Information Note on the Court’s case-law 59

December 2003

Matwiejczuk v. Poland - 37641/97

Judgment 2.12.2003 [Section IV]

Article 6

Civil proceedings

Article 6-1

Reasonable time

Significant periods of delay despite apparent reasonableness of overall length

Extract: “The Court recalls its finding that domestic authorities did not display “special diligence” in the conduct of the criminal proceedings against the applicant. In this connection, it notes that although the overall length of the proceedings may not seem excessive, the period of eighteen months without a hearing in a criminal case shows the lack of diligence required in such cases. It therefore consider s that the length of the proceedings assessed from the angle of the “reasonable time” requirement under Article 6 § 1 did not meet that requirement.”

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

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