Religion – Weltanschauung – Recht [ RWR ]

The applicants, Panayote Dimitras, Andrea Gilbert, Nikolaos Mylonas, Grigoris Vallianatos, Evangelia Vlami, Antonia Papadopoulou, Nafsika Papanikolatou and Dimitris Tsabrounis, are Greek nationals who were born respectively in 1953, 1947, 1958, 1956, 1961, 1977, 1955 and 1966 and live in Glyka Nera Attikis (Greece). As members of Greek Helsinki Monitor, a non-governmental organisation active in the field of human rights protection, they took part in 48 sets of criminal proceedings concerning human rights issues in 2009 and 2010. They complained about being obliged in the context of those proceedings to reveal their (non-Orthodox) religious convictions when taking the oath in court. They relied in particular on Articles 9 (right to freedom of thought, conscience and religion) and 13 (right to an effective remedy).

• Violation of Article 9
• Violation of Article 13

Just satisfaction: € 500 to the applicants jointly (costs and expenses).

Press release ECHR 005 (2013) 08/01/2013