Corte europea dei diritti dell’uomo: udienza della Grand Chambre in vista del riesame della sentenza 3 novembre 2009 sul caso Lautsi c. Italia in tema di esposizione del crocifisso (30 giugno 2010)

Il 30 giugno la Grande Chambre della Corte europea per i diritti dell'uomo si è riunita per un'udienza pubblica in vista del riesame della pronuncia del 3 novembre 2009 sul caso LAUTSI c. Italia (ricorso n. 30814/06).

Alla scadenza del termine previsto dall’articolo 44 del Regolamento della Corte europea dei diritti dell’uomo, dieci Stati membri del Consiglio d’Europa hanno presentato istanza di intervento a supporto della posizione italiana: Malta, Lituania, Monaco, San Marino, Federazione Russa, Bulgaria, Romania, Armenia, Grecia e Cipro.

La registrazione dell'udienza del 30 giugno è disponibile sul sito internet della Corte.
E' stata anche resa nota la composizione della Grande Camera che esaminerà il caso (v., qui di seguito, il comunicato stampa della Corte). La sentenza finale sarà emessa tra qualche mese.

Press release issued by the Registrar
GRAND CHAMBER HEARING. Case LAUTSI v. ITALY

The European Court of Human Rights is holding a Chamber hearing today, Wednesday 30 June 2010, at 9.15 a.m. in the case of Lautsi v. Italy (application no. 30814/06).

The applicant, Ms Soile Lautsi, is an Italian national who lives in Abano Terme (Italy). In 2001-2002 her children, aged 11 and 13 respectively, attended the State school “Istituto comprensivo statale Vittorino da Feltre” in Abano Terme. All of the classrooms had a crucifix on the wall, including those in which Ms Lautsi’s children had lessons. She considered that this was contrary to the principle of secularism by which she wished to bring up her children. At a meeting of the school’s governing body the applicant’s husband raised the question of the display of religious symbols in classrooms and asked if they could be removed. In May 2002 the governors decided to leave the crucifixes in the classrooms. A directive recommending such an approach was subsequently sent to all head teachers by the Ministry of State Education.

On 23 July 2002 the applicant complained to the Veneto Regional Administrative Court about the decision by the school’s governing body, on the ground that it infringed the constitutional principles of secularism and of impartiality on the part of the public authorities. In 2005 the administrative court dismissed the applicant’s complaint. It held that the crucifix was both the symbol of Italian history and culture, and consequently of Italian identity, and the symbol of the principles of equality, liberty and tolerance, as well as of the State’s secularism. By a judgment of 13 February 2006, the Consiglio di Stato dismissed an appeal by the applicant.

On 3 November 2009 the European Court of Human Rights held that there had been a violation of Article 2 of Protocol No. 1 (right to education) taken together with Article 9 (freedom of thought, conscience and religion). The panel of five judges of the Grand Chamber, meeting on 1 and 2 March 2010, accepted the referral request submitted by the Italian Government on 28 January 2010.

In accordance with article 36 of the Convention, the President of the Court authorised the following third parties to present written observations:
· Governments of Armenia, Bulgaria, Cyprus, Greece, Lithuania, Malta, Monaco, Romania, the Russian Federation and San-Marino
· Jointly 33 members of the European Parliament
· Greek Helsinki Monitor
· Associazone nazionale de libero Pensiero
· European Centre for Law and Justice
· Eurojuris
· Jointly : International Commission of Jurists, Interights, Human Rights Watch
· Jointly: Zentralkomitee des deutschen Katholiken, Semaines sociales de France, Associazioni cristiane lavoratori italiani

The case will be heard by the Grand Chamber composed as follows:

Jean-Paul Costa (France), President,
Christos Rozakis (Greece),
Nicolas Bratza (the United Kingdom),
Peer Lorenzen (Denmark),
Josep Casadevall (Andorra),
Giovanni Bonello (Malta),
Boštjan M. Zupančič (Slovenia)
Nina Vajić (Croatia),
Rait Maruste (Estonia),
Anatoly Kovler (Russia),
Sverre Erik Jebens (Norway),
Päivi Hirvelä (Finland),
Giorgio Malinverni (Switzerland),
George Nicolaou (Cyprus),
Ann Power (Ireland),
Zdravka Kalaydjieva (Bulgaria),
Guido Raimondi (Italy), judges,
Mihai Poalelungi (Moldova),
David Thór Björgvinsson (Iceland),
Kristina Pardalos (San Marino), substitute judges,
and Erik Fribergh, Registrar.

Representatives of the parties
Government: Nicola Lettieri, co-Agent; Giuseppe Albenzio and Umberto De Augustinis, Advisers;
Applicants: Nicolo Paoletti, Counsel, Natalia Paoletti and Claudia Sartori, Advisers;

Third parties
Among the Third Parties, eight out of ten governments have been granted the right to intervene during the hearing. They will be represented by :
Joseph Weiler, Counsel, Stepan Kartashyan, Andrey Tehov, Euripides Evriviades, Vasileia Pelekou, Darius Simaitis, Joseph Licari, Georgy Matyushkin and Guido Bellatti Ceccoli, Advisers.

After the hearing the Court will begin its deliberations, which will be held in private. Its ruling in the case will, however, be made at a later stage.

Per approfondire in OLIR.it:

[traduzioni tratte dal sito www.governo.it/presidenza/contenzioso]

Si segnala inoltre:

Dichiarazione della Presidenza della CEI sulla questione dell'esposizione di simboli religiosi cristiani (16 giugno 2010)
Dossier: Crocifisso

Argomenti: Giurisprudenza