The First Section of the European Court of Human Rights has today given its judgment in  Sabalić  v Croatia .  The case concerns Ms  Pavla   Sabalić's  complaint about a lack of an appropriate response of the Croatian authorities to a homophobic act of violence against her. The facts On 13 January 2010,  Ms   Sabalić   was physically attacked in a nightclub in Zagreb where she was with several of her friends. The attack ceased only after one of the  Ms   Sabalić ’s friends used her gas pistol to frighten off the attacker.  The police report records the incident as follows: " While they were in the nightclub [ Ms   Sabalić ] was approached by an unidentified man who started flirting with  her  but she was constantly refusing him. After the nightclub  closed  they were all standing in front of it and the man continued pressing [ Ms   Sabalić   ] to be with him. When she said that she was a ‘lesbian’ he grabbed her with both of his arms and pushed her against a wall. He then star