FOURTH SECTION
CASE OF ALEXOAE AND OTHERS v. ROMANIA
(Application no. 41320/16 and 10 others –
see appended list)
JUDGMENT
STRASBOURG
13 January 2022
This judgment is final but it may be subject to editorial revision.
In the case of Alexoae and Others v. Romania,
The European Court of Human Rights (Fourth Section), sitting as a Committee composed of:
Armen Harutyunyan, President,
Jolien Schukking,
Ana Maria Guerra Martins, judges,
and Viktoriya Maradudina, Acting Deputy Section Registrar,
Having deliberated in private on 9 December 2021,
Delivers the following judgment, which was adopted on that date:
PROCEDURE
1. The case originated in 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.
2. The Romanian 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 inadequate conditions of their detention.
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 3 OF THE CONVENTION6. The applicants complained of the inadequate conditions of their detention. They relied on Article 3 of the Convention, which reads as follows:
Article 3
“No one shall be subjected to torture or to inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment.”
7. The Court notes that the applicants were kept in detention in poor conditions. The details of the applicants’ detention are indicated in the appended table. The Court refers to the principles established in its case‑law regarding inadequate conditions of detention (see, for instance, Muršić v. Croatia [GC], no. 7334/13, §§ 96‑101, ECHR 2016). It reiterates in particular that a serious lack of space in a prison cell weighs heavily as a factor to be taken into account for the purpose of establishing whether the detention conditions described are “degrading” from the point of view of Article 3 and may disclose a violation, both alone or taken together with other shortcomings (see Muršić, cited above, §§ 122-41, and Ananyev and Others v. Russia, nos. 42525/07 and 60800/08, §§ 149‑59, 10 January 2012).
8. In the leading case of Rezmiveș and Others v. Romania, nos. 61467/12 and 3 others, 25 April 2017, the Court has already found a violation in respect of issues similar to those in the present case.
9. Having examined all the material submitted to it and the arguments raised by the parties, including the Government’s objection related to the non‑exhaustion of domestic remedies, 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 (including its findings in the recent case of Polgar v. Romania, no. 39412/19, §§ 94-97, 20 July 2021), the Court considers that in the instant case the applicants’ conditions of detention for the periods specified in the table appended below were inadequate.
10. These complaints are therefore admissible and disclose a breach of Article 3 of the Convention.
REMAINING COMPLAINTS11. In applications nos. 41320/16, 41727/16, 57347/16, 58141/16, 58361/16 and 60085/16 the applicants also raised other complaints under Article 3 of the Convention.
12. The Court has examined the applications listed in the appended table 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 either do not meet the admissibility criteria set out in Articles 34 and 35 of the Convention or do not disclose any appearance of a violation of the rights and freedoms enshrined in the Convention or the Protocols thereto.
It follows that this part of the applications must be rejected in accordance with Article 35 § 4 of the Convention.
APPLICATION OF ARTICLE 41 OF THE CONVENTION13. 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.”
14. Regard being had to the documents in its possession and to its case‑law (see, in particular, Rezmiveș and Others, cited above), the Court considers it reasonable to award the sums indicated in the appended table.
15. The Court further 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 complaints concerning the inadequate conditions of detention admissible, as specified in the appended table, and the remainder of the applications inadmissible;Holds that these complaints disclose a breach of Article 3 of the Convention concerning the inadequate conditions of detention for the periods specified in the 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 13 January 2022, pursuant to Rule 77 §§ 2 and 3 of the Rules of Court.
{signature_p_1} {signature_p_2}
Viktoriya Maradudina Armen Harutyunyan
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
Representative’s name and location
Facility
Start and end date
Duration
Sq. m per inmate
Specific grievances
Amount awarded for pecuniary and non‑pecuniary damage and costs and expenses per applicant
(in euros)[1]
41320/16
05/09/2016
Ion-Ciprian ALEXOAE
1988
Codlea, Rahova and Miercurea Ciuc Prisons
30/10/2007 to
31/01/2017
9 year(s) and 3 month(s) and 2 day(s)
Codlea Prison
14/02/2017 to
05/03/2017
20 day(s)
1.32-2.44 m²
2.15-2.40 m²
overcrowding (save for 29/12/2016-31/01/2017), no or restricted access to toilet, lack of fresh air, lack of or insufficient natural light, bunk beds, poor quality of food, lack or inadequate furniture, mouldy or dirty cell, infestation of cell with insects/rodents
5,000
41580/16
13/07/2016
Felicia Violeta POPA
1965
Lucian Adrian Catrinoiu
Bucharest
Bucharest Central Arrest, Târgşor Prison
16/11/2015 to
01/03/2016
3 month(s) and 15 day(s)
1.94-2.44 m²
overcrowding, bunk beds, insufficient number of sleeping places, passive smoking, infestation of cell with insects/rodents, lack of privacy for toilet, constant electric light, poor quality of food, no or restricted access to toilet, lack of or insufficient natural light, inadequate temperature, mouldy or dirty cell, lack or inadequate furniture, lack of or poor quality of bedding and bed linen, lack of or inadequate hygienic facilities
