FOURTH SECTION
DECISION
Application no. 12426/22
Romică-Ciprian LAKATOS against Romania
and 18 other applications
(see appended table)
The European Court of Human Rights (Fourth Section), sitting on 21 May 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 regard to the observations submitted by the respondent Government and the observations in reply submitted by the applicant,
Having deliberated, decides as follows:
FACTS AND PROCEDUREThe list of applicants is set out in the appended table.
The applicants’ complaints under Article 3 of the Convention concerning the inadequate conditions of detention were communicated to the Romanian Government (“the Government”). In some applications, the applicants raised additional complaints under various provisions of the Convention.
THE LAW Joinder of the applicationsHaving regard to the similar subject matter of the applications, the Court finds it appropriate to examine them jointly in a single decision.
Complaints under Article 3 of the Convention (inadequate conditions of detention)The applicants complained principally of the inadequate conditions of their detention. They relied on Article 3 of the Convention.
Having examined all the material before it, the Court considers that for the reasons stated below, the present complaints are inadmissible.
The Government argued that the applicants had failed to exhaust the available effective remedies for their complaints about the inadequate conditions of their detention, as the complaint with the judge responsible for supervising the deprivation of liberty (plângerea în fața judecătorului de supraveghere a privării de libertate), provided for by Article 56 of Law no. 254/2013, had become an effective remedy for grievances similar to those of the applicants.
The Court recalls that in Văscăuțanu v. Romania (dec.), no. 10120/23, §§ 47–59, 18 November 2025, it held that the remedy, which consists of lodging a complaint with the judge responsible for supervising the deprivation of liberty (plângerea în fața judecătorului de supraveghere a privării de libertate), provided for by Article 56 of Law no. 254/2013, constituted, as of 6 April 2023, an effective remedy enabling individuals who allege that they are being held in inadequate conditions of detention to put an end to their situation that they denounced as being contrary to Article 3 of the Convention.
In light of all the material in its possession, the Court observes that the applicants, who allege that they are being held in inadequate conditions of detention, did not indicate that they pursued the available remedy before the domestic courts (see Văscăuțanu, cited above, § 65). Therefore, their complaints in that regard must be dismissed for failure to exhaust domestic remedies.
The Government also invoked other grounds of inadmissibility to argue that the present complaints must be rejected. Since it has already upheld the Government’s objection on the non-exhaustion of domestic remedies, the Court does not consider it necessary to examine further additional arguments raised by the Government.
In view of the above, the Court finds that the applicants’ complaints concerning the periods of their detention set out in the appended table must be rejected for failure to exhaust the domestic remedy laid down in Article 56 of Law no. 254/2013, in accordance with Article 35 §§ 1 and 4 of the Convention.
Remaining complaintsSome applicants also raised other complaints under various articles of the Convention.
The Court has examined the applications listed in the appended table and considers that, in the light of all the material in its possession and in so far as the matters complained of are within its competence, these complaints either do not meet the admissibility criteria set out in Articles 34 and 35 of the Convention or do not disclose any appearance of a violation of the rights and freedoms enshrined in the Convention or the Protocols thereto.
It follows that this part of the applications must be rejected in accordance with Article 35 § 4 of the Convention.
For these reasons, the Court, unanimously,
Decides to join the applications;
Declares the applications inadmissible.
Done in English and notified in writing on 11 June 2026.
