4.  The applicant was born in 1947 and lives in Dnipropetrovsk. 5.  On 9 March 1995 he instituted defamation proceedings in the Amur‑Nyzhnyodniprovskyy District Court of Dnipropetrovsk (“the District Court”) against Mrs M., a local official. 6.  On 27 March 1996 the court returned the applicant’s claim unexamined. On 19 September 1996 it also returned unexamined the applicant’s appeal against the above ruling. 7.  On 4 May 1998, following the objection lodged by the Deputy Head of the Supreme Court, the Dnipropetrovsk Regional Court quashed the ruling of 27 March 1996 and remitted the case for fresh examination. 8.  On 19 October 1999 the District Court delivered a judgment. On 20 December 1999 the Regional Court extended the time-limits for the applicant to lodge an appeal in cassation against the above judgment, quashed it and remitted the case for fresh examination. 9.  On 15 September 2006 the District Court partly allowed the applicant’s claim and ordered Mrs M. to pay him certain amounts in non‑pecuniary damage. 10.  On 10 October 2006 the applicant appealed against the above judgment. On 19 October 2006 the Court of Appeal requested him to rectify the appeal in accordance with the procedural requirements. Following that, on 17 January 2006 it rejected the appeal as unsubstantiated. 11.   On 17 March 2007 the applicant appealed in cassation. On 5 April 2007 the Supreme Court requested him to rectify the appeal in cassation in accordance with the procedural requirements. Following that, on 26 June2007 it rejected the appeal in cassation as unsubstantiated. 12.  In the course of the proceedings the applicant several times specified his claim. Eight hearings were adjourned due to the applicant’s, his representative’s or both parties’ failure to appear or following the applicant’s representative’s request, which protracted the proceedings by eight and a half months approximately. 13.  Thirteen further hearings were adjourned due to the respondent’s or her representative’s failure to appear, absence of the judge or for unspecified reasons. Between 23 October 2003 and 14 July 2006 the proceedings were suspended due to the respondent’s sickness.