Interim Resolution CM/ResDH(2024)202
Execution of the judgments of the European Court of Human Rights
László Magyar group against Hungary
(Adopted by the Committee of Ministers on 19 September 2024
at the 1507th meeting of the Ministers’ Deputies)
Application
Case
Judgment of
Final on
73593/10
LASZLO MAGYAR
20/05/2014
13/10/2014
37871/14
T.P. AND A.T.
04/10/2016
06/03/2017
43444/15
KRUCHIO AND LEHOCZKI
14/01/2020
14/01/2020
39734/15
SANDOR VARGA AND OTHERS
17/06/2021
11/10/2021
52374/15
BANCSÓK AND LÁSZLÓ MAGYAR (No. 2)
28/10/2021
28/01/2022
12152/16
BLONSKI AND OTHERS
13/10/2022
13/10/2022
49006/18
COMAN AND OTHERS
12/01/2023
12/01/2023
12143/16
HORVATH AND OTHERS
02/03/2023
02/03/2023
62122/19
GYENGE AND OTHERS
25/04/2024
25/04/2024
30127/20
TACZMAN AND OTHERS
20/06/2024
20/06/2024
33640/20
HORVATH AND OTHERS
20/06/2024
20/06/2024
54117/20
NÉMETH AND OTHERS
04/07/2024
04/07/2024
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”);
Recalling that this group of cases, the first of which became final in 2014, concerns violations of the prohibition of torture and inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment (Article 3) on account of the applicants’ life sentences either without eligibility for release on parole (“whole life sentences”), in combination with the lack of an adequate review mechanism of these sentences, or with eligibility for release on parole (“simple life sentences”) after a waiting period of 25 years and six months to 48 years and one month;
Recalling that the violations found in the present cases cannot be understood as requiring that the applicants be given the prospect of imminent release considering that, according to the Court’s case-law, States are not prohibited from subjecting a person convicted of a serious crime to an indeterminate sentence allowing for the offender’s continued detention where necessary for the protection of the public;
Expressing deep regret about the continued absence of information on any developments with respect to both the individual and general measures;
Reiterating that progress needs to be swiftly achieved regarding these issues given that more than ten years have passed since the Court’s clear indication of a systemic problem warranting the reform of the review of whole life sentences, eight years since the Court found the subsequently introduced mandatory clemency procedure to be incompatible with the Convention and almost three years since the first judgment finding a violation with respect to the waiting period before review of simple life sentences;
Considering also that by 2025 and 2026 certain prisoners from both categories (i.e. whole life sentences or simple life sentences) will have served 25 years of imprisonment without domestic legislation affording “both a prospect of release and a possibility of review” as required by the Convention and the Court’s case-law;
Recalling that the individual measures required to bring the violations in their cases to an end are closely linked to the adoption and implementation of general measures;
Emphasising the legal obligation of every State, under the terms of Article 46, paragraph 1, of the Convention to abide by the final judgments of the European Court in any case to which they are a party, fully, effectively, and promptly;
EXHORTED the authorities, without further delay and irrespective of the status of the pending constitutional complaints, to align their legislation with the Court’s case-law in respect of both types of life sentences and to set up a timeline for the legislative process which would both reduce the waiting period for life prisoners (including the applicants) before they are eligible for release on parole or clemency, and address the concerns raised by the Court regarding the lack of sufficient procedural safeguards in the mandatory clemency procedure before the President of the Republic;
INVITED the authorities to submit an updated action plan, including information on all outstanding issues, by 15 March 2025 at the latest, and decided to resume the examination of this group of cases at its June 2025 Human Rights meeting.