Prima pagină » English » ECHR Finds Romania Guilty Of Human Rights Breach In Other Three Cases

ECHR Finds Romania Guilty Of Human Rights Breach In Other Three Cases

Romania lost other thee lawsuits at the European Court of Human Rights, or ECHR, filed by Romanian citizens whose property was seized during communism and sold by the state to the people who rented it.
10 dec. 2007, 21:27, English
Thus, the Romanian state is forced to return these goods in kind or pay EUR455M,000 worth of material damages and EUR7,000 worth of moral damages.
 
The European Court ruled its verdict in all three lawsuits on December 6.
 
In the case "Engber vs. Romania," plaintiff Brigitte Engber requested the restitution of a two-apartment building in Talmaciu location, in Romania’s central county of Sibiu, as well as the corresponding plot of land. The building had been seized by the state during communism and the plaintiff was offered 9,000 lei as compensations at the time.
 
In October 1996, the apartments were sold by the Romanian state to the people who rented the apartments and lived there as tenants.    
 
The European Court ascertained the infringement of the ownership right (stipulated in article 1 of the First Additional Protocol to the European Convention of Human Rights), following the sale of the two apartments to the owners of the lease contracts.
 
Thus, the European Court ordered that the Romanian state return the two apartments to the plaintiff within three months since the court’s ruling. In case the building could not be returned in kind, the European Court ordered that the Romanian state pay EUR80,000 worth of material damages and EUR2,000 worth of moral damages.
 
In other two cases – "Balanescu vs. Romania" and "Cohen vs. Romania" – the European Court ascertained the fact that the ownership rights of the plaintiffs had been breached as their property was seized during communism and sold to third parties.  
 
Thus, the European Court ordered that the Romanian state return the buildings and the corresponding plots of land to the plaintiffs or pay material damages worth EUR65,000 in Balanescu case, and EUR310,000 in Cohen case, respectively.
 
Moreover, the European Court ordered that the Romanian state pay EUR5000 worth of moral damages in Balanescu case.