FOURTH SECTION
DECISION
Application no. 42636/21
Bebe-Dănuţ BAICEA against Romania
and 18 other applications
(see appended table)
The European Court of Human Rights (Fourth Section), sitting on 4 June 2026 as a Committee composed of:
Anne Louise Bormann, President,
András Jakab,
Corinna Wissels, judges,
and Viktoriya Maradudina, Acting Deputy Section Registrar,
Having regard to the above applications against Romania lodged with the Court under Article 34 of the Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms (“the Convention”) on the various dates indicated in the appended table,
Having regard to the observations submitted by the respondent Government and the observations in reply submitted by the applicant,
Having deliberated, decides as follows:
FACTS AND PROCEDUREThe list of applicants is set out in the appended table.
The applicants’ complaints under Article 3 of the Convention concerning the inadequate conditions of detention were communicated to the Romanian Government (“the Government”).
THE LAWJoinder of the applicationsHaving regard to the similar subject matter of the applications, the Court finds it appropriate to examine them jointly in a single decision.
Complaints under Article 3 of the Convention (inadequate conditions of detention)The applicants complained principally of the inadequate conditions of their detention. They relied on Article 3 of the Convention.
Having examined all the material before it, the Court considers that for the reasons stated below, the present applications are inadmissible.
The Government argued that the applicants had failed to exhaust the available effective remedies for their complaints about the inadequate conditions of their detention, as the complaint with the judge responsible for supervising the deprivation of liberty (plângerea în fața judecătorului de supraveghere a privării de libertate), provided for by Article 56 of Law no. 254/2013, had become an effective remedy for grievances similar to those of the applicants.
The Court recalls that in Văscăuțanu v. Romania (dec.), no. 10120/23, §§ 47–59, 18 November 2025, it held that the remedy, which consists of lodging a complaint with the judge responsible for supervising the deprivation of liberty (plângerea în fața judecătorului de supraveghere a privării de libertate), provided for by Article 56 of Law no. 254/2013, constituted, as of 6 April 2023, an effective remedy enabling individuals who allege that they are being held in inadequate conditions of detention to put an end to their situation that they denounced as being contrary to Article 3 of the Convention.
In light of all the material in its possession, the Court observes that the applicants, who allege that they are being held in inadequate conditions of detention, did not indicate that they pursued the available remedy before the domestic courts (see Văscăuțanu, cited above, § 65). Therefore, their applications must be dismissed for failure to exhaust domestic remedies.
The Government also invoked other grounds of inadmissibility to argue that the present applications must be rejected.
Since it has already upheld the Government’s objection on the non‑exhaustion of domestic remedies, the Court does not consider it necessary to examine further the remaining arguments raised by the Government.
In view of the above, the Court finds that the applicants’ complaints concerning the periods set out in the appended table must be rejected for failure to exhaust the domestic remedy laid down in Article 56 of Law no. 254/2013, in accordance with Article 35 §§ 1 and 4 of the Convention.
Remaining complaintsIn applications nos. 49615/22 and 54188/22, the applicants also raised other complaints under various articles of the Convention, in relation to the same periods of detention.
The Court has examined the applications and considers that, in the light of all the material in its possession and in so far as the matters complained of are within its competence, these complaints do not meet the admissibility criteria set out in Articles 34 and 35 of the Convention.
It follows that these parts of the applications must be rejected in accordance with Article 35 § 4 of the Convention.
For these reasons, the Court, unanimously,
Decides to join the applications;
Declares the applications inadmissible.
Done in English and notified in writing on 25 June 2026.
Viktoriya Maradudina Anne Louise Bormann
Acting Deputy Registrar President
APPENDIX
List of applications raising complaints under Article 3 of the Convention
(inadequate conditions of detention)
No.
Application no.
