12
ĐORĐEVIĆ v. CROATIA JUDGMENT
complained about noise. When the police had arrived at a quarter past
midnight they had not found anyone.
55. The applicants further alleged that on 4 October 2010 at 4 a.m. they
were awakened by a car alarm outside their window. Some children were
banging on the outer wall of their flat, making a very loud noise. The first
applicant’s pet rabbit died that night and he attributed the rabbit’s death to
the events of that night, which made him extremely upset. On 15 October
2010, while the applicants were not at home, someone spat on their livingroom window until it was completely covered in saliva. On 23 October and
7, 14 and 19 November 2010 groups of children gathered around the bench,
making a lot of noise.
56. On 17 November 2010 the Zagreb Municipality informed the second
applicant that her request for the removal of the bench situated beneath the
balcony of the applicants’ flat had been denied.
57. The applicants alleged that on 22 November 2010, while they were
coming home from a shop, a group of children shouted after them: “Dalibor,
Dalibor!” The first applicant was paralysed with fear and asked his mother
why they would not leave him alone. The second applicant wrote to the
Office of the President of Croatia and the Ombudswoman for Persons with
Disabilities about the harassment of her son, seeking their assistance in
connection with the removal of the bench. On 5 December 2010 at around
midnight some children threw snowballs at the applicants’ window, which
terrified the first applicant.
58. On 14 December 2010 the Ombudswoman for Persons with
Disabilities recommended to the Zagreb Municipality that the bench be
removed. The bench was removed in February 2011. The applicants alleged
that on the same day, some children destroyed a metal container under their
window where the gas meters were located.
59. The applicants alleged that further incidents occurred as follows. On
5 February 2011 a group of children shouted provocatively at the second
applicant on the street, using the Serbian dialect (“De si bre?”). On
8 February 2011 at 6.40 p.m. some children rang the applicants’ doorbell
and then ran away. On 10 February 2011 the applicants went to a
hairdresser, taking a detour in order to avoid the children. However, they
met a group of children who shouted “Dalibor!” in a provocative manner.
On 13 February 2011 at 12.30 p.m. seven boys ran around the applicants’
flat, banged on the walls, climbed onto their balcony, peered into the flat
and laughed loudly. At 9.45 p.m. a group of boys sang the song “We are
Croats” beneath the applicants’ window.
60. A medical report of 9 March 2011 in respect of the first applicant
indicates that owing to stress he often bit his lips and fists, and that he had a
twitch in his left eye and symptoms of psoriasis. It also mentioned that he
had frequently been attacked and ridiculed and that it was necessary to
ensure a calm and friendly environment for him.