FOURTH SECTION
DECISION
Applications nos. 5651/24 and 24773/24
Damian-Andrei HOCA against Romania and
Amar ROMAN against Romania
(see appended table)
The European Court of Human Rights (Fourth Section), sitting on 4 June 2026 as a Committee composed of:
Anne Louise Bormann, President,
András Jakab,
Corinna Wissels, judges,
and Viktoriya Maradudina, Acting Deputy Section Registrar,
Having regard to the above 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,
Having deliberated, decides as follows:
FACTS AND PROCEDUREThe list of the applicants and the relevant details are set out in the appendix.
The applicants’ complaints under Article 8 § 1 of the Convention concerning the refusal of the applicants’ requests of leave for attending funeral of close relatives were communicated to the Romanian Government (“the Government”), who submitted observations on the admissibility and merits. The observations were forwarded to the applicants, who were invited to submit their own observations (see the appended table for the relevant dates). No reply was received to the Registry’s letter.
By letters, sent by registered post, the applicants were notified that the time allowed for the submission of their observations had expired (see the appended table for the relevant dates) and that no extension of time had been requested. The applicants’ attention was drawn to Article 37 § 1 (a) of the Convention, which provides that the Court may strike an application out of its list of cases where the circumstances lead to the conclusion that the applicant does not intend to pursue the application.
No reply to these letters has been received by the Court. The registered letters were either received by the applicants or the applicants’ relatives or by the prison’s authorities (see details in the appended table).
THE LAW
Having regard to the similar subject matter of the applications, the Court finds it appropriate to examine them jointly in a single decision.
In the light of the foregoing, and in the absence of any special circumstances regarding respect for the rights guaranteed by the Convention and the Protocols thereto, the Court, in accordance with Article 37 § 1 (a) of the Convention, considers that it is no longer justified to continue the examination of the applications.
Accordingly, the cases should be struck out of the list.
For these reasons, the Court, unanimously,
Decides to join the applications;
Decides to strike the applications out of its list of cases.
Done in English and notified in writing on 25 June 2026.
Viktoriya Maradudina Anne Louise Bormann
Acting Deputy Registrar President
APPENDIX
List of applications raising complaints under Article 8 § 1 of the Convention
(refusal of leave to prisoner for attending funeral of close relatives)
No.
Application no.
Date of introduction
Applicant’s name
Year of birth
Date of the
applicant’s last
letter to the Court
Date of sending
Government’s
observations to
the
applicant
Time-limit for
submission of
response by the
applicant
Date of the Court’s
registered letter
Date of receipt of the registered letter
1.
5651/24
15/02/2024
Damian-Andrei HOCA
1993
26/03/2024
12/08/2025
23/09/2025
16/10/2025
Received on 27/10/2025 (illegible signature)
2.
24773/24
14/08/2024
Amar ROMAN
1976
23/04/2025
12/08/2025
23/09/2025
16/10/2025
Received by the applicant’s mother on 27/10/2025