Resolution CM/ResDH(2023)405
Execution of the judgments of the European Court of Human Rights
Two cases against Bulgaria
(Adopted by the Committee of Ministers on 13 December 2023
at the 1484th meeting of the Ministers’ Deputies)
Application No.
Case
Judgment of
Final on
39014/12
KORMEV
05/10/2017
05/01/2018
31044/12
PETROV AND OTHERS
21/06/2018
21/06/2018
The Committee of Ministers, under the terms of Article 46, paragraph 2, of the Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms, which provides that the Committee supervises the execution of final judgments of the European Court of Human Rights (hereinafter “the Convention” and “the Court”),
Having regard to the final judgments transmitted by the Court to the Committee in these cases and to the violations established on account of poor detention conditions and/or the restrictive penitentiary regime applied in respect of the applicants, and the lack of effective remedy (violations of Article 3 and 13), as well as on account of a breach of the right to a fair trial in the Kormev case resulting from the use of evidence obtained through torture from a co-accused (violation of Article 6, paragraph 1);
Recalling the respondent State’s obligation, under Article 46, paragraph 1, of the Convention, to abide by all final judgments in cases to which it has been a party and that this obligation entails, over and above the payment of any sums awarded by the Court, the adoption by the authorities of the respondent State, where required:
- of individual measures to put an end to violations established and erase their consequences so as to achieve as far as possible restitutio in integrum; and
- of general measures preventing similar violations;
Having invited the government of the respondent State to inform the Committee of the measures taken to comply with the above-mentioned obligation;
Having examined the information provided by the government indicating the individual measures adopted to give effect to the judgments including the information provided regarding the payment of the just satisfaction awarded by the Court (see documents DH-DD(2021)698-rev, DH-DD(2022)1043, DH-DD(2023)1442);
Considering that the question of individual measures was resolved in the Kormev case, given that the Court did not find a violation concerning the conditions of detention of the applicant after February 2016 and that the criminal proceedings against him were reopened after the judgment of the European Court and the evidence extracted through torture from a co-accused was excluded by the courts;
Considering that the question of individual measures was also resolved in the Petrov and Others case, inter alia since:
- the conditions of detention of the applicants have been significantly improved and three of them were placed outside the high security zone (Mr S. Petrov, Mr I. Petrov and Mr Mihaylov), while the applicant Mr Kolev has now an increased access to activities outside his cell despite the application of restrictive regime, and
- the applicants have at their disposal an effective domestic remedy;
Recalling as regards the violation of Article 6, paragraph 1, in the Kormev case that the general measures needed for preventing similar violations have been examined in the context of the Iordan Petrov case, closed by Final Resolution CM/ResDH(2019)328;
Recalling as regards the violation of Article 3 that the question of general measures required in response to the shortcomings found by the Court in these judgments continues to be examined within the framework of the Kehayov group and the Neshkov and Others case, also in the light of the Court’s findings in these cases, and that the closure of these cases therefore in no way prejudges the Committee’s evaluation of the general measures in relation to the poor conditions of detention and lack of effective remedies,
DECLARES that it has exercised its functions under Article 46, paragraph 2, of the Convention in these cases;
CONCLUDES that the necessary individual measures have been adopted;
DECIDES to continue to supervise the adoption of the necessary general measures concerning the poor conditions of detention and lack of effective remedy in the Kehayov group and the Neshkov and Others case;
DECIDES to close the examination of these cases.
Full & Egal Universal Law Academy