Resolution CM/ResDH(2023)412
Execution of the judgments of the European Court of Human Rights
Eight cases against Croatia
(Adopted by the Committee of Ministers on 13 December 2023
at the 1484th meeting of the Ministers’ Deputies)
Application No.
Case
Judgment of
Final on
40429/14+
BOSAK AND OTHERS
06/06/2019
07/10/2019
33602/17
GRUBIĆ
18/03/2021
18/03/2021
42411/16+
KRALJEVIĆ GUDELJ AND OTHERS
10/06/2021
10/06/2021
30669/15
MIRČETIĆ
22/04/2021
22/07/2021
45512/11
GALOVIĆ
31/08/2021
30/11/2021
55724/19
DRAČA
20/01/2022
20/04/2022
50236/16
BLAGAJAC
09/05/2023
09/05/2023
59732/18
ANIĆ
11/07/2023
11/07/2023
The Committee of Ministers, under the terms of Article 46, paragraph 2, of the Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms, which provides that the Committee supervises the execution of final judgments of the European Court of Human Rights (hereinafter “the Convention” and “the Court”);
Having regard to the final judgments transmitted by the Court to the Committee in these cases and to the violations established on account of: the domestic courts’ failure to ensure the applicants’ presence at the appeal hearings held within the context of criminal proceedings against them (violations of Article 6, paragraphs 1, and 3(c)); of the breach of the principle of equality of arms and the lack of adversarial proceedings before the second instance courts (violations of Article 6, paragraph1); of the lack of adequate reasoning of secret surveillance orders issued (violation of Article 8 in Bosak and Others); and of the excessive length of the proceedings before the Constitutional Court (violation of Article 6, paragraph 1, in Grubić);
Recalling the respondent State’s obligation, under Article 46, paragraph 1, of the Convention, to abide by all final judgments in cases to which it has been a party and that this obligation entails, over and above the payment of any sums awarded by the Court, the adoption by the authorities of the respondent State, where required:
- of individual measures to put an end to violations established and erase their consequences so as to achieve as far as possible restitutio in integrum; and
- of general measures preventing similar violations;
Having invited the government of the respondent State to inform the Committee of the measures taken to comply with the above-mentioned obligation;
Having examined the action report provided by the government indicating the individual measures adopted to give effect to the judgments including the information provided regarding the payment of the just satisfaction awarded by the Court (see document DH-DD(2023)1435);
Considering that the question of individual measures was resolved, given that the domestic proceedings were reopened in cases where the applicants so requested, and domestic courts rectified the shortcomings of the proceedings in cases in which the Court found violations of Article 6;
Recalling that the general measures required in response to the excessive length of the proceedings before the Constitutional Court in Grubić have been taken within the context of the Šikić group of cases (see Final Resolution CM/ResDH(2020)308);
Recalling further that the question of general measures required in response to the shortcomings found by the Court in these judgments continues to be examined within the framework of the Zahirović (no. 58590/11) and Dragojević (no. 68955/11) groups of cases, also in the light of the Court’s findings these cases, and that the closure of these cases therefore in no way prejudges the Committee’s evaluation of the general measures required;
DECLARES that it has exercised its functions under Article 46, paragraph 2, of the Convention in these cases;
CONCLUDES that the necessary individual measures have been adopted;
DECIDES to continue to supervise the adoption of the necessary general measures concerning the applicants’ right to defend themselves in person in appellate proceedings, the principle of equality of arms and the right to adversarial proceedings in the Zahirović group, and the right to respect for their private life and correspondence in the Dragojević group;
DECIDES to close the examination of these cases.