FIFTH SECTION
CASE OF BURDA AND OTHERS v. UKRAINE
(Application no. 43007/13 and 11 others –
see appended list)
JUDGMENT
STRASBOURG
5 September 2024
This judgment is final but it may be subject to editorial revision.
In the case of Burda and Others v. Ukraine,
The European Court of Human Rights (Fifth Section), sitting as a Committee composed of:
Carlo Ranzoni, President,
Mārtiņš Mits,
María Elósegui, judges,
and Viktoriya Maradudina, Acting Deputy Section Registrar,
Having deliberated in private on 11 July 2024,
Delivers the following judgment, which was adopted on that date:
PROCEDURE
1. The case originated in applications against Ukraine 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 Ukrainian 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.
THE LAW
JOINDER OF THE APPLICATIONS4. 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 6 § 1 AND ARTICLE 13 OF THE CONVENTION5. The applicants complained that the length of the civil proceedings in question had been incompatible with the “reasonable time” requirement and that they had no effective remedy in this connection. They relied on Article 6 § 1 and Article 13 of the Convention.
6. The Court reiterates that the reasonableness of the length of proceedings must be assessed in the light of the circumstances of the case and with reference to the following criteria: the complexity of the case, the conduct of the applicants and the relevant authorities and what was at stake for the applicants in the dispute (see Frydlender v. France [GC], no. 30979/96, § 43, ECHR 2000-VII).
7. In the leading case of Karnaushenko v. Ukraine (no. 23853/02, 30 November 2006), the Court already found a violation in respect of issues similar to those in the present case.
8. Having examined all the material submitted to it, the Court has not found any fact or argument capable of justifying the overall length of the proceedings at the national level. Having regard to its case-law on the subject, the Court considers that in the instant case the length of the proceedings was excessive and failed to meet the “reasonable time” requirement.
9. The Court further notes that the applicants did not have at their disposal an effective remedy in respect of these complaints.
10. These complaints are therefore admissible and disclose a breach of Article 6 § 1 and of Article 13 of the Convention.
APPLICATION OF ARTICLE 41 OF THE CONVENTION11. Regard being had to the documents in its possession and to its case‑law (see, in particular, Karnaushenko, cited above, §§ 70 and 75), the Court considers it reasonable to award the sums indicated in the appended table.
FOR THESE REASONS, THE COURT, UNANIMOUSLY,
Decides to join the applications;Declares the applications admissible;Holds that these applications disclose a breach of Article 6 § 1 and Article 13 of the Convention concerning the excessive length of civil proceedings and the lack of any effective remedy in domestic law;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 5 September 2024, pursuant to Rule 77 §§ 2 and 3 of the Rules of Court.
Viktoriya Maradudina Carlo Ranzoni
Acting Deputy Registrar President
APPENDIX
List of applications raising complaints under Article 6 § 1 and Article 13 of the Convention
(excessive length of civil proceedings and lack of any effective remedy in domestic law)
No.
Application no.
Date of introduction
Applicant’s name
Year of birth
Representative’s name and location
Start of proceedings
End of proceedings
Total length
Levels of jurisdiction
Amount awarded for pecuniary and non-pecuniary damage per applicant
(in euros)[1]
43007/13
19/06/2013
Petro Oleksiyovych BURDA
1960
25/09/2008
26/11/2014
6 year(s) and
2 month(s) and 2 day(s)
3 level(s) of jurisdiction
500
26114/19
08/05/2019
Volodymyr Semenovych GAVRILYEV
1942
Kucherenko Denys Sergiyovych
Zaporizhzhya
16/08/2005
11/06/2020
14 year(s) and 9 month(s) and 27 day(s)
3 level(s) of jurisdiction
5,400
45145/19
15/08/2019
Sergiy Mykolayovych SVISHCHOV
1956
Kucherenko Denys Sergiyovych
Zaporizhzhya
19/08/2005
11/06/2020
14 year(s) and 9 month(s) and 24 day(s)
3 level(s) of jurisdiction
5,400
45809/22
05/09/2022
AND
21818/23
30/04/2023
Oleksandr Eduardovych KIROV
1968
10/08/2014
07/08/2014
21/04/2022
(decision received on 10/05/2022)
13/12/2022
7 year(s) and
8 month(s) and 12 day(s)
3 level(s) of jurisdiction
8 year(s) and
4 month(s) and 7 day(s)
3 level(s) of jurisdiction
1,600
2613/23
05/12/2022
Yosyp Vasylyovych YATSENKO
1962
05/03/2014
pending
More than
10 year(s) and 3 month(s) and 21 day(s)
3 level(s) of jurisdiction
2,400
11608/23
18/02/2023
Sergiy Volodymyrovych KHALEPA
1979
20/07/2015
25/12/2019
11/05/2016
09/11/2023
4 year(s) and 8 month(s)
2 level(s) of jurisdiction
1,200
17637/23
04/04/2023
Olga Volodymyrivna MYKHAYLYSHYNA
1989
Ignatov Oleksandr Anatoliyovych
Dnipro
30/09/2017
pending
More than
6 year(s) and
8 month(s) and 27 day(s)
1 level(s) of jurisdiction
1,700
32549/23
10/08/2023
Vitaliy Valeriyovych CHERNOV
1972
Romanyuk Valeriy Illich
Chernivtsi
13/07/2018
13/04/2023
4 year(s) and
9 month(s) and 1 day(s)
2 level(s) of jurisdiction
1,200
33400/23
17/08/2023
Tetyana Sergiyivna KRATKO
1990
Pavlyshyn Yuriy Mykolayovych
Odesa
14/12/2017
13/03/2020
24/09/2019
27/04/2023
4 year(s) and 10 month(s) and 26 day(s)
2 level(s) of jurisdiction
800
34135/23
24/08/2023
Vitaliy Mykhaylovych PRASLOV
1969
12/05/2020
pending
More than
4 year(s) and
1 month(s) and 14 day(s)
1 level(s) of jurisdiction
1,200
35403/23
14/09/2023
Sergiy Pavlovych VOLOCHAY
1960
22/02/2019
15/05/2023
4 year(s) and
2 month(s) and 24 day(s)
2 level(s) of jurisdiction
800
[1] Plus any tax that may be chargeable to the applicants.