FOURTH SECTION
DECISION
PILOT-JUDGMENT PROCEDURE
AS TO THE ADMISSIBILITY OF
Application no. 44/07
by Mirosław KUŹMICZ
against Poland
The European Court of Human Rights (Fourth Section), sitting on 14 December 2010 as a Chamber composed of:
Nicolas Bratza, President,
Lech Garlicki,
Ljiljana Mijović,
Ján Šikuta,
Mihai Poalelungi,
Nebojša Vučinić,
Vincent A. de Gaetano, judges,
and Fatoş Aracı, Deputy Section Registrar,
Having regard to the above application lodged on 7 December 2006,
Having regard to the final pilot judgments in the cases of Orchowski v. Poland (no. 17885/04) and Norbert Sikorski v. Poland (no. 17599/05) delivered on 22 October 2009, in particular to the finding under Article 46 of the Convention that overcrowding in Polish prisons and remand centres revealed a structural problem,
Having regard to the decisions to declare the applications Łatak v. Poland (no. 52070/08) and Łomiński v. Poland (no. 33502/09) inadmissible for non-exhaustion of domestic remedies,
Having regard to the observations submitted by the respondent Government and the observations in reply submitted by the applicants,
Having deliberated, decides as follows:
THE FACTS
The applicant, Mr Mirosław Kuźmicz, is a Polish national who was born in 1968 and is currently detained in Białystok Remand Centre. He was represented before the Court by Mr J. Dek, a lawyer practising in Białystok.
A. Particular circumstances of the case
1. Period of the applicant’s detention
From 18 September 2006 until the present day the applicant has been detained in Białystok Remand Centre.
2. Conditions of the applicant’s detention
The applicant submitted that he was held in a cell which was designed for two prisoners and measured 7 m². The cell was initially furnished with three beds, three stools, two small tables and two cupboards. A toilet annex was in the corner of the cell.
From 22 September to 1 December 2006, the cell was occupied by three detainees, including the applicant. From 1 December 2006 until an unspecified date, it was shared by four inmates, including the applicant. A fourth bed was added.
The Government submitted that on an unspecified date, presumably in November 2009, the applicant had been placed in a cell in which the statutory minimum standard of 3 m² per person was respected. The applicant did not contest this submission.
3. The applicant’s actions concerning the conditions of his detention
The applicant lodged a number of complaints with the State authorities and the remand centre’s administration about the overcrowding.
By letter of 20 April 2007 the Deputy Governor of Białystok Remand Centre informed the applicant that his complaint had been considered ill‑founded. It was stated that the situation in Białystok Remand Centre was no different from that in the rest of the country, since overcrowding was a general problem in Polish detention facilities.
The applicant did not bring a civil action to seek compensation for the infringement of his personal rights.
B. Relevant domestic law and practice
(See Siedlecki and 9 other applications v. Poland, no. 5246/03).
COMPLAINTS
(See Siedlecki and 9 other applications v. Poland, no. 5246/03).
THE LAW
(See Siedlecki and 9 other applications v. Poland, no. 5246/03).
For these reasons, the Court unanimously
Declares the application inadmissible.
Fatoş AracıNicolas Bratza
Deputy RegistrarPresident
Full & Egal Universal Law Academy