Přehled
Rozhodnutí
FOURTH SECTION
DECISION
Application no. 20370/20
Rui Miguel ENES VINHAL against Portugal
and 7 other applications
(see appended table)
The European Court of Human Rights (Fourth Section), sitting on 6 October 2022 as a Committee composed of:
Armen Harutyunyan, President,
Jolien Schukking,
Ana Maria Guerra Martins, judges,
and Viktoriya Maradudina, Acting Deputy Section Registrar,
Having regard to the above applications lodged 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 applicants,
Having deliberated, decides as follows:
FACTS AND PROCEDURE
The list of applicants is set out in the appended table.
The applicants were represented by Vitor Carreto, a lawyer practising in Torres Vedras, Portugal.
The applicants’ complaints under Articles 3 and 13 of the Convention concerning the inadequate conditions of detention and the lack of an effective remedy in this respect were communicated to the Portuguese Government (“the Government”).
THE LAW
- Joinder of the applications
Having 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)
- Conditions of detention concerning the last period of detention
In the present applications, having examined all the material before it, the Court considers that for the reasons stated below, the complaints about the conditions of detention during the period as described below are inadmissible.
The applicants were detained in different prison facilities. During their last, most recent and/or current period of detention, the applicants were detained at Carregueira Prison (applications nos. 20370/20, 24784/20, 26130/20, 26226/20, 40894/20, and 46242/20) and Pinheiro da Cruz Prison (applications nos. 28871/20 and 28908/20).
Having regard to all the available material and the parties’ arguments, the Court finds that it cannot be established that the applicants suffered in these prison facilities from severe overcrowding of the kind that could entail on its own, a violation of Article 3 of the Convention (see Muršić v. Croatia [GC], no. 7334/13, § 140, 20 October 2016). Nor can it be found that the cumulative effect of the other aspects of the detention which the applicants complained about reached the threshold of severity required to characterise the treatment as inhuman or degrading within the meaning of Article 3 (see Bokor v. Portugal, (dec.) no. 5227/18, §§ 32-34, 10 December 2020).
In view of the above, the Court finds that the complaints about these periods of detention (for further details see the appended table) are manifestly ill-founded and must be rejected in accordance with Article 35 §§ 3 and 4 of the Convention.
- Conditions of detention prior their last prison transfer
Concerning applications nos. 20370/20, 24784/20, 26130/20, 26226/20, 28908/20, 40894/20, 46242/20, in light of the conclusion above, the Court finds that the applicants’ transfer to the last (most recent) prison facility interrupted the “continued situation” of their detention, and thus the complaints about the detention conditions during the period prior to their last transfer are belated (see Ananyev and Others v. Russia, nos. 42525/07 and 60800/08, §§ 75-78, 10 January 2012) and must be rejected in accordance with Article 35 §§ 1 and 4 of the Convention.
- Complaint under Article 13 of the Convention (lack of any effective remedy in domestic law in respect of inadequate conditions of detention)
Under Article 13 of the Convention, the applicants argued the lack of an effective remedy to complain against the inadequate conditions of detention in Portugal. The Court notes that, according to the Court’s established case-law, Article 13 applies only where an individual has an “arguable claim” to be a victim of a violation of a Convention right (see Boyle and Rice v. the United Kingdom, 27 April 1988, § 52, Series A no. 131, and Narcisio v. Netherlands (dec.), no. 47810/99, 27 January 2005).
Having regard to the findings above in respect of the applicants’ complaints under Article 3 about the conditions of their detention, the Court concludes that they did not have an “arguable claim”, and that therefore Article 13 is not applicable. 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 27 October 2022.
