FIFTH SECTION
DECISION
AS TO THE ADMISSIBILITY OF
Application no. 5829/10
Boris AHEC against Slovenia
and 9 other applications
(see list appended)
The European Court of Human Rights (Fifth Section), sitting on 14 February 2012 as a Committee composed of:
Ann Power-Forde, President,
Boštjan M. Zupančič,
Angelika Nußberger, judges,
and Stephen Phillips, Deputy Section Registrar,
Having regard to the above applications lodged on the dates indicated in the attached table,
Having regard to the observations submitted by the respondent Government and the observations in reply submitted by the applicants,
Having deliberated, decides as follows:
THE FACTS
The applicants Mr Boris Ahec, Mr Aleš Kovačič, Mr Bogomir Demšar, Mr Marko Kaluža, Mr Martin Kos, Mr Franc Pevc, Mr Gorazd Bukvič, Mr Milan Plavčak and Peter Rijavec are Slovenian nationals. Mr Goran Ilibašić is a Croatian national. Their birthdates are indicated in the attached table. They were represented before the Court by Odvetniška Drużba Matoz o.p. d.o.o., a law firm practicing in Koper. The Slovenian Government (“the Government”) were represented by their Agent, Mrs T. Mihelič Žitko, State Attorney.
The Croatian Government, having been informed of their right to intervene in the case of Mr Ilibašić (Article 36 § 1 of the Convention and Rule 44 § 1 of the Rules of Court), stated in a letter of 07 September 2010 that they did not wish to avail themselves of that right.
The facts of the case, as submitted by the parties, may be summarised as follows.
The applicants served, or are currently serving, sentences in the closed section of Dob Prison. As regards the facilities available to the applicants in the cells and common areas, as well as the health care regime in the prison, the conditions imposed on the applicants regarding activities outside the cells and contact with the outside world, see the Court’s decision in the case of Lalić and Others v. Slovenia (dec.), nos. 5711/10, 5719/10, 5754/10, 5803/10, 5956/10, 5958/10, 5987/10, 6091/10, 6647/10 and 6893/10, 27 September 2011.
The individual circumstances, such as period of imprisonment, personal space allocated to the each applicant and their activities outside the cells, are indicated in the attached table.
COMPLAINTS
The applicants complained that the conditions of their detention in Dob Prison amounted to a violation of Articles 3 and 8 of the Convention. In particular, they complained of severe overcrowding, which had led to a lack of personal space, poor sanitary conditions and inadequate ventilation, as well as excessive restrictions on time spent outside the cell, high temperatures in the cells, inadequate health care and psychological assistance, inadequate measures as regards the rehabilitation of drug addicts, and exposure to violence from other inmates owing to insufficient prison security. They further submitted that the situation amounted to a structural problem, which had been acknowledged by the domestic authorities.
Invoking Articles 3 and 8 of the Convention, the applicants also complained of restrictions on visits, telephone conversations and correspondence.
The applicants lastly complained, under Article 13, that they did not have any effective remedy at their disposal as regards their complaints under Articles 3 and 8 of the Convention.
THE LAW
As the applications are similar in terms of both fact and law, the Court decides to join them.
The Court notes that the applicants’ complaints are identical to those of the applicants in the case of Lalić and Others (cited above). In that case the Court has found the general conditions of detention in the closed section of Dob Prison, including the medical and psychological care provided to the prisoners held therein, as well as the arrangements concerning security measures, and the restrictions on maintaining contact with people outside the prison to be adequate vis-à-vis the Convention standards. It has accordingly also rejected the applicants’ complaint under Article 13 of the Convention, as no arguable claim for the purpose of the aforementioned provision could have been established.
The Court takes note of the similar factual background of the aforementioned case and the present applications, including the fact that the present applicants always had sufficient personal space in the cells in which they were detained. Therefore, the present applications should be rejected as being manifestly ill-founded pursuant to Article 35 §§ 3 (a) and 4 of the Convention.
