7.  The applicants, Mr M.M. and Ms E.M.M., were born in 1988 and 1990 respectively. They live in Ostrołęka, Poland. 8.  On 26 August 1994 the applicants' mother was murdered by Mr J.M. – her husband and the father of the applicants. Subsequently, Mrs R.D. was appointed as the applicants' foster parent. Mr J.M. was deprived of his parental rights and on 15 October 1998 the Warsaw Regional Court convicted him of murder. It appears that he was later declared unworthy of inheriting his wife's estate and that the applicants were declared her heirs. 9.  On 14 June 1996 the applicants initiated before the Warsaw District Court (Sąd Rejonowy w Warszawie) civil proceedings concerning division of their late mother's estate and the matrimonial property (o podział majątku dorobkowego i dział spadku). Mr J.M. was a party to those proceedings. 10.  Subsequently, Mrs R.D. applied for an interim measure to appoint her as an administrator of a flat in Warsaw which belonged to the applicants' parents and was the most valuable part of their matrimonial property. It had been unoccupied since 1994 but Mrs R.D. had been paying all maintenance costs and wanted to prevent its further destruction, as the flat had been burgled on several occasions. 11.  The first hearing was held on 19 December 1996. 12.  On 5 February 1997 the Warsaw District Court, sitting in camera, allowed Mrs R.D.'s application for an interim measure. However, following Mr J.M.'s appeal, on 27 May 1997 the Warsaw Regional Court (Sąd Wojewódzki w Warszawie) quashed this decision and dismissed the application. 13.  From 1 October 1997 to 28 January 1999 the District Court listed five hearings. Most of them were adjourned. 14.  On 8 November 2000 the court, sitting in camera, stayed the proceedings. 15.  The applicants appealed against this decision and on 14 December 2000 the Warsaw District Court allowed their appeal and quashed it. 16.  Between October 1998 and July 2001 no hearings were held. 17.  On 25 July 2001 the parties reached a friendly settlement according to which the applicants were granted the flat and their father kept all flat's equipment and a car. 18.  Mr J.M. lodged an appeal against the settlement but on 20 February 2002 the Warsaw Regional Court dismissed it.