Published on 10 June 2024
FIRST SECTION
Application no. 33296/20
Bartłomiej BOJAR against Poland
and 2 other applications
(see list appended)
communicated on 21 May 2024
SUBJECT MATTER OF THE CASE
The applicant is a prisoner, serving a 25-years’ imprisonment sentence since 2002 and working in an outside facility since 2014. The applications concern 20 strip searches he had to undergo while detained in the Strzelce Opolskie Prison no. 1, between 31 October 2019 and 13 June 2023. The applicant complains that the searches were carried out without valid justification after received visits, after coming back from work and during general prison controls.
Application no. 33296/20 concerns fifteen strip searches carried out between 31 October 2019 and 21 May 2020. The applicant’s complaints lodged on (i) 5 December 2019 (concerning five searches), (ii) 13 January 2020 (three searches) and (iii) 29 May 2020 (seven searches) were dismissed by the Prison Governor on (i) 23 December 2019, (ii) 31 January 2020, and (iii) 8 June 2020, respectively. The applicant appealed against the first two dismissals, but the Opole Regional Inspectorate of the Prison Service dismissed them on 24 February and 17 March 2020, respectively.
Application no. 4624/21 concerns four strip searches carried out between 15 June 2020 and 6 October 2020. The applicant’s complaint of 27 October 2020 was dismissed by the Prison Governor on 30 October 2020 and the subsequent appeal was dismissed by the Opole Regional Inspectorate of the Prison Service on 17 December 2020.
Application no. 40068/23 concerns one strip search carried out on 13 June 2023. The applicant’s complaint lodged with the Opole Penitentiary Court was dismissed on 28 June 2023.
The applicant complains, under Article 8 of the Convention, that the strip searches violated his right to respect for his private life.
QUESTION TO THE PARTIES
Do the relevant facts of the applications give rise to a violation of the applicant’s right to his private life contrary to Article 8 of the Convention (see Milka v. Poland, no. 14322/12, §§ 41-50, 15 September 2015, and Dejnek v. Poland, no. 9635/13, §§ 70-77, 1 June 2017; compare also Bojar v. Poland [Committee], no. 11148/18, §§ 8-18, 11 May 2023)? Reference is made to the applicant’s allegations concerning the circumstances of the strip searches which were numerous, routine and carried out without any apparent justification.
APPENDIX
No.
Application no.
Lodged on
Case name
Applicant
Year of Birth
Place of Residence
Nationality
1.
33296/20
24/07/2020
Bojar v. Poland
Bartłomiej BOJAR
1973
Strzelce Opolskie
Polish
2.
4624/21
29/12/2020
3.
40068/23
23/10/2023