The applicants are Denis Kornev and his mother, Larisa Karpenko, two Ukrainian nationals who were born in 1984 and 1951 respectively, and live in Kharkiv (Ukraine). Relying on Article 5 § 3 (right to liberty and security), Mr Kornev complains that, arrested in May 2003 on suspicion of supplying drugs, he was kept in custody for eight days before being brought before a judge. He further alleges that his ensuing conviction was unfair as he had not been given the opportunity to question the main witness against him, in breach of Article 6 § 3 (d) (right to obtain attendance and examination of witnesses). His mother, who was found guilty of contempt of court on 2 December 2003 and sentenced to 15 days’ administrative detention – later replaced by a fine – for entering the office of the judge dealing with her son’s case with a support group and refusing to leave, complains that she was not given adequate time and facilities to prepare her defence, in breach of Article 6 §§ 1 and 3 (b) (right to a fair trial).
(citation from the official press-release prepared by the Registry Office of the European Court of Human Rights)