THIRD SECTION
DECISION
Application no. 53097/20
Christoforos VERNARDAKIS
against Greece
(see appended table)
The European Court of Human Rights (Third Section), sitting on 2 October 2025 as a Committee composed of:
Diana Kovatcheva, President,
Canòlic Mingorance Cairat,
Vasilka Sancin, judges,
and Viktoriya Maradudina, Acting Deputy Section Registrar,
Having regard to the above application lodged on 26 November 2020,
Having regard to the formal declarations accepting a friendly settlement of the case,
Having deliberated, decides as follows:
FACTS AND PROCEDURE
The applicant’s details are set out in the appended table.
The applicant was represented by Mr V. Sotiropoulos, a lawyer practising in Athens.
The applicant’s complaints under Article 10 of the Convention concerning the freedom of expression were communicated to the Greek Government (“the Government”).
The Court received the friendly-settlement declarations, signed by the parties, under which the applicant agreed to waive any further claims against Greece in respect of the facts giving rise to this application, subject to an undertaking by the Government to pay him the amounts detailed in the appended table. These amounts will be payable within three months from the date of notification of the Court’s decision. In the event of failure to pay these amounts within the above-mentioned three-month period, the Government undertake to pay simple interest on them, from the expiry of that period until settlement, at a rate equal to the marginal lending rate of the European Central Bank during the default period plus three percentage points.
The payment will constitute the final resolution of the case.
THE LAW
The Court takes note of the friendly settlement reached between the parties. It is satisfied that the settlement is based on respect for human rights as defined in the Convention and the Protocols thereto and finds no reasons to justify a continued examination of the application.
In view of the above, it is appropriate to strike the case out of the list.
For these reasons, the Court, unanimously,
Decides to strike the application out of its list of cases in accordance with Article 39 of the Convention.
Done in English and notified in writing on 23 October 2025.
Viktoriya Maradudina Diana Kovatcheva
Acting Deputy Registrar President
APPENDIX
Application raising complaints under Article 10 of the Convention
(freedom of expression)
Application no.
Date of introduction
Applicant’s name
Year of birth
Representative’s name and location
Date of receipt of Government’s declaration
Date of receipt of Applicant’s declaration
Amount awarded for non-pecuniary damage
(in euros)[1]
Amount awarded for costs and expenses
(in euros)[2]
53097/20
26/11/2020
Christoforos VERNARDAKIS
1961
Vasilios
SOTIROPOULOS
Athens
06/06/2025
18/06/2025
5,000
1,000
[1] Plus any tax that may be chargeable to the applicant.
[2] Plus any tax that may be chargeable to the applicant.