PANYIK v. HUNGARY JUDGMENT 1 In the case of Panyik v. Hungary, The European Court of Human Rights (Second Section), sitting as a Chamber composed of: Françoise Tulkens, President, Danutė Jočienė, David Thór Björgvinsson, Dragoljub Popović, András Sajó, Işıl Karakaş, Guido Raimondi, judges, and Stanley Naismith, Section Registrar, Having deliberated in private on 21 June 2011, Delivers the following judgment, which was adopted on that date: PROCEDURE 1. The case originated in an application (no. 12748/06) against the Republic of Hungary lodged with the Court under Article 34 of the Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms (“the Convention”) by a Hungarian national, Mr Tibor Panyik (“the applicant”), on 20 March 2006. 2. The applicant, who had been granted legal aid, was represented by Ms G. Lanczner, a lawyer practising in Tatabánya. The Hungarian Government (“the Government”) were represented by Mr L. Höltzl, Agent, Ministry of Public Administration and Justice. 3. On 9 March 2010 the Court decided to communicate the applicant’s complaint concerning the impartiality of the Regional Court to the respondent Government. It declared the remainder of the applicant’s complaints inadmissible. THE FACTS I. THE CIRCUMSTANCES OF THE CASE 4. The applicant was born in 1954 and lives in Tata. 5. At the request of his former employer, on 7 November 2002 the Tata District Court issued a payment order in the amount of approximately 42,000 Hungarian forints (HUF) against the applicant, a lawyer. Following his objection to the order, the case continued as civil litigation.