Viktoriya Maradudina Anne Louise Bormann
Acting Deputy Registrar President
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
Year of birth
Representative’s name and location
Facility
Start and end date
Duration
12426/22
22/02/2022
Romică-Ciprian LAKATOS
1988
Gherla, Baia Mare and Bistrița Prisons
03/04/2020
pending
More than 5 year(s) and 10 month(s) and 25 day(s)
13522/22
10/02/2022
Lucian Adrian BONCU
1978
Pașca Mihai-Lucian
Timisoara
Timișoara and Oradea Prisons
10/02/2022
pending
More than 4 year(s) and 18 day(s)§
16004/22
02/08/2022
Ştefan DANI
1983
Gherla, Oradea, Satu Mare, Baia Mare, Bistrița, Deva and Iași Prisons; Dej Prison Hospital
18/12/2020
pending
More than 5 year(s) and 2 month(s) and 10 day(s)
16506/22
18/04/2022
Valentin IACOB
1974
Iași Prison
23/12/2019
pending
More than 6 year(s) and 2 month(s) and 5 day(s)
20068/22
08/06/2022
Florin PUZSA
1973
Baia Mare, Deva and Gherla Prisons
18/04/2018
pending
More than 7 year(s) and 10 month(s) and 10 day(s)
32112/22
22/08/2022
Costel IORGA
1965
Târgu Ocna Prison Hospital; Iași, Bucharest-Rahova, Botoșani and Găești Prisons
23/12/2019
pending
More than 6 year(s) and 2 month(s) and 9 day(s)
34979/22
09/08/2022
Alexandru-Marian MITU
1976
Constanța Police Detention facility, Poarta Albă (Constanța), Slobozia and Arad Prisons
13/03/2019
pending
More than 6 year(s) and 11 month(s) and 20 day(s)
36005/22
22/09/2022
Remus VEREŞ
1979
Oradea Prison
04/09/2019
pending
More than 6 year(s) and 6 month(s) and 1 day(s)
37191/22
03/04/2023
Iulian-Cosmin ATĂNĂSOAEI
1991
Bacău County Police Station; Bacău and Botoșani Prisons
19/01/2022
pending
More than 4 year(s) and 1 month(s) and 14 day(s)
39073/22
04/08/2022
Laurenţiu-Vasile DUMITRU
1989
Bucharest Police detention facility no. 4; Rahova and Jilava Prisons
08/07/2020
pending
More than 5 year(s) and 7 month(s) and 25 day(s)
39436/22
20/09/2022
Iulian CÎTEA
1970
Gherla Prison
06/07/2017
pending
More than 8 year(s) and 7 month(s) and 27 day(s)
41398/22
18/10/2022
Costel AVĂTĂMĂNIŢEI
1985
Botoșani and Arad Prisons
05/01/2019 to
01/04/2019
2 month(s) and 28 day(s)
Botoșani and Arad Prisons
08/11/2019
pending
More than 6 year(s) and 3 month(s) and 25 day(s)
45026/22
24/10/2022
Tiberius Virgil STOICA
1984
Arad, Oradea, Craiova and Iași Prisons
13/11/2020
pending
More than 5 year(s) and 3 month(s) and 20 day(s)
45547/22
20/10/2022
Petre OSMAN
1981
IPJ Olt Police Station; Craiova, Mărgineni and Giurgiu Prisons
21/08/2010
pending
More than 15 year(s) and 6 month(s) and 12 day(s)
46423/22
12/06/2023
Alexandru-Mircea DUMITRACHE
1986
Bucharest-Rahova, Giurgiu, Mărgineni and Ploiești Prisons
06/09/2016
pending
More than 9 year(s) and 5 month(s) and 27 day(s)
46831/22
28/11/2022
Marius
RUSU
1988
Aiud Prison
23/04/2021
pending
More than 4 year(s) and 10 month(s) and 3 day(s)
48002/22
17/01/2023
Vasile-Ioan
POP
1977
Gherla and Baia Mare Prisons
18/10/2018
pending
More than 7 year(s) and 4 month(s) and 8 day(s)
51836/22
12/12/2022
Nicolae-Ionuţ FERARU
1988
Vaslui County Police Station; Giurgiu, Iași, Vaslui and Galați Prisons
14/09/2016
pending
More than 9 year(s) and 5 month(s) and 19 day(s)
56571/22
29/11/2022
Cosmin ROSTAS
1990
Sălaj and Alba Counties Police Stations; Gherla, Oradea and Bistrița Prisons
09/09/2021
pending
More than 4 year(s) and 5 month(s) and 24 day(s)