CATAN AND OTHERS v. MOLDOVA AND RUSSIA JUDGMENT 1 In the case of Catan and Others v. Moldova and Russia, The European Court of Human Rights, sitting as a Grand Chamber composed of: Nicolas Bratza, President, Françoise Tulkens, Josep Casadevall, Nina Vajić, Dean Spielmann, Lech Garlicki, Karel Jungwiert, Anatoly Kovler, Egbert Myjer, David Thór Björgvinsson, Ján Šikuta, Mark Villiger, Isabelle Berro-Lefèvre, Mirjana Lazarova Trajkovska, Ledi Bianku, Mihai Poalelungi, Helen Keller, judges, and Michael O’Boyle, Registrar, Having deliberated in private on 25 January and 5 September 2012, Delivers the following judgment, which was adopted on the last-mentioned date: PROCEDURE 1. The case originated in three applications (nos. 43370/04, 8252/05 and 18454/06) against the Republic of Moldova and the Russian Federation lodged with the Court under Article 34 of the Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms (“the Convention”) by a number of Moldovan nationals (“the applicants”), on 25 October 2004. 2. The applicants, one of whom was granted legal aid, were represented by Mr Alexandru Postică and Mr Ion Manole, lawyers practising in Chişinău and Mr Padraig Hughes and Ms Helen Duffy, lawyers with Interights, a human rights organisation based in London. The Government of the Republic of Moldova were represented by their Agents, Mr Vladimir Grosu and Mr Lilian Apostol and the Government of the Russian Federation were represented by Mr Georgy Matyushkin, Representative of the Russian Federation at the European Court of Human Rights. 3. The applicants, Moldovans who lived in Transdniestria and who were at the time of lodging the application pupils at three Moldovan-language