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Z v Finland (European Court of Human Rights 1997)
2nd January 1997, 12:00 pm
Z applied for relief to the European Court of Human Rights alleging that her right to privacy under the Convention was violated when her HIV status was disclosed by the media during her husband’s criminal trial. One of the critical issues in her husband’s criminal trial was his HIV status. The Court held that the publication of her HIV status and the fact that the court in Finland held that Z’s medical records only needed to be confidential for ten years violated her right to privacy and family life. The Court rejected Z’s claim that seizure of her medical records and the court ordering her doctor to give evidence regarding her HIV status at her husband’s trial violated her right to privacy.

The Court awarded Z one hundred thousand Finish marks in compensation for non-pecuniary damage, legal costs and expenses plus interest.

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