Information Note on the Court’s case-law No.
September 1995
Diennet v. France - 18160/91
Judgment 26.9.1995
Article 6
Disciplinary proceedings
Article 6-1
Civil rights and obligations
Impartial tribunal
Public hearing
No public hearing before the Ile-de-France Regional Council or the disciplinary section of the National Council of the ordre des médecins, and impartiality of that section when rehearing a case remitted to it: Article 6 § 1 applicable; violation; no violation
[This summary is extracted from the Court’s official reports (Series A or Reports of Judgments and Decisions). Its formatting and structure may therefore differ from the Case-Law Information Note summaries.]and impartiality of that section when rehearing a case remitted to it
I.ARTICLE 6 § 1 OF THE CONVENTION
A.Applicability
Disciplinary proceedings in which the right to continue to practise medicine as a private practitioner is at stake give rise to "contestations (disputes) over civil rights".
Unnecessary to determine whether there had been any "criminal charge" against applicant.
Conclusion: Article 6 § 1 applicable (unanimously).
B.Compliance
1.Holding of proceedings in public
Recapitulation of Court's case-law.
No dispute that the proceedings before the disciplinary bodies had not been held in public. Where Conseil d'Etat hears appeals on points of law from decisions of the disciplinary section of the National Council of the ordre, it cannot be regarded as a "judicial body that has full jurisdiction" - fact that hearings before it are held in public is therefore not sufficient to remedy the defect found to exist at stage of disciplinary proceedings. Holding proceedings in camera may be justified by need to protect professional confidentiality and private lives of patients, but such an occurrence must be strictly required by the circumstances. In the instant case, public was excluded because of automatic prior application of provisions of Decree of 26 October 1948.
Conclusion: violation (unanimously).
2.Impartiality
No ground for legitimate suspicion in the fact that three of the seven members of the disciplinary section had taken part in first decision - even if second decision had been worded differently, it would necessarily have had the same basis, because there were no new factors - applicant's fears therefore could not be regarded as having been objectively justified.
Conclusion: no violation (eight votes to one).
II. ARTICLE 50 OF THE CONVENTION
A.Damage: finding of a breach constituted in itself sufficient just satisfaction.
B.Costs and expenses: partial reimbursement.
Conclusion: respondent State to pay applicant a specified sum (unanimously).
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This summary by the Registry does not bind the Court.
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