For these reasons, the Court unanimously
Decides to join the applications;
Declares the applications inadmissible.
Stephen PhillipsAnn Power-Forde
Deputy RegistrarPresident
No
Application No
Applicant’s name and
date of birth
Lodged on
Period of imprisonment
Cell size/occupancy level (personal space)
Out-of-cell activities
1.
5829/10
Boris AHEC
25/02/1955
18/12/2009
Since 30/04/2009
59,25m²/14 (4,23 m²)
32,22 m² - 32,39 m²/4 (8,06 m² - 8,09 m²)
59,89 m²/15 (3,99 m²)
Since 25/11/2009 he has been attending work therapy sessions. Since 12/10/2009 he has been included in the primary education programme.
2.
5841/10
Aleš
KOVAČIČ
06/04/1982
18/12/2009
Since 26/05/2008
59,89 m²/16 (3,74 m²)
32,39 m²/4 (8,09 m²)
59,89 m²/14 (4,28 m²)
32,22 m²/4 (8,06 m²)
59,25 m²/15 (3,95 m²)
Since 18/05/2009 he has been working in the Pohorje Public Institute (agricultural activities and metalwork). Since 28/08/2009 he has been included in the primary education programme.
3.
5855/10
Bogomir DEMŠAR
29/01/1958
18/12/2009
Since 03/01/2007
59,25 m²/14 (4,23 m²)
Since 02/04/2007 he has been working in the garden of Dob prison.
4.
5864/10
Marko KALUŽA
26/08/1967
18/12/2009
From 25/03/2008 to 27/03/2010
59,89 m²/15 (3,99 m²)
32,22 m² - 32,39 m²/4 (8,06 m² - 8,09 m²)
He was attending work therapy sessions.
5.
5876/10
Martin KOS
28/10/1960
18/12/2009
Since 02/11/2007
59,25 m²/16 (3,70 m²)
7,14 m² /1 (7,14 m²)
17,96 m²/3 (5,99 m²)
59,89 m²/16 (3,74 m²)
59,57 m²/17 (3,50 m²)
32,22 m²/2 (16,11 m²)
Since 12/05/2008 he has been working in the Pohorje Public Institute.
6.
5898/10
Franc
PEVC
21/11/1963
18/12/2009
From 25/05/2007 to 31/01/2010
58,94m²/15 (3,93m²)
36,25 m²/4 (9,06 m²)
12,92 m²/2 (6,46 m²)
31,40 m²/4 (7,85 m²)
From 02/11/2009 to 01/12/2009 he worked in construction.
7.
5900/10
Gorazd BUKVIČ
12/09/1981
18/12/2009
Since 07/12/2007
59,25 m²/16 (3,70 m²)
59,57 m²/17 (3,50 m²)
From 12/01/2010 to 01/06/2010 he worked in the Pohorje Public Institute.
8.
5906/10
Goran ILIBAŠIĆ
09/06/1976
18/12/2009
From 11/08/2006 to 01/06/2010
58,94m²/15 (3,93 m²)
32,39 m²/3 (10,79 m²)
59,25 m²/16 (3,70 m²)
7,16 m² /1 (7,16 m²)
He was included in the secondary education programme, including food-preparation and catering classes.
9.
5911/10
Milan PLAVČAK
26/08/1973
18/12/2009
From 10/10/2008 to 18/02/2010
58,94m²/15 (3,93m²)
Since 13/11/2008 he has been included in the secondary education programme, including food-preparation.
10.
5917/10
Peter RIJAVEC
08/12/1977
18/12/2009
From 07/07/2008 to 01/04/2010
59,57 m²/17 (3,50 m²)
15,83 m²/2 (7,91 m²)
From 03/11/2008 to 31/03/2010 he worked in the Pohorje Public Institute. He was included in the secondary education programme, including food-preparation and catering classes and worked in the kitchen of Dob prison.
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