Viktoriya Maradudina Armen Harutyunyan
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 | Facility Start and end date Duration | Sq. m per inmate | Specific grievances | Other complaints under well-established case-law |
20370/20 04/05/2020 | Rui Miguel ENES VINHAL 1993 | Lisbon Judicial Police Prison 27/01/2016 to 30/06/2017 1 year and 5 months and 4 days Carregueira Prison 30/06/2017 pending More than 5 years and 2 months and 10 days | 2 inmates 2.5 m² 1 toilet 6 inmates 5.12 m² 1 toilet | inadequate temperature, infestation of cell with insects/rodents, lack of fresh air, lack of or inadequate hygienic facilities, overcrowding, poor quality of food, lack of or poor quality of bedding and bed linen lack or insufficient quantity of food | Art. 13 - lack of any effective remedy in domestic law in respect of inadequate conditions of detention. | |
24784/20 08/06/2020 | José Carlos LOPES MIDÕES 1964 | Lisbon Judicial Police Prison 04/01/2019 to 15/01/2019 12 days Carregueira Prison 15/01/2019 to 17/08/2021 2 years and 7 months and 3 days | 3 inmates 2.6 m² 1 toilet 6 inmates 5.12 m² 1 toilet | inadequate temperature, mouldy or dirty cell, lack of fresh air, poor quality of food, lack of or poor quality of bedding and bed linen, lack of privacy for toilet lack of fresh air, lack or insufficient quantity of food | Art. 13 - lack of any effective remedy in domestic law in respect of inadequate conditions of detention. | |
26130/20 16/06/2020 | Veaceslav GANGAN 1962 | Prison of Beja 21/11/2010 to 10/07/2012 1 year and 7 months and 20 days Prison of Carregueira 10/07/2012 pending More than 10 years and 2 months | 9 inmates 2.1 m² 1 toilet 6 inmates 5.12 m² 1 toilet | lack of fresh air, overcrowding, poor quality of food, lack or insufficient quantity of food, mouldy or dirty cell lack of fresh air, poor quality of food | Art. 13 - lack of any effective remedy in domestic law in respect of inadequate conditions of detention. | |
26226/20 16/06/2020 | Alfredo Manuel COELHO DA SILVA MERGULHÃO 1958 | Lisbon Judicial Police Prison 23/06/2016 to 11/01/2017 6 months and 20 days Lisbon Central Prison 11/01/2017 to 24/07/2017 6 months and 14 days Carregueira Prison 24/07/2017 pending More than 3 years and 1 month and 17 days | 9 inmates 1,2 m² 1 toilet 2 inmates 3.5 m² 1 toilet 6 inmates 5.12 m² 1 toilet | lack of fresh air, mouldy or dirty cell, overcrowding, poor quality of food, lack or insufficient quantity of food lack of fresh air, overcrowding, poor quality of food, lack or insufficient quantity of food, lack of requisite medical assistance lack of fresh air, poor quality of food | Art. 13 - lack of any effective remedy in domestic law in respect of inadequate conditions of detention. | |
28871/20 07/07/2020 | Orleans AGUIAR CAVALCANTE 1975 | Prison of Pinheiro da Cruz 31/10/2019 pending More than 2 years and 10 months and 10 days | 1 inmate 5.5 m² 1 toilet | inadequate temperature, sharing cells with inmates infected with contagious disease | Art. 13 - lack of any effective remedy in domestic law in respect of inadequate conditions of detention. | |
28908/20 07/07/2020 | Francisco António SERRA GOMES 1982 | Montijo Prison 23/07/2009 to 05/07/2010 11 months and 13 days Pinheiro da Cruz Prison 05/07/2010 pending More than 12 years and 2 months and 5 days | 13 inmates 0.8 m² 1 toilet 1 inmate 5.5 m² 1 toile | lack of fresh air, overcrowding inadequate temperature, sharing cells with inmates infected with contagious disease | Art. 13 - lack of any effective remedy in domestic law in respect of inadequate conditions of detention. | |
40894/20 07/09/2020 | Michel SMAERS 1945 | Silves Prison 14/06/2018 to 08/06/2019 11 months and 26 days Carregueira Prison 08/06/2019 to 19/08/2021 2 years and 2 months and 12 days | 13 inmates 1.8 m² 1 toilet 6 inmates 5.12 m² 1 toilet | overcrowding, poor quality of food, lack or insufficient quantity of food, mouldy or dirty cell lack of fresh air, sharing cells with inmates infected with contagious disease | Art. 13 - lack of any effective remedy in domestic law in respect of inadequate conditions of detention. | |
46242/20 13/10/2020 | Delfim António OLIVEIRA FERREIRA 1979 | Porto Judicial Police Prison 06/12/2013 to 09/12/2013 4 days Custoias Prison 09/12/2013 to 08/04/2015 1 year and 4 months
08/04/2015 pending More than 7 years and 5 months and 2 days | 3 inmates 2 m² 1 toilet 12 inmates 1.16 m² 1 toilet 6 inmates 5.12 m² 1 toilet | lack of fresh air, overcrowding lack of fresh air, mouldy or dirty cell, overcrowding, poor quality of food, lack or insufficient quantity of food lack or insufficient quantity of food, sharing cells with inmates infected with contagious disease | Art. 13 - lack of any effective remedy in domestic law in respect of inadequate conditions of detention. |