Information Note on the Court’s case-law 249

March 2021

Association of orthodox ecclesiastical obedience v. Greece (communicated case) - 52104/20

Article 6

Administrative proceedings

Article 6-1

Access to court

Inadmissibility of an application for judicial review of a temporary restriction linked to COVID-19, on the grounds that the decision was no longer in force when the application was examined: communica ted

Article 9

Article 9-1

Manifest religion or belief

Prohibition on collective worship in the context of COVID-19: communicated

In the context of the COVID-19 health crisis the authorities decided to prohibit collective worship from 16 March to 16 May 2020, a period which included Easter. On 30 March 2020 the applicant association lodged an application for judicial review of the me asures in question (accompanied by a request for interim measures and a request for a stay of execution). On 23 June 2020 the Supreme Administrative Court held that it was unnecessary to rule on the application for judicial review, on the grounds that the applicant association, among others, no longer had a legitimate interest in the matter since the joint ministerial decisions at issue had ceased to be applicable.

Communicated under Article 6 § 1 (access to a court) and Article 9 (freedom of religion) of t he Convention.

© Council of Europe/European Court of Human Rights This summary by the Registry does not bind the Court.

Click here for the Case-Law Information Notes