FIRST SECTION
CASE OF ALBÓK AND OTHERS v. HUNGARY
(Applications nos. 49178/21 and 9 others – see appended list)
JUDGMENT
STRASBOURG
29 September 2022
This judgment is final but it may be subject to editorial revision.
In the case of Albók and Others v. Hungary,
The European Court of Human Rights (First Section), sitting as a Committee composed of:
Krzysztof Wojtyczek, President,
Erik Wennerström,
Lorraine Schembri Orland, judges,
and Attila Teplán, Acting Deputy Section Registrar,
Having deliberated in private on 8 September 2022,
Delivers the following judgment, which was adopted on that date:
PROCEDURE
1. The case originated in applications against Hungary 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.
2. The Hungarian Government (“the Government”) were given notice of the applications.
THE FACTS
3. The list of applicants and the relevant details of the applications are set out in the appended table.
4. The applicants complained of the excessive length of their pre-trial detention. Some applicants also raised other complaints under the provisions of the Convention.
THE LAW
JOINDER OF THE APPLICATIONS5. Having regard to the similar subject matter of the applications, the Court finds it appropriate to examine them jointly in a single judgment.
ALLEGED VIOLATION OF ARTICLE 5 § 3 OF THE CONVENTION6. The applicants complained principally that their pre-trial detention had been unreasonably long. They relied on Article 5 § 3 of the Convention, which reads as follows:
Article 5 § 3
“3. Everyone arrested or detained in accordance with the provisions of paragraph 1 (c) of this Article shall be ... entitled to trial within a reasonable time or to release pending trial. Release may be conditioned by guarantees to appear for trial.”
7. The Court observes that the general principles regarding the right to trial within a reasonable time or to release pending trial, as guaranteed by Article 5 § 3 of the Convention, have been stated in a number of its previous judgments (see, among many other authorities, Kudła v. Poland [GC], no. 30210/96, § 110, ECHR 2000‑XI, and McKay v. the United Kingdom [GC], no. 543/03, §§ 41-44, ECHR 2006‑X, with further references).
8. In the leading cases of Gál v. Hungary, no. 62631/11, 11 March 2014 and Lakatos v. Hungary, no. 21786/15, 26 June 2018, the Court already found a violation in respect of issues similar to those in the present case.
9. Having examined all the material submitted to it, the Court has not found any fact or argument capable of persuading it to reach a different conclusion on the admissibility and merits of these complaints. Having regard to its case-law on the subject, the Court considers that in the instant case the length of the applicants’ pre-trial detention was excessive.
10. These complaints are therefore admissible and disclose a breach of Article 5 § 3 of the Convention.
OTHER ALLEGED VIOLATIONS UNDER WELL-ESTABLISHED CASE-LAW11. Some applicants submitted further complaints under Article 5 § 4 of the Convention which also raised issues, given the relevant well-established case-law of the Court (see appended table). These complaints are not manifestly ill-founded within the meaning of Article 35 § 3 (a) of the Convention, nor are they inadmissible on any other ground. Accordingly, they must be declared admissible. Having examined all the material before it, the Court concludes that they also disclose violations of the Convention in the light of its findings in, among many authorities, Bandur v. Hungary, no. 50130/12, §§ 79 to 85, 5 July 2016.
APPLICATION OF ARTICLE 41 OF THE CONVENTION12. Article 41 of the Convention provides:
“If the Court finds that there has been a violation of the Convention or the Protocols thereto, and if the internal law of the High Contracting Party concerned allows only partial reparation to be made, the Court shall, if necessary, afford just satisfaction to the injured party.”
13. Regard being had to the documents in its possession and to its case‑law (see, in particular, Gál, cited above) the Court considers it reasonable to award the sums indicated in the appended table.
14. The Court considers it appropriate that the default interest rate should be based on the marginal lending rate of the European Central Bank, to which should be added three percentage points.
FOR THESE REASONS, THE COURT, UNANIMOUSLY,
Decides to join the applications;Declares the applications admissible;Holds that these applications disclose a breach of Article 5 § 3 of the Convention concerning the excessive length of pre-trial detention;Holds that there has been a violation of the Convention as regards the other complaints raised under well-established case-law of the Court (see appended table);Holds(a) that the respondent State is to pay the applicants, within three months, the amounts indicated in the appended table, to be converted into the currency of the respondent State at the rate applicable at the date of settlement;
(b) that from the expiry of the above-mentioned three months until settlement simple interest shall be payable on the above amounts at a rate equal to the marginal lending rate of the European Central Bank during the default period plus three percentage points.
