Brussels, 29/11/2007 (Agence Europe) - In a ruling returned in Strasbourg on Tuesday 27 November, the European Court of Human Rights noted a new infringement by Belgium of press freedom, acknowledged under article 10 of the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR). On 19 March 2004, the Belgian police searched the offices and the home of the German journalist Hans-Martin Tillack. An order had been issued by the public prosecutors' office of Brussels against the journalist for the “active corruption of a civil servant”, after a complaint was brought by OLAF, the European anti-fraud office. OLAF had accused Mr Tillack of having paid European civil servants to obtain information published in an article on suspected corruption within the European institutions, which was published in Stern in 2002. Mr Tillack is to receive €10,000 compensation for emotional distress, and €30,000 for his costs and expenses.