European Court of Human Rights finds Slovenia violated Croatian fisherman's fair trial rights in Piran Bay case

On October 6, 2026, the European Court of Human Rights ruled that Slovenia violated the right to a fair trial of Croatian fisherman Michael Latin in a case involving fines for illegal fishing in the Piran Bay. The court found no violation for his colleague Franka Makovac. Slovenia's Ministry of Justice stated the ruling does not affect the validity of the 2017 arbitration decision on the maritime border with Croatia. The case is part of over 800 similar complaints from Croatian fishermen, but the court did not identify systemic problems in Slovenia's procedures.