EIT päätti jättää tutkimatta skientologikirkon valituksen

Euroopan ihmisoikeustuomioistuin (EIT) on tehnyt päätöksen jättää tutkimatta valitus, jossa skientologikirkko katsoi oikeutta oikeudenmukaiseen oikeudenkäyntiin ja syyttömyysolettamaan loukatun, kun belgialaisviranomaiset olivat antaneet medialle lausuntoja käynnissä olevasta tutkinnasta skientologeja kohtaan.

EIT:n lehdistötiedotteesta:

In its decision in the case of Asbl Eglise de Scientologie v. Belgium (application no. 43075/08) the European Court of Human Rights has unanimously declared the application inadmissible. The decision is final.

The case concerns a complaint by the Church of Scientology, a non-profit association, that statements to the media by the Belgian authorities about an investigation concerning it constituted a violation of its right to have a fair hearing and to be presumed innocent.

The Court reiterated that it had to ascertain whether proceedings were fair in their entirety. As there had not yet been any final judgment by the Belgian courts on the relevant “charge”, the part of the application concerning an alleged violation of the right to a fair hearing was premature and therefore had to be dismissed. In addition, given that the sole evidence submitted by the applicant association consisted of press articles, the Court took the view that the content of the remarks allegedly made by the authorities could not be attributed to them with certainty. It had not been shown that by informing the public about the inquiries in progress the authorities had breached the duty of discretion required of them by the principle of the presumption of innocence.

Koko lehdistötiedote, jossa myös linkki koko tuomioon, löytyy täältä: Press release