29213/13;36214/13;44381/13;44661/13;44763/13;46576/13;46587/13;46588/13;46644/13;51608/13

FOURTH SECTION             CASE OF POLGÁR AND OTHERS v. HUNGARY   (Application no. 29213/13 and 9 other applications - see appended list)                             JUDGMENT         STRASBOURG   10 December 2015       This judgment is final. It may be subject to editorial revision. In the case of Polgár and Others v. Hungary, The European Court of Human Rights (Fourth Section), sitting as a Committee composed of:  Vincent A. De Gaetano, President,  Egidijus Kūris,  Gabriele Kucsko-Stadlmayer, judges, and Hasan Bakırcı, Acting Deputy Section Registrar, Having deliberated in private on 19 November 2015, Delivers the following judgment, which was adopted on that date: PROCEDURE 1.  The cases 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 applications were communicated to the Hungarian Government (“the Government”). THE FACTS 3.  The list of applicants, their representatives and the relevant details of the applications are set out in the appended table. 4.  The applicants complained of the inadequate conditions of their detention and of the lack of any effective remedy in domestic law. THE LAW I.  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. II.  ALLEGED VIOLATION OF ARTICLES 3 AND 13 OF THE CONVENTION 6.  The applicants complained of the inadequate conditions of their detention and that they had no effective remedy in this connection. They relied on Articles 3 and 13 of the Convention, which read as follows: Article 3 “No one shall be subjected to torture or to inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment.” Article 13 “Everyone whose rights and freedoms as set forth in this Convention are violated shall have an effective remedy before a national authority...” 7.  The Court notes that the applicants were kept in detention in poor conditions. The details of the applicants’ detention are indicated in the appended table. The Court refers to the principles established in its case‑law regarding inadequate conditions of detention (see, for instance, Kudła v. Poland [GC], no. 30210/96, §§ 90‑94, ECHR 2000‑XI, and Ananyev and Others v. Russia, nos. 42525/07 and 60800/08, §§ 139‑165, 10 January 2012). It reiterates in particular that extreme lack of space in a prison cell or overcrowding weighs heavily as an aspect to be taken into account for the purpose of establishing whether the impugned detention conditions were “degrading” from the point of view of Article 3 and may disclose a violation, both alone or taken together with other shortcomings (see, amongst many authorities, Karalevičius v. Lithuania, no. 53254/99, §§ 36‑40, 7 April 2005). 8.  In the leading case of Varga and Others v. Hungary (nos. 14097/12, 45135/12, 73712/12, 34001/13, 44055/13, and 64586/13, 10 March 2015), 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 applicants’ conditions of detention were inadequate. 10.  The Court further notes that the applicants did not have at their disposal an effective remedy by which to submit their complaints concerning their conditions of detention. 11.  These complaints are therefore admissible and disclose a breach of Articles 3 and 13 of the Convention. III.  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, Varga and Others v. Hungary, nos. 14097/12, 45135/12, 73712/12, 34001/13, 44055/13, and 64586/13, 10 March 2015), 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, 1.  Decides to join the applications;   2.  Declares the applications admissible;   3.  Holds that these applications disclose a breach of Articles 3 and 13 of the Convention concerning the inadequate conditions of detention and the lack of an effective remedy;   4.  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 10 December 2015, pursuant to Rule 77 §§ 2 and 3 of the Rules of Court.   Hasan Bakırcı Vincent A. De Gaetano Acting Deputy Registrar President   APPENDIX List of applications raising complaints under Articles 3 and 13 of the Convention (inadequate conditions of detention and lack of any effective remedy in domestic law) No. Application no. Date of introduction Applicant name Date of birth /   Representative name and location Facility Start and end date Duration Sq. m. per inmate Specific grievances Amount awarded for non-pecuniary damage per applicant (in euros)[i] Amount awarded for costs and expenses per application (in euros)[ii]     29213/13 23/04/2013 Sándor Rezső POLGÁR 09/03/1956     Győr-Moson-Sopron County Prison 07/05/2007 to 17/11/2008 1 year(s) and 7 month(s)   Budapest Prison 03/08/2009 to 13/09/2009 0 year(s) and 2 month(s)   Budapest Prison 19/11/2009 to 05/11/2013 4 year(s)   3 m²         3.4 m²         3.2 m²     toilet not separated