Done in English, and notified in writing on 29 September 2022, pursuant to Rule 77 §§ 2 and 3 of the Rules of Court.
Attila Teplán Krzysztof Wojtyczek
Acting Deputy Registrar President
APPENDIX
List of applications raising complaints under Article 5 § 3 of the Convention
(excessive length of pre-trial detention)
No.
Application no.
Date of introduction
Applicant’s name
Year of birth
Representative’s name and location
Period of detention
Length of detention
House arrest
Start and end date
Other complaints under well‑established case-law
Amount awarded for pecuniary and
non-pecuniary damage and costs and expenses per applicant
(in euros)[1]
49178/21
15/09/2021
István ALBÓK
1971
Kiss Dominika Szilvia
Budapest
15/04/2019 to
12/09/2019
24/09/2019 to
12/07/2021
4 month(s) and 29 day(s)
1 year(s) and 9 month(s) and 19 day(s)
Art. 5 (4) - excessive length of judicial review of detention - Several appeals and reviews were delayed periods of 1.5-2 months.
3,900
50695/21
07/10/2021
Csaba JÓNÁS
1987
Kiss Dániel Bálint
Budapest
22/01/2020 to
20/10/2021
1 year(s) and 8 month(s) and 29 day(s)
Art. 5 (4) - excessive length of judicial review of detention - The applicant’s 1‑year detention review was carried out with a delay of 23 days. Several appeals were delayed over 1 month.
3,200
51458/21
06/10/2021
Gergely BARKÓCZI
1982
Karsai Dániel András
Budapest
11/05/2019 to
14/01/2022
2 year(s) and 8 month(s) and 4 day(s)
Art. 5 (4) - excessive length of judicial review of detention - The obligatory 6‑month review of the applicant’s detention took place 2 months after the statutory deadline.
4,900
51461/21
05/10/2021
István CSÓKA
1988
Kiss Dániel Bálint
Budapest
03/10/2019 to
19/01/2022
2 year(s) and 3 month(s) and 17 day(s)
Art. 5 (4) - excessive length of judicial review of detention - The obligatory 6‑month review of the applicant’s detention took place with a delay of a month, while the 1-year review took place 2 months overdue.
4,100
53375/21
22/10/2021
Mihály MÓRICZ
1972
Gellér Balázs József
Budapest
25/03/2019 to
02/11/2020
22/03/2021 to
24/05/2022
1 year(s) and 7 month(s) and 9 day(s)
1 year(s) and 2 month(s) and 3 day(s)
02/11/2020 - 22/03/2021
3,900
53635/21
21/10/2021
András ZSIGA
1984
Kiss Dániel Bálint
Budapest
27/06/2019 to
29/11/2019
22/01/2020 to
21/07/2021
5 month(s) and 3 day(s)
1 year(s) and 6 month(s)
29/11/2019 -21/01/2020
Art. 5 (4) - excessive length of judicial review of detention - The obligatory 6‑month detention review was carried out with a delay of 35 days. Several appeals lasted over a month.
3,400
56572/21
16/11/2021
Zoltán SIKLÓSI
1978
Kiss Dániel Bálint
Budapest
05/09/2019 to
05/09/2021
2 year(s) and 1 day(s)
2,700
58041/21
19/11/2021
Ádám ILLÉS
1999
Kiss Dániel Bálint
Budapest
11/07/2019 to
30/11/2021
2 year(s) and 4 month(s) and 20 day(s)
Art. 5 (4) - excessive length of judicial review of detention - The obligatory 6‑month review of the applicant’s detention took place with a delay of 76 days, the obligatory 1-year review with a delay of 52 days. An appeal lasted over 2.5 months.
4,200
59405/21
30/11/2021
György LÁZÁR
1968
Karsai Dániel András
Budapest
20/05/2019 to
15/06/2021
2 year(s) and 27 day(s)
Art. 5 (4) - excessive length of judicial review of detention - The obligatory 1‑year review of the applicant’s detention took place almost four months following the expiry of his previous detention order.
3,500
656/22
13/12/2021
Róbert HEVDI
1998
Kiss Dániel Bálint
Budapest
11/08/2019 to
05/01/2022
2 year(s) and 4 month(s) and 26 day(s)
3,300
[1] Plus any tax that may be chargeable to the applicants.