Date of introduction
Applicant’s name
Year of birth
Facility
Start and end date
Duration
42636/21
20/09/2021
Bebe-Dănuț BAICEA
1972
Mioveni and Craiova Prisons
19/12/2019
pending
More than 3 year(s) and 6 month(s) and 4 day(s)
49341/22
10/11/2022
Gabriel PETROVICI
1969
Gherla Prison and Dej Prison Hospital
27/07/2018
pending
More than 6 year(s) and 2 month(s) and 14 day(s)
49351/22
05/12/2022
Ovidiu-Traian VIDREAN
1992
Gherla and Baia Mare Prisons
11/06/2019
pending
More than 5 year(s) and 2 month(s) and 30 day(s)
49615/22
12/10/2022
Vasile COZMA
1960
Iași, Arad, Botoșani and Vaslui Prisons, Iași County Police Station
10/07/2016
pending
More than 8 year(s) and 3 month(s) and 16 day(s)
50474/22
25/01/2023
Ioan REZMIVEŞ
1976
Gherla, Bistrița and Baia Mare Prisons and Dej Prison Hospital
06/09/2021
pending
More than 2 year(s) and 9 month(s) and 1 day(s)
51444/22
17/01/2023
Ioan SIPOS
1990
Târgu Mureș, Aiud and Gherla Prisons
18/07/2020
pending
More than 3 year(s) and 10 month(s) and 21 day(s)
51640/22
22/05/2023
Nicu PÎRLEŢEANU
1973
Craiova, Galați, Giurgiu and Tulcea Prisons
18/09/2019
pending
More than 4 year(s) and 7 month(s) and 13 day(s)
51737/22
02/12/2022
Ghiorghe DINU
1958
Mărgineni and Mioveni Prisons
25/08/2019
pending
More than 4 year(s) and 10 month(s) and 15 day(s)
52163/22
20/12/2022
Adrian-Mihai DRAGOMIR
1983
Focșani, Galați, Mărgineni, Giurgiu, Aiud, Ploiești and Brăila Prisons
28/12/2018
pending
More than 5 year(s) and 9 month(s) and 18 day(s)
52764/22
06/12/2022
Gheorghe STRAT
1973
Vaslui County Police Station; Margineni, Vaslui, Buzau, Tulcea and Arad Prisons
10/11/2021
pending
More than 2 year(s) and 11 month(s) and 19 day(s)
53218/22
23/02/2023
Ciprian SAVIN
1999
Iași County Police Station, Iași, Aiud, Focșani and Giurgiu Prisons
23/10/2018
pending
More than 5 year(s) and 7 month(s) and 16 day(s)
53397/22
30/01/2023
Valentin LINGURAR
1994
Oradea, Timișoara and Baia Mare Prisons
18/07/2022
pending
More than 1 year(s) and 10 month(s) and 21 day(s)
53667/22
18/01/2023
Carol GÁL
1964
Miercurea Ciuc, Aiud, Craiova, Arad and Dej Prisons
29/05/2021
pending
More than 3 year(s) and 5 month(s)
53700/22
24/04/2023
Gabriel PĂDURARU
1975
Arad, Miercurea Ciuc, Târgu Mureș, Botoșani and Găești Prisons
10/01/2018
pending
More than 6 year(s) and 9 month(s) and 30 day(s)
53702/22
21/12/2022
Vasile MIRON
1985
Iași Prison
02/03/2022
pending
More than 2 year(s) and 3 month(s) and 6 day(s)
54188/22
13/02/2023
Balazs GABOR
1985
Aiud, Târgu Mureș, Deva, Giurgiu, Miercurea Ciuc, Gherla and Bucharest - Rahova Prisons; Dej and Bucharest - Jilava Prison Hospitals
21/05/2021
pending
More than 3 year(s) and 21 day(s)
54195/22
25/01/2023
Ionuţ ROMANESCU
1986
Gherla, Miercurea Ciuc, Margineni and Giurgiu Prisons
18/11/2019
pending
More than 4 year(s) and 9 month(s) and 25 day(s)
54651/22
28/12/2022
George-Alexandru VÎRLAN
1995
Bacău, Focșani, Iași, Mărgineni, Giurgiu, Brăila, Vaslui and Arad Prisons
12/06/2015
pending
More than 9 year(s) and 4 month(s) and 17 day(s)
54790/22
22/12/2022
Toader-Ioan TIMIŞ
1982
Gherla and Bistrița Prisons
28/11/2019
pending
More than 4 year(s) and 4 month(s) and 20 day(s)