EUROPEAN HUMAN RIGHTS COURT CONSIDERS 200 APPEALS FROM CROATIA

ZAGREB, April 28 (Hina) - To date about 200 cases from Croatia have been forwarded to the Strasbourg-based European Court for Human Rights. Most of those who have lodged appeals with this European Court, have complained about the infringement of their right to life, prevention from exercising religious rights or free association, said Nina Vajic, a Croatian judge in that Court in Strasbourg. Vajic on Friday held talks with representatives of the agency of local democracy in Osijek an the city council of the youth. The talks were organised on the occasion of Europe Day and the 50th anniversary of the European Convention for Human Rights. Speaking of the role of this court in the promotion and protection of human rights Nina Vajic said each of 41 Council of Europe member- sates has its representative to the court. The representative is chosen out of university professors of international law, experienced judges or lawyers specialised in the human rights field. The Council of Europe Court for Human Rights is particularly sensitive to the length of court processes. To wait long for a verdict or its enforcement is one of biggest problems in Croatian judiciary, Vajic said. She added that one of basic duties of the European Court is to point to defects and failures of national courts and to insist on the improvement of their work. (hina) jn ms