from the rest of the cell                 toilet not separated from the rest of the cell   19,300       36214/13 31/05/2013 Zoltán MOLNÁR 21/06/1973     Juvenile Correctional Facility, Tököl 07/12/2010 to 10/10/2011 0 year(s) and 11 month(s)   Budapest Prison 10/10/2011 pending 4 year(s) and 1 month(s)   2.2 m²           2.5 m²                 toilet not separated from the rest of the cell   17,000       44381/13 05/07/2013 Gábor MÉZGA 01/12/1983 Fahidi Gergely Budapest Budapest Correctional Facility, Block III. ("Maglódi/Venyige") 01/03/2007 to 01/10/2007 0 year(s) and 8 month(s) Budapest Correctional Facility, Block II. ("Gyorskocsi") 01/10/2007 to 01/04/2008 0 year(s) and 7 month(s)   Budapest Correctional Facility, Block I. ("Nagy Ignác/Markó") 01/04/2008 to 01/09/2008 0 year(s) and 6 month(s)   Budapest Correctional Facility, Block III. ("Maglódi/Venyige") 01/09/2008 to 01/03/2009 0 year(s) and 7 month(s)   Márianosztra Prison 01/03/2009 to 01/03/2011 2 year(s) and 1 month(s)   Budapest Prison, Block "A" 01/03/2011 to 01/07/2013 2 year(s) and 5 month(s)     2 m²         2 m²           2 m²           2 m²           2 m²         2 m²     shower only once a week         shower only once a week           shower only once a week           shower only once a week           22,500       44661/13 02/07/2013 Szabolcs ASBOLT 04/08/1990 Fahidi Gergely Budapest Budapest Prison, Block "A" 01/03/2011 to 12/10/2012 1 year(s) and 8 month(s)   Budapest Prison, Block "B" 12/10/2012 to 16/09/2014 2 year(s)   2.6 m²         2.5 m²     shower only once a week, toilet not separated from the rest of the cell, infestation of the cell with insects, only cold water in cell   shower only once a week, toilet not separated from the rest of the cell, infestation of the cell with insects, only cold water in cell   13,000     44763/13 05/07/2013 Róbert KÖKÉNY 02/02/1971 Gulyás Gábor Budapest Vác Prison 06/06/2011 to 23/12/2011 0 year(s) and 7 month(s)   Márianosztra Prison 23/12/2011 to 02/04/2012 0 year(s) and 4 month(s)   Budapest Prison, Block "B" 15/10/2012 to 22/02/2013 0 year(s) and 5 month(s)   Budapest Prison, Block "A" 22/02/2013 to 30/11/2015 2 year(s) and 10 month(s)     2.6 m²         2.6 m²         3.1 m²         2.6 m²     shower only once a week, toilet not separated from the rest of the cell     toilet not separated from the rest of the cell       shower only once a week         shower only once a week, toilet not separated from the rest of the cell   14,500     46576/13 16/07/2013 László IGNÁCZ 01/12/1972 Fahidi Gergely Budapest Baranya County Prison 20/06/2010 to 01/02/2011 0 year(s) and 8 month(s)   Zala County Prison 01/02/2011 to 01/10/2011 0 year(s) and 9 month(s)   Budapest Prison, Block "A" 01/10/2011 to 11/07/2014 2 year(s) and 10 month(s)         2 m²         2.3 m²         2.6 m²                         shower only once a week, toilet not separated from the rest of the cell, infestation of the cell with insects   14,800     46587/13 15/07/2013 Zoltán GALÓ 29/09/1972 Cech András Budapest Budapest Correctional Facility 20/02/2012 to 05/03/2012 0 year(s) and 1 month(s)   Budapest Prison 05/03/2012 to 02/12/2013 1 year(s) and 9 month(s)   Budapest Prison 20/11/2014 pending 1 year(s)   3.75 m²         3.1 m²         2.6 m²               lack of requisite medical assistance, toilet not separated from the rest of the cell, shower only once a week   lack of requisite medical assistance, shower only once a week, toilet not separated from the rest of the cell 10,500     46588/13 17/07/2013 Tibor KORMONT 01/06/1964 Fahidi Gergely Budapest Borsod-Abaúj-Zemplén County Prison 13/07/2004 to 10/07/2007 3 year(s)   Vác Prison 10/07/2007 to 10/10/2010 3 year(s) and 4 month(s)   Budapest Prison, Block "B" 10/10/2010 to 15/01/2015 4 year(s) and 4 month(s)   2.2 m²           2.5 m²         2.5 m²     shower only once a week                     infestation of the cell with insects   26,000     46644/13 16/07/2013 Viorel Florin CSAPÁR 21/07/1971 Nagy Gábor Budapest Budapest Correctional Facility, Block III. ("Maglódi/Venyige") 12/06/2006 to 14/04/2008 1 year(s) and 11 month(s)     Budapest Prison 27/04/2008 to 16/07/2014 6 year(s) and 3 month(s)             3.75 m²             2 m²                   shower only once a week, toilet not separated from the rest of the cell   15,000   51608/13 30/07/2013 Mihály JANICS 16/05/1959     Vác Prison 14/02/2011 to 14/06/2011 0 year(s) and 5 month(s)   Sopronkőhida Prison 26/10/2011 to 13/10/2013 2 year(s)   2.6 m²         2.5 m²     toilet not separated from the rest of the cell       shower only once a week   9,300       [i] Plus any tax that may be chargeable to the applicants. [ii] Plus any tax that may be chargeable to the applicants.