FOURTH SECTION
CASE OF SUDITU AND OTHERS v. ROMANIA
(Applications nos. 44216/15 and 10 others -
see appended list)
JUDGMENT
STRASBOURG
16 May 2019
This judgment is final but it may be subject to editorial revision.
In the case of Suditu and Others v. Romania,
The European Court of Human Rights (Fourth Section), sitting as a Committee composed of:
Georges Ravarani, President,
Marko Bošnjak,
Péter Paczolay, judges,
and Liv Tigerstedt Acting Deputy Section Registrar,
Having deliberated in private on 25 April 2019,
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. Notice of the applications was given to the Romanian Government (“the Government”).
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
I. JOINDER OF THE APPLICATIONS
5. Having regard to the similar subject matter of the applications, the Court finds it appropriate to examine them jointly in a single judgment.
II. THE APPLICANT’S REQUEST TO STRIKE-OUT PART OF APPLICATION No. 16208/16
6. By letter received on 19 March 2018, the applicant informed the Court that he had benefitted from the domestic compensatory remedy provided by Law no. 169/2017 and therefore asked the Court to strike-out the part of his application covering the period of his detention after 24 July 2012 – the date from which the compensatory remedy automatically applied.
7. In light of the foregoing, the Court concludes that the applicant may be regarded as no longer wishing to pursue this part of his application (Article 37 § 1 (a) of the Convention) and it should thus be struck out of the list in accordance with Article 37 § 1 in fine of the Convention.
III. ALLEGED VIOLATION OF ARTICLE 3 OF THE CONVENTION
8. 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.”
9. 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 ‑141, and Ananyev and Others v. Russia, nos. 42525/07 and 60800/08, §§ 149‑159, 10 January 2012).
10. In the leading case of Rezmiveș and Others v. Romania, nos. 61467/12 and 3 others, 25 April 2017, the Court already found a violation in respect of issues similar to those in the present case.
11. 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 applicants’ conditions of detention were inadequate.
12. These complaints are therefore admissible and disclose a breach of Article 3 of the Convention.
IV. APPLICATION OF ARTICLE 41 OF THE CONVENTION
13. 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 v. Romania, nos. 61467/12 and 3 others, 25 April 2017), the Court considers it reasonable to award the sums indicated in the appended table.
15. 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,
1. Decides to join the applications;
2. Decides to strike part of application no. 16208/16, covering the detention period after 24 July 2012, out of its list of cases;
3. Declares the remainder of the applications admissible;
4. Holds that these applications disclose a breach of Article 3 of the Convention concerning the inadequate conditions of detention;
5. 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 16 May 2019, pursuant to Rule 77 §§ 2 and 3 of the Rules of Court.
Liv TigerstedtGeorges Ravarani
Acting Deputy RegistrarPresident
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
Date 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]
44216/15
03/11/2015
Andrei Suditu
01/05/1964
Jilava Prison
06/03/2015 to
18/04/2016
1 year and 1 month and 13 days
1.8 m²
overcrowding (save for the periods of 06/03-08/03/2015, 08/10/2015-18/01/2016, 19/01-20/03/2016, 11/04-17/04/2016), infestation of cell with insects/rodents, no or restricted access to running water, lack of or inadequate furniture, lack of or insufficient natural light, lack of fresh air, mouldy or dirty cell
3,000
52981/15
22/03/2016
Gheorghe Negoiță
25/04/1988
Rahova and Giurgiu Prisons
30/07/2015 to
06/09/2017
2 years and 1 month and 8 days
1.9-2.4 m²
overcrowding (save for the period of 21/10/2015-06/09/2017), lack of fresh air, no or restricted access to potable water, no or restricted access to shower, lack of or inadequate hygienic facilities
3,000
527/16
10/02/2016
Gheorghe Bratu
13/03/1978
Codlea and Miercurea Ciuc Prisons
04/12/2012
pending
More than 6 years and 3 months and 16 days
1.3 - 1.6 m²
