LEELA FORDERKREIS E.V. AND OTHERS v. GERMANY - 58911/00

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 (Fifth Section), sitting as a Chamber composed of:

Peer Lorenzen, President, Rait Maruste, Volodymyr Butkevych, Isabelle Berro-Lefèvre, Mirjana Lazarova Trajkovska, Zdravka Kalaydjieva, judges, Otto Mallmann, ad hoc judge, and Claudia Westerdiek , Section Registrar ,

The case originated in an application (no. 58911/00) against the Federal Republic of Germany lodged with the Court under Article 34 of the Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms (“the Convention”) by five associations registered under German law, Leela Förderkreis e.V., Wies Rajneesh Zentrum für spirituelle Therapie und Meditation e.V., Osho Uta Lotus Commune e.V., Dharmadeep Verein für ganzheitliches Leben e.V. and Osho Meditations Center Berlin e.V. (“the applicant associations”), on 12 April 2000.

The applicant associations were represented by Mr C. Gambke, succeeded by Mr R. von Katzler, lawyers practising in Gräfelfing. The German Government (“the Government”) were represented by their Agent, Mrs A. Wittling-Vogel, Ministerialdirigentin , of the Federal Ministry of Justice.