Čaminski v. "the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia" 
| 2011
Everyone is entitled to a fair and public hearing within a reasonable time.
Extract from Article 6 of the European Convention on Human Rights
Aleksandar Čaminski was attacked by five people, causing grievous bodily harm. Criminal charges were brought against the suspects. However, it took eleven years for them to be brought to trial, and an appeal took a further two years. Three men were eventually convicted and jailed for six months.
The European court said that the question of whether the length of proceedings is acceptable depends on the circumstances of the case, including its complexity, the actions of the applicant, and the conduct of the authorities.
In this case, the matter at issue was not complex, and any delays were not the fault of the applicant. The delays were caused by the inability of the trial court to arrange for the progress of the proceedings.
In the circumstances, the length of time it took for justice to be done was undoubtedly excessive. This violated Mr Čaminski's right to have his case decided in a reasonable time.
As a result of this and numerous other cases, the government carried out widespread reforms to significantly reduce the length of legal proceedings. Improvements were made to civil, criminal, labour, administrative and enforcement proceedings.
Hans Moor was exposed to asbestos during his work in the 1960s and 70s. This gave him cancer, which was diagnosed in 2004. Hans Moor died in 2005, aged 58. Just before his death, Mr Moor had brought a claim for damages against his former employer for failing to take precautions against exposure to asbestos. The claim was continued by his wife and children.
Mrs Airey wanted to be legally separated from her husband, who was allegedly a violent alcoholic. However, there was no legal aid and she could not afford the lawyers’ fees. The European Court of Human Rights ruled that the lack of legal aid effectively denied Mrs Airey access to a court, breaching her basic rights. Legal aid for such cases was introduced in Ireland in the following year.
Anatoliy Burdov was exposed to radiation whilst working on the emergency response to the Chernobyl disaster. He was entitled to certain social benefits, but the authorities refused to pay - even when ordered to do so by Russian courts. The European court said that this violated Mr Burdov’s rights. As a result, reforms were introduced to improve the enforcement of judgments.
North Macedonia
Switzerland
Ireland
Russian Federation*