overcrowding (save for the periods of 24/09-30/09/2013, 23/04/2014-30/06/2015, 14/07/2015-ongoing), lack or inadequate furniture, lack of or inadequate hygienic facilities, no or restricted access to toilet
5,000
2529/16
22/03/2016
Ioan Palanceanu
03/05/1977
Codlea Prison
03/02/2015 to
23/05/2016
1 year and 3 months and 21 days
1.4-1.6 m²
overcrowding, mouldy or dirty cell, bunk beds, lack of or poor quality of bedding and bed linen, lack of fresh air, lack of or inadequate hygienic facilities
3,000
4376/16
15/02/2016
Tibor Majlát
19/12/1991
Miercurea Ciuc Prison
01/11/2013 to
18/04/2018
4 years and 5 months and 18 days
1.3-1.8 m²
overcrowding, lack of fresh air, lack of or insufficient natural light, poor quality of food, no or restricted access to warm water, lack of or inadequate hygienic facilities, lack of or inadequate furniture, lack of or insufficient physical exercise in fresh air
3,000
10359/16
05/07/2016
Fred-Valeriu Toader
11/09/1968
Iași Police Inspectorate, Iași Prison
26/01/2015 to
08/09/2016
1 year and 7 months and 14 days
Iași Prison
22/01/2018 to
26/03/2018
2 months and 5 days
1.2-2.8 m²
1.2 m²
overcrowding, infestation of cell with insects/rodents, lack of or inadequate hygienic facilities, bunk beds (Iași Prison), lack of or inadequate furniture, poor quality of food, inadequate temperature
overcrowding, infestation of cell with insects/rodents, lack of or inadequate hygienic facilities, bunk beds, lack of or inadequate furniture, poor quality of food, inadequate temperature
3,000
16208/16
20/04/2016
Sorin Gavrilov
12/02/1980
Brăila, Galați, Poarta Albă, Rahova and Tulcea Prisons, Jilava and Tărgu Ocna Hospital Prisons
25/01/2000 to
24/07/2012
12 years and 6 months
1.2-2.6 m²
overcrowding (save for 28/06/2002-08/10/2003, 23/06-12/10/2005, 05/06/2007-16/05/2008 and for other short periods of time: 2 months and 2 days maximum), poor quality of food, mouldy or dirty cell, insufficient number of sleeping places, lack of or poor quality of bedding and bed linen, lack of or inadequate hygienic facilities
5,000
17225/16
11/05/2016
Dumitru-Viorel Sîmbeteanu
23/08/1990
Bacău Police Inspectorate, Târgu Ocna and Rahova Prison Hospitals, Bacău, Iași, Focșani and Vaslui Prisons
03/04/2009
pending
More than 9 years and 11 months and 17 days
1.3-2.9 m²
overcrowding (save for Târgu Ocna and Rahova Prison Hospitals, save for the periods of 03/04-05/05/2009 and 06/03-18/09/2015), mouldy or dirty cell, infestation of cell with insects/rodents, poor quality of food (save for Rahova and Târgu Ocna Prison Hospitals), lack of or inadequate hygienic facilities
5,000
21575/16
27/05/2016
Ionel Alexandru
26/06/1978
Dolj County Police Inspectorate, Craiova Prison
13/07/2009 to
29/05/2017
7 years and 10 months and 17 days
1.1-2.8 m²
overcrowding (save for the period of 21-27/08/2013), no or restricted access to toilet, no or restricted access to shower, no or restricted access to warm water, lack of or insufficient natural light, lack of fresh air, lack of or insufficient electric light, lack of or insufficient physical exercise in fresh air, lack of or inadequate hygienic facilities, lack of or inadequate furniture, infestation of cell with insects/rodents
5,000
31339/16
28/05/2016
Marius Ceamă
17/04/1989
Ionela Mărgărit
Bucharest
Brăila Police Inspectorate, Galați and Brăila Prisons
15/12/2014
pending
More than 4 years and 3 months and 5 days
1.5-2.9 m²
overcrowding, lack of or poor quality of bedding and bed linen, infestation of cell with insects/rodents, lack of or inadequate furniture, lack of or insufficient natural light, lack of fresh air, lack of or inadequate hygienic facilities, no or restricted access to running water, mouldy or dirty cell, poor quality of food, lack of or insufficient physical exercise in fresh air (save for in Brăila Prison)
3,000
59911/16
07/10/2016
Vasile Șerban
13/09/1985
Ionela Mărgărit
Bucharest
Galați and Brăila Prisons
04/08/2015
pending
More than 3 years and 7 months and 15 days
1.5-2.2 m²
overcrowding, lack of or inadequate hygienic facilities, infestation of cell with insects/rodents, lack of or inadequate furniture, lack of or insufficient natural light, lack of fresh air, poor quality of food, small courtyard
3,000
[1]. Plus any tax that may be chargeable to the applicants.
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