1,000
41707/16
22/09/2016
Viorel CHELU
1986
Ionela Mărgărit
Bucharest
Brăila County Police, Galaţi and Brăila Prisons
06/08/2014 to
26/09/2017
3 year(s) and 1 month(s) and 21 day(s)
1.16-2.06 m²
overcrowding, bunk beds, no or restricted access to toilet, no or restricted access to shower, no or restricted access to running, potable and warm water, lack of or insufficient natural light, lack of or insufficient physical exercise in fresh air, lack of or poor quality of bedding and bed linen, lack or inadequate furniture, constant electric light, inadequate temperature, lack of fresh air, mouldy or dirty cell, poor quality of food, lack of or restricted access to leisure or educational activities
3,000
41727/16
03/08/2016
Florin-Cristian BUDESCU
1974
Vaslui and Tulcea Prisons
29/12/2015 to
22/09/2016
8 month(s) and 25 day(s)
Vaslui and Galaţi Prisons
08/10/2016 to
16/05/2017
7 month(s) and 9 day(s)
1.39-1.91 m²
1.5-1.91 m²
overcrowding, bunk beds, lack of fresh air, lack of or insufficient natural light, lack of or inadequate hygienic facilities, lack of toiletries, lack of or insufficient physical exercise in fresh air, no or restricted access to warm water, lack or inadequate furniture, poor quality of food, infestation of cell with insects/rodents, inadequate temperature
3,000
42435/16
05/08/2016
Cătălin ZAMFIR
1978
Bucharest Police detention facilities nos. 4 and 13, Jilava, Rahova, Mărgineni, Slobozia, Giurgiu and Colibaşi Prisons, Jilava Prison Hospital
20/10/2006 to
20/04/2017
10 year(s) and 6 month(s) and 1 day(s)
1.31-2.88 m²
overcrowding (save for 22/07/2008-07/08/2008; 17‑27/03/2011; 22-23/01/2014; 02/09/2014-08/10/2014; 18/12/2014-18/02/2015; 25/06/2015-17/08/2015; 15/09/2015-08/10/2015, 23/11/2015-21/01/2016; 09‑12/05/2016), bunk beds, lack or inadequate furniture, lack of privacy for toilet, insufficient number of sleeping places, lack of or poor quality of bedding and bed linen, infestation of cell with insects/rodents, mouldy or dirty cell, poor quality of food, poor quality of potable water, no or restricted access to warm water, no or restricted access to shower
5,000
57347/16
23/11/2016
Ioan-Gheorghe BERINDE
1980
Vasile Rareş Biro
Satu Mare
Satu Mare Prison
24/08/2016 to
13/11/2016
2 month(s) and 21 day(s)
Satu Mare Prison
17/12/2016 to
09/05/2017
4 month(s) and 23 day(s)
1.36-1.4 m²
1.40 m²
overcrowding, lack of fresh air, lack of or inadequate hygienic facilities, lack of privacy for toilet, no or restricted access to toilet, poor quality of food, lack or inadequate furniture, no or restricted access to warm water, mouldy or dirty cell, lack of or insufficient physical exercise in fresh air, lack of or poor quality of bedding and bed linen, no or restricted access to shower, inadequate temperature, infestation of cell with insects/rodents, constant electric light, bunk beds
1,000
57955/16
07/11/2016
Dănuț-Cătălin MOISE
1972
Focşani Prison
25/01/2016 to
22/11/2016
9 month(s) and 29 day(s)
1.31-2.39 m²
overcrowding, lack of or inadequate hygienic facilities, poor quality of food, mouldy or dirty cell
1,000
58141/16
01/11/2016
Alexandru IORDACHE
1991
Botoşani, Iaşi and Bistriţa Prisons
14/08/2013 to
28/03/2017
3 year(s) and 7 month(s) and 15 day(s)
1.28-2.17 m²
overcrowding, lack of or poor quality of bedding and bed linen, mouldy or dirty cell, infestation of cell with insects/rodents, inadequate temperature, no or restricted access to toilet, poor quality of potable water, lack or inadequate furniture, lack of or insufficient physical exercise in fresh air, lack of toiletries, lack of or restricted access to leisure or educational activities, no or restricted access to shower, lack of or insufficient natural light, poor quality of food, lack of or inadequate hygienic facilities
3,000
58361/16
30/09/2016
Emil OPREA
1957
Fănica Horia
Valu lui Traian
Poarta Albă and Slobozia Prisons
26/11/2014 to
19/07/2017
2 year(s) and 7 month(s) and 24 day(s)
2.03-2.94 m²
overcrowding (save for 26/11/2014-07/05/2015), lack of or inadequate hygienic facilities, poor quality of potable water, lack of fresh air, no or restricted access to shower, infestation of cell with insects/rodents, no or restricted access to running water
3,000
58500/16
24/10/2016
Roberto-Georgel ACHIM
1972
Rahova, Colibaşi and Târgu Jiu Prisons
29/10/2013 to
29/11/2016
3 year(s) and 1 month(s) and 1 day(s)
1.48-2.45 m²
overcrowding (save for 29/10/2013-19/11/2013), bunk beds, lack or inadequate furniture, lack of or poor quality of bedding and bed linen, infestation of cell with insects/rodents, lack of toiletries, mouldy or dirty cell, lack of fresh air, lack of or insufficient natural light, poor quality of food, poor quality of potable water
3,000
60085/16
11/11/2016
Nicușor LICSANDRU
1985
Giurgiu, Rahova, Colibaşi, Jilava and Mărgineni Prisons
21/10/2014 to
21/08/2017
2 year(s) and 10 month(s) and 1 day(s)
1.15-2.86 m²
overcrowding (save for 26/01/2017-31/07/2017), lack of or poor quality of bedding and bed linen, mouldy or dirty cell, no or restricted access to running water, lack of or insufficient physical exercise in fresh air, no or restricted access to toilet, poor quality of food, lack of fresh air, lack of or insufficient natural light, lack of or inadequate hygienic facilities, bunk beds, no or restricted access to shower, lack or inadequate furniture, insufficient number of sleeping places
3,000
[1] Plus any tax that may be chargeable to the applicants.