5.  The applicants were born in 1935, 1956, 1963 and 1973 respectively. The first, third and fourth applicants live in Sofia and the second applicant lives in Adelaide, Australia. 6.  In 1977 the first applicant and her husband, who are the parents of the second, third and fourth applicants, bought from the Sofia municipality a flat of 261 square metres which had become State property by virtue of the nationalisations carried out by the communist regime in Bulgaria in 1947 and the following years. 7.  On 18 August 1992 the heirs of the pre-nationalisation owner of the flat brought proceedings under section 7 of the 1992 Law on the Restitution of Ownership of Nationalised Real Property against the first applicant and her husband, seeking to establish that their title was null and void. They also sought a rei vindicatio order. 8.  On 30 November 1995 the first applicant's husband died and the second, third and fourth applicants joined the proceedings as his heirs. 9.  On 17 April 1997 the Sofia District Court allowed the claimants' actions. On an appeal by the applicants, on 24 September 2002 its judgment was upheld by the Sofia City Court. On further appeal, the Supreme Court of Cassation upheld the lower courts' judgments on 28 July 2004. The courts found that in 1977 the first applicant and her husband had purchased the flat in breach of the law and their title had therefore been null and void.