mr L. GARLICKI, judges,
and Mr P.J. MAHONEY, Registrar,
Having deliberated in private on 2 July 2003 and 28 January 2004,
Delivers the following judgment, which was adopted on the
last-mentioned date:
PROCEDURE
1. The case originated in an application (no. 44158/98) against the
Republic of Poland lodged with the European Commission of Human
Rights (“the Commission”) under former Article 25 of the Convention for
the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms (“the
Convention”) by three Polish nationals, Mr Jerzy Gorzelik, Mr Rudolf
Kołodziejczyk and Mr Erwin Sowa (“the applicants”), on 18 June 1998.
2. The applicants, who had been granted legal aid, were represented by
Mr S. Waliduda, a lawyer practising in Wrocław, Poland. The Polish
Government (“the Government”) were represented by their Agent,
Mr K. Drzewicki, of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
3. The applicants alleged a breach of Article 11 of the Convention in that
they had been refused permission to register an association called “Union of
People of Silesian Nationality”.