SECOND SECTION
DECISION
Application no. 31741/18
Yelena Vyacheslavovna GALITSKAYA
against Georgia and Russia
The European Court of Human Rights (Second Section), sitting on 9 April 2026 as a Committee composed of:
Stéphane Pisani, President,
Juha Lavapuro,
Hugh Mercer, judges,
and Viktoriya Maradudina, Acting Deputy Section Registrar,
Having regard to the above application against Georgia and Russia lodged with the Court under Article 34 of the Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms (“the Convention”) on 20 June 2018,
Having deliberated, decides as follows:
FACTS AND PROCEDUREThe applicant, Ms Yelena Vyacheslavovna Galitskaya, was born in 1963. She was represented by Mr A. Galitskiy, a lawyer practising in Rostov‑on‑Don.
The applicant’s complaints under Article 1 of Protocol No. 1 to the Convention concerning the right to enjoy one’s property and Article 6 § 1 of the Convention concerning the right to fair trial in proceedings before the de facto Abkhaz courts were communicated to the Georgian and Russian Governments on 19 May 2025.
The Georgian Government submitted observations on the admissibility and merits on 15 September 2025. The Russian Government did not submit observations.
In August 2025 the applicant had authorised a lawyer, Mr A. Galitskiy, to represent her in the proceedings before the Court. The Georgian Government’s observations were forwarded to the applicant’s representative through the Court’s Electronic Communication Service (eComms) on 17 September 2025 and he was invited to submit observations, on behalf of the applicant, in reply, by 29 October 2025. The applicant’s representative downloaded the relevant documents on 18 September 2025. However, no response followed.
By a letter dated 10 November 2025, sent through eComms, the applicant was notified that the period allowed for submission of her observations had expired on 29 October 2025 and that no extension of time had been requested. The applicant’s attention was drawn to 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 representative downloaded the letter on 11 November 2025. However, no response has been received by the Court.
THE LAWIn the light of the applicant’s failure to respond to the Georgian Government’s observations and to the Court’s subsequent correspondence, the Court concludes that the applicant may be regarded as no longer wishing to pursue the application (Article 37 § 1 (a) of the Convention).
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 13 May 2026.
Viktoriya Maradudina Stéphane Pisani
Acting Deputy Registrar President