DIMOVIC v. SERBIA - 24463/11 (Judgment (Merits and Just Satisfaction) : Court (Third Section)) [2016] ECHR 584 (28 June 2016)

DIMOVIC v. SERBIA - 24463/11 (Judgment (Merits and Just Satisfaction) : Court (Third Section)) [2016] ECHR 584 (28 June 2016)

The applicants' conviction was decisively based on the untested statement of a deceased co-accused, which they had no opportunity to challenge due to the lack of diligence by domestic courts in admitting the statement only after the witness's death. There were no sufficient counterbalancing factors to compensate for...

Source-derived case information.

Citation
[2016] ECHR 584
Parties
Applicant: Ivica Dimović; Applicant: Jožef Dimović; Respondent: Republic of Serbia
Jurisdiction
European Union
Procedural Posture
Application to the European Court of Human Rights / Judgment After Full Hearing
Outcome
Violation of Article 6 §§ 1 and 3(d) of the Convention found; just satisfaction awarded.
Legal Topics
Right to Fair Trial, Examination of Witnesses, Article 6 ECHR, Use of Untested Witness Statements, Admissibility of Evidence
Criminal Law Human Rights Law Right to Fair Trial Examination of Witnesses Article 6 ECHR Use of Untested Witness Statements Admissibility of Evidence

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Parties

Ivica Dimović

Applicant

Jožef Dimović

Applicant

Republic of Serbia

Respondent

Procedural Posture

Application to the European Court of Human Rights / Judgment After Full Hearing

  1. 1 Whether the applicants' right to a fair trial under Article 6 §§ 1 and 3(d) of the Convention was violated by their conviction based on the statement of a deceased co-accused whom they could not cross-examine.

Ratio Decidendi

The applicants' conviction was decisively based on the untested statement of a deceased co-accused, which they had no opportunity to challenge due to the lack of diligence by domestic courts in admitting the statement only after the witness's death. There were no sufficient counterbalancing factors to compensate for this handicap, resulting in a violation of Article 6 §§ 1 and 3(d) of the Convention.

Court Disposition

Violation of Article 6 §§ 1 and 3(d) of the Convention found; just satisfaction awarded.

Orders

  • Respondent State to pay Ivica Dimović EUR 3,000 in non-pecuniary damages.
  • Respondent State to pay Jožef Dimović EUR 2,000 in non-pecuniary damages.