FIFTH SECTION
DECISION
Application no. 16273/22
Carolina May MULLIS and Kateřina MULLIS
against the Czech Republic
(see appended table)
The European Court of Human Rights (Fifth Section), sitting on 4 December 2025 as a Committee composed of:
Andreas Zünd, President,
Diana Sârcu,
Mykola Gnatovskyy, judges,
and Viktoriya Maradudina, Acting Deputy Section Registrar,
Having regard to the above application lodged on 21 March 2022,
Having deliberated, decides as follows:
FACTS AND PROCEDURE
The list of the applicants is set out in the appendix.
The first (minor) applicant was first represented before the Court by her mother, the second applicant, then by Mr D. Strupek, lawyer practising in Prague.
The applicants’ complaints under Articles 6 and 8 of the Convention and the first applicant’s complaints under Article 2 of Protocol No. 1, Article 2 of Protocol No. 4 and Article 13 of the Convention, concerning the measures taken by the Czech authorities to combat the spread of the Covid-19 disease in the context of State emergency and the domestic courts’ refusal to review their complaints against these measures, were communicated to the Czech Government (“the Government”), who submitted observations on the admissibility and merits.
On 5 June and 20 September 2024 the Court invited the applicants to appoint a legal representative of their choice or to seek leave for self-representation. No reply was received to this letter.
On 11 March 2025, with reference to the information and request submitted by the Government, the Court decided that the Czech Bar Association should be requested to appoint a lawyer to represent the first applicant in the proceedings before the Court.
On 4 June 2025 the Government informed the Court that on 25 May 2025 the Czech Bar Association appointed Mr Strupek, lawyer practising in Prague, as the first applicant’s representative.
On 16 September 2025 Mr Strupek informed the Court that the first applicant no longer wished to pursue her application. He attached a duly signed authority form which specified that he was authorised to withdraw the application on behalf of the first applicant.
By a letter of 9 October 2025, sent via the Court’s Electronic Communication Service (e-Comms), the Court again invited the second applicant to designate a representative for the proceedings before the Court, by 3 November 2025. Her 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 second applicant received that letter on 13 October 2025. However, no response followed.
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 8 January 2026.
Viktoriya Maradudina Andreas Zünd
Acting Deputy Registrar President
APPENDIX
Application raising complaints under Articles 6, 8 and 13 of the Convention, Article 2 of Protocol No. 1 and Article 2 of Protocol No. 4 to the Convention
Application no.
Date of introduction
Applicant’s name
Year of birth
Representative’s name and location
Date of the
applicant’s last
letter to the Court
Date of the Court’s
registered letter
Date of receipt of the registered letter
Date by which submissions were requested by the Court
16273/22
21/03/2022
Carolina May Mullis
2009
D. Strupek, Prague
29/09/2025
-
-
-
Kateřina Mullis
1977
21/03/2022
09/10/2025
13/10/2025
03/11/2025