FOURTH SECTION
DECISION
Application no. 49346/21
Benone ZLATE against Romania
and 21 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 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 3 of the Convention concerning the inadequate conditions of detention were communicated to the Romanian 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 LAWHaving 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 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
Date of the
applicant’s last
letter to the Court
Date of sending
Government’s
observations to
the applicant
Time-limit for
submission of the response
by the applicant
Date of the Court’s
registered letter
Date of receipt of the registered
letter
49346/21
28/10/2021
Benone ZLATE
1968
Vasilica Rusu
Bogheștii de Sus
27/04/2022
26/03/2025
07/05/2025
13/11/2025
Received by the applicant on 03/12/2025
21538/22
22/03/2023
Valentin-Georgian ENCEA
1994
04/05/2023
18/03/2025
29/04/2025
06/06/2025
Returned on 11/07/2025 by the Romanian post as the recipient had moved
36040/22
25/11/2022
Irinel-Marian BERBECE
1981
08/01/2025
03/03/2025
14/04/2025
02/06/2025
Returned on 25/09/2025 by the Romanian post as recipient unknown
36091/22
16/08/2022
Marius-Andrei MACHEDON
1991
25/03/2025
02/05/2025
13/06/2025
22/07/2025
Received by the applicant’s father on 04/08/2025
38614/22
04/10/2022
Nicolae-Marcel DUMITRU
1981
27/02/2024
02/05/2025
13/06/2025
22/07/2025
Received by the applicant on 05/08/2025
39539/22
31/10/2022
Sergiu-Aurelian TAMAŞ
1988
06/11/2023
02/05/2025
13/06/2025
22/07/2025
Received on 04/08/2025, illegible signature
40228/22
13/09/2022
Dănuţ HREŞCU
1965
28/10/2022
02/05/2025
13/06/2025
22/07/2025
Returned on 06/10/2025 by the Romanian Post as the recipient had moved
40431/22
12/08/2022
Ioan GHERGHIN
1974
Ionuţ-Iulian Gherghin
Daia Romana
29/11/2022
02/05/2025
13/06/2025
22/07/2025
Received on 05/08/2025, illegible signature
45101/22
04/11/2022
Albert-Florian BALINT
1987
09/11/2022
25/04/2025
06/06/2025
29/07/2025
Received by prison staff on 11/08/2025
45122/22
12/10/2022
Aurel SZABÓ
1978
01/12/2022
18/03/2025
29/04/2025
06/06/2025
Received by prison staff on 20/06/2025
46647/22
15/11/2022
Sorin MAXIM
1975
25/07/2024
02/05/2025
13/06/2025
22/07/2025
Received by prison staff on 06/08/2025
46984/22
01/02/2023
Dorian MARCOVICI
1973
27/04/2023
18/06/2025
30/07/2025
19/12/2025
Received by the applicant on 31/12/2025
48509/22
16/12/2022
Săndel-Silviu MOCANU
1980
03/01/2023
25/04/2025
06/06/2025
29/07/2025
Returned on 28/08/2025 by the Romanian post as recipient unknown
48781/22
11/11/2022
Timotei IONILĂ
1996
21/11/2022
25/04/2025
06/06/2025
29/07/2025
Returned on 28/08/2025 by the Romanian post as the recipient had moved
49075/22
07/10/2022
Romeo BARBU
1987
17/11/2022
18/06/2025
30/07/2025
19/12/2025
Returned on 29/01/2026 by the Romanian Post as the recipient had moved
49130/22
07/11/2022
Adrian-Vasile DEZMIREAN
1982
13/12/2022
18/03/2025
29/04/2025
06/06/2025
Received by prisons staff on 23/06/2025
49335/22
15/11/2022
Ionel CIOCÎRLAN
1980
03/11/2023
02/05/2025
13/06/2025
22/07/2025
Received by prison staff on 11/08/2025
52162/22
07/12/2022
Ioan AVRAM
1975
31/01/2023
18/06/2025
30/07/2025
19/12/2025
Received by prison staff on 14/01/2026 and forwarded to the prison where the applicant had been transferred
52563/22
14/12/2022
Aurel-Alexandru COŞERGAR
1983
20/02/2023
02/05/2025
13/06/2025
22/07/2025
Returned on 15/09/2025 by the Romanian Post as unclaimed
52592/22
12/12/2022
Vasia-Nelu BERESCU
1991
02/01/2023
18/03/2025
29/04/2025
06/06/2025
Received by prison staff on 18/06/2025
53253/22
26/01/2023
Valentin RADU
1996
01/02/2023
03/03/2025
14/04/2025
02/06/2025
Returned on 22/08/2025 by the Bucharest-Rahova Prison after unsuccessful attempt to forward the letter to the applicant’s address after his release
53272/22
13/12/2022
Resan BOLKVADZE
1985
14/03/2023
02/05/2025
13/06/2025
22/07/2025
Returned on 25/09/2025 by the Georgian post as unclaimed