HANDZHIYSKI v. BULGARIA - 10783/14 (Judgment : Preliminary objection dismissed : Fourth Section)

Art 10 • Freedom of expression • Unjustified conviction and fine for placing Santa Claus accessories on communist leader�s statue as a symbolic gesture, in the context of nation-wide political protests • Nuanced consideration required of necessity of penalising acts which do not destroy or physically impair monuments, taking into account the nature and intention of the act, the message conveyed, and the social significance of the monument

This judgment will become final in the circumstances set out in Article 44 � 2 of the Convention. It may be subject to editorial revision.

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

��������� Tim Eicke, President , ��������� Yonko Grozev, ��������� Faris Vehabović, ��������� Iulia Antoanella Motoc, ��������� Armen Harutyunyan, ��������� Gabriele Kucsko-Stadlmayer, ��������� Ana Maria Guerra Martins, judges , and Andrea Tamietti, Section Registrar ,

the application (no. 10783/14 ) against the Republic of Bulgaria lodged with the Court under Article 34 of the Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms (�the Convention�) by a Bulgarian national, Mr Kaloyan Tomov Handzhiyski (�the applicant�), on 28 January 2014;