1561/21;5761/21;19324/21;19376/21;19639/21;25698/21;25702/21;26914/21;27717/21;34350/21

FIRST SECTION CASE OF LAKATOS AND OTHERS v. HUNGARY (Applications nos. 1561/21 and 9 others – see appended list)                 JUDGMENT   STRASBOURG 24 February 2022   This judgment is final but it may be subject to editorial revision. In the case of Lakatos and Others v. Hungary, The European Court of Human Rights (First Section), sitting as a Committee composed of:  Alena Poláčková, President,  Raffaele Sabato,  Davor Derenčinović, judges, and Attila Teplán, Acting Deputy Section Registrar, Having deliberated in private on 3 February 2022, Delivers the following judgment, which was adopted on that date: PROCEDURE 1.  The case originated in applications against Hungary 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.  The Hungarian Government (“the Government”) were given notice of the applications. 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 excessive length of their pre-trial detention. Some applicants also raised other complaints under the provisions of the Convention. THE LAW 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. ALLEGED VIOLATION OF ARTICLE 5 § 3 OF THE CONVENTION 6.  The applicants complained principally that their pre-trial detention had been unreasonably long. They relied on Article 5 § 3 of the Convention, which reads as follows: Article 5 § 3 “3.  Everyone arrested or detained in accordance with the provisions of paragraph 1 (c) of this Article shall be ... entitled to trial within a reasonable time or to release pending trial. Release may be conditioned by guarantees to appear for trial.” 7.  The Court observes that the general principles regarding the right to trial within a reasonable time or to release pending trial, as guaranteed by Article 5 § 3 of the Convention, have been stated in a number of its previous judgments (see, among many other authorities, Kudła v. Poland [GC], no. 30210/96, § 110, ECHR 2000‑XI, and McKay v. the United Kingdom [GC], no. 543/03, §§ 41-44, ECHR 2006‑X, with further references). 8.  In the leading cases of Gál v. Hungary, no. 62631/11, 11 March 2014 and Lakatos v. Hungary, no. 21786/15, 26 June 2018, the Court already found a violation in respect of issues similar to those in the present case. 9.  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 length of the applicants’ pre-trial detention was excessive. 10.  These complaints are therefore admissible and disclose a breach of Article 5 § 3 of the Convention. OTHER ALLEGED VIOLATIONS UNDER WELL-ESTABLISHED CASE-LAW 11.  Some applicants submitted further complaints under Article 5 § 4 of the Convention which also raised issues, given the relevant well-established case-law of the Court (see appended table). These complaints are not manifestly ill-founded within the meaning of Article 35 § 3 (a) of the Convention, nor are they inadmissible on any other ground. Accordingly, they must be declared admissible. Having examined all the material before it, the Court concludes that they also disclose violations of the Convention in the light of its findings in among many authorities, Bandur v. Hungary, no. 50130/12, §§ 79 to 85, 5 July 2016. APPLICATION OF ARTICLE 41 OF THE CONVENTION 12.  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.” 13.  Regard being had to the documents in its possession and to its case‑law (see, in particular, Gál, cited above), the Court considers it reasonable to award the sums indicated in the appended table. 14.  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, Decides to join the applications; Declares the applications admissible; Holds that these applications disclose a breach of Article 5 § 3 of the Convention concerning the excessive length of pre-trial detention; Holds that there has been a violation of the Convention as regards the other complaints raised under well-established case-law of the Court (see appended table); 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 24 February 2022, pursuant to Rule 77 §§ 2 and 3 of the Rules of Court.    Attila Teplán Alena Poláčková  Acting Deputy Registrar President       APPENDIX List of applications raising complaints under Article 5 § 3 of the Convention (excessive length of pre-trial detention) No. Application no. Date of introduction Applicant’s name Year of birth   Representative’s name and location Period of detention Length of detention Other complaints under well-established case-law Amount awarded for pecuniary and non‑pecuniary damage and costs and expenses per applicant (in euros)[1]     1561/21 17/12/2020 Gyula LAKATOS Kiss Dominika Szilvia Budapest 12/03/2019 pending More than 2 year(s) and 10 month(s)   Art. 5 (4) - excessive length of judicial review of detention - The applicant’s appeals on detention were decided upon after delays of 3.5 months and 1.5 months. 5,100     5761/21 11/01/2021 Ferenc ARNOLD Kiss Dominika Szilvia Budapest 09/05/2018 to 08/09/2020 2 year(s) and 4 month(s)   Art. 5 (4) - excessive length of judicial review of detention - The obligatory 6‑month review was carried out with a delay of 12 days. Furthermore, the applicant’s appeals on detention were decided upon with delays of 1 and 1.5 months. 4,100     19324/21 25/03/2021 Attila LÁSZLÓ Kiss Dániel Bálint Budapest 01/04/2019 to 07/12/2020 1 year(s) and 8 month(s) and 7 day(s)   Art. 5 (4) - excessive length of judicial review of detention - Three appeals of detention were decided on with 2-month delays. The statutory 6-month and 1‑year reviews were omitted. 3,200     19376/21 31/03/2021 Ferenc Miklós LÁZÓK Kiss Dominika Szilvia Budapest 28/12/2016 to 22/12/2020 3 year(s) and 11 month(s) and 25 day(s)   Art. 5 (4) - deficiencies in proceedings for review of the lawfulness of detention - The obligatory reviews of his detention that are due in every six months either took place with a considerable delay or did not take place at all (the two-year review). 6,800     19639/21 24/03/2021 Szabolcs BODÓ Kiss Dominika Szilvia Budapest 28/03/2019 to 11/11/2020 1 year(s) and 7 month(s) and 15 day(s)   Art. 5 (4) - excessive length of judicial review of detention - The applicant’s appeal against the decision maintaining the detention after the indictment was decided on with a delay of two months. The obligatory six-month review was carried out with a delay of one month. The obligatory one-year review was not carried out at all. 3,000     25698/21 10/05/2021 Dezső VARGA Kiss Dániel Bálint Budapest 05/05/2018 to 03/05/2021 2 year(s) and 11 month(s) and 29 day(s)   Art. 5 (4) - excessive length of judicial review of detention - The obligatory one‑year detention review was carried out with a delay of 13 months. The 1.5-, 2- and 2.5-year reviews were not carried out at all. 5,100     25702/21 06/05/2021 Pierre Francesco VASTA Kiss Dániel Bálint Budapest 19/07/2019 to 17/12/2020 1 year(s) and 4 month(s) and 29 day(s)     2,000     26914/21 13/05/2021 Zsolt TOKODI Karsai Dániel András Budapest 07/10/2019 to 10/05/2021 1 year(s) and 7 month(s) and 4 day(s)     2,300     27717/21 14/05/2021 Ervis KRUJA Kiss Dániel Bálint Budapest 28/01/2019 to 05/05/2021 2 year(s) and 3 month(s) and 8 day(s)     3,100   34350/21 23/06/2021 Emil Dávid MERUCZA Kiss Dániel Bálint Budapest 21/08/2019 to 14/07/2021 1 year(s) and 10 month(s) and 24 day(s)   Art. 5 (4) - excessive length of judicial review of detention - Three detention appeals were decided on with delays of 1, 1.5 and 2 months. 3,500   [1] Plus any tax that may be chargeable to the applicants.