SECOND SECTION
DECISION
Application no. 47386/20
Stojan ANGELOV
against North Macedonia
The European Court of Human Rights (Second Section), sitting on 18 April 2024 as a Committee composed of:
Frédéric Krenc, President,
Diana Sârcu,
Davor Derenčinović, judges,
and Viktoriya Maradudina, Acting Deputy Section Registrar,
Having regard to the above application lodged on 15 October 2020,
Having deliberated, decides as follows:
FACTS AND PROCEDURE
The applicant, Mr Stojan Angelov, was born in 1970. He was represented by Mr I. Manchev, a lawyer practising in Radovish.
The applicant’s complaint under Article 4 of Protocol No. 7 to the Convention concerning his right not to be tried or punished twice for the same offence was communicated to the Government of North Macedonia (“the Government”). The Government’s written observations on the admissibility and merits of that complaint were received by the Court on 15 December 2023 and were forwarded to the applicant’s lawyer on 21 December 2023, via the Court’s Electronic Communication Service (“eComms”). The applicant’s lawyer was also invited to submit by 1 February 2024 written observations in reply on behalf of the applicant, together with any claim for just satisfaction.
The applicant’s lawyer downloaded the Government’s observations from eComms on 21 December 2023, along with the annexes. He did not file observations or a claim for just satisfaction on behalf of the applicant within the time-limit fixed for that purpose. Nor did he seek an extension of that time-limit.
In a letter dated 7 February 2024 and sent to the applicant’s lawyer via eComms on the same day, he was warned that the time-limit for submission of the applicant’s written observations and of any claim for just satisfaction had expired and that no extension of time has been requested; his attention was also drawn to the terms of Article 37 § 1 (a) of the Convention, which provides that the Court may strike an application out of its list of cases where the circumstances lead to the conclusion that the applicant does not intend to pursue the application. The applicant’s lawyer downloaded that letter from eComms on the same day but has not replied to it.
THE LAW
In the light of the foregoing, and in the absence of any special circumstances regarding respect for the rights guaranteed by the Convention and the Protocols thereto, the Court, in accordance with Article 37 § 1 (a) of the Convention, considers that it is no longer justified to continue the examination of the application.
Accordingly, the case should be struck out of the list.
For these reasons, the Court, unanimously,
Decides to strike the application out of its list of cases.
Done in English and notified in writing on 16 May 2024.
Viktoriya Maradudina Frédéric Krenc
Acting Deputy Registrar President