RADIO FRANCE AND OTHERS v. FRANCE - 53984/00

The European Court of Human Rights (Second Section), sitting as a Chamber composed of:

Mr A.B. Baka, President , Mr L. Loucaides, Mr C. Bîrsan, Mr K. Jungwiert, Mr M. Ugrekhelidze, Mrs A. Mularoni, judges , Mr P. Truche, ad hoc judge , and Mrs S. Dollé, Section Registrar ,

The case originated in an application (no. 53984/00) against the French Republic lodged with the Court under Article 34 of the Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms (“the Convention”) by the national radio broadcaster Radio France, a company incorporated under French law (“the applicant company”), Mr Michel Boyon (“the second applicant”) and Mr Bertrand Gallicher (“the third applicant”), both French nationals, on 21 July 1999.

The three applicants were represented before the Court by Mr B. Ader, a lawyer practising in Paris, and Mr A. de Chaisemartin, a lawyer at the Conseil d'Etat and the Court of Cassation. The French Government (“the Government”) were represented by their Agent, Mr R. Abraham, Director of Legal Affairs at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

The application was allocated to the Second Section of the Court (Rule 52 § 1 of the Rules of Court). Within that Section, the Chamber that would consider the case (Article 27 § 1 of the Convention) was constituted as provided in Rule 26 § 1. Mr J.-P. Costa, the judge elected in respect of France, withdrew from sitting in the case (Rule 28). The Government accordingly appointed Mr P. Truche to sit as an ad hoc judge (Article 27 § 2 of the Convention and Rule 29 § 1).