The Principality of Liechtenstein has announced legal action for the return of a swath of Czech territory that was confiscated from the micro Alpine state’s former ruling family at the end of the Second World War.
Earlier this week, Liechtenstein lodged a formal complaint with the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) alleging “disregard” of its sovereignty by Prague over the return of almost half a million acres of land.
The lawsuit is actually Liechtenstein’s appeal of a decision by the Czech Constitutional Court in February, when it ruled against the princely state to dispute ownership of the territory, which earlier belonged to the House of Liechtenstein.
The land claimed by the principality includes some of Central Europe’s greatest castles and palaces, which are on UNESCO’s World Heritage Sites’ list, such as the neo-gothic Lednice Castle.
In an interview with the Financial Times (FT), Liechtenstein’s Foreign Minister Katrin Eggenberger described “the illegal application of Czechoslovak decrees and their consequences” as “an unresolved problem” for her country.
“Expropriation without compensation is unacceptable. [The case] involves fundamental questions of sovereignty. We’re not doing this just because the princely house is involved. It is for all of our 39,000 citizens […] The smaller the country, the more important it is to stand up for your rights”, she pointed out.
Czech Deputy Foreign Minister Martin Smolek, in turn, was cited by the FT as saying that the ECHR should not deal with the case because the court does not consider issues dating from before the European Convention on Human Rights was created.
“We also think it’s a strange use of the treaty to use it in a case where there is a very limited group of people – frankly one person – whose rights have been allegedly violated”, the foreign minister added.
Both Smolek and Eggenberger voiced hope that the case would not affect bilateral relations, given that the two formally established diplomatic ties in 2009.