FOURTH SECTION
CASE OF PRONIN AND OTHERS v. RUSSIA
(Applications nos. 49321/18 and 32 others -
see appended list)
JUDGMENT
STRASBOURG
28 September 2023
This judgment is final but it may be subject to editorial revision.
In the case of Pronin and Others v. Russia,
The European Court of Human Rights (Fourth Section), sitting as a Committee composed of:
Branko Lubarda, President,
Armen Harutyunyan,
Ana Maria Guerra Martins, judges,
and Viktoriya Maradudina, Acting Deputy Section Registrar,
Having deliberated in private on 7 September 2023,
Delivers the following judgment, which was adopted on that date:
1. The case originated in applications against Russia 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 Russian 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 inadequate conditions of their detention. Some applicants also raised other complaints under the provisions of the Convention.
THE LAW
5. Having regard to the similar subject matter of the applications, the Court finds it appropriate to examine them jointly in a single judgment.
6. The Court observes that the facts giving rise to the alleged violations of the Convention occurred prior to 16 September 2022, the date on which the Russian Federation ceased to be a party to the Convention. The Court therefore decides that it has jurisdiction to examine the present applications (see Fedotova and Others v. Russia [GC], nos. 40792/10 and 2 others, §§ 68-73, 17 January 2023).
7. The applicants complained principally of the inadequate conditions of their detention. They relied on Article 3 of the Convention.
8. 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, Muršić v. Croatia [GC], no. 7334/13, 20 October 2016; Kudła v. Poland [GC], no. 30210/96, §§ 90-94, ECHR 2000-XI; and Ananyev and Others v. Russia, nos. 42525/07 and 60800/08, §§ 139-65, 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).
9. In the leading case of Sergey Babushkin v. Russia, no. 5993/08, 28 November 2013, the Court already found a violation in respect of issues similar to those in the present case.
10. 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.
11. These complaints are therefore admissible and disclose a breach of Article 3 of the Convention.
12. Some applicants submitted other complaints which also raised issues under the Convention, 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 well-established case-law (see Sergey Babushkin, cited above, §§ 38-45, concerning the lack of an effective remedy for the complaint about conditions of post-conviction detention; Idalov v. Russia [GC], no. 5826/03, §§ 103-08 and 154-58, 22 May 2012; and Tomov and Others v. Russia, nos. 18255/10 and 5 others, §§ 92-156, 9 April 2019, concerning inadequate conditions of transport and the lack of an effective remedy in that respect; and Gorlov and Others v. Russia, nos. 27057/06 and 2 others, 2 July 2019, concerning permanent video surveillance of detainees and the lack of an effective remedy in that respect).
13. 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."
14. Regard being had to the documents in its possession and to its case-law (see, in particular, Sergey Babushkin v. Russia, (just satisfaction), no. 5993/08, 16 October 2014, and Mozharov and Others v. Russia, no. 16401/12 and 9 others, 21 March 2017), the Court considers it reasonable to award the sums indicated in the appended table.
FOR THESE REASONS, THE COURT, UNANIMOUSLY,
(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 during the default period plus three percentage points.
Done in English, and notified in writing on 28 September 2023, pursuant to Rule 77 §§ 2 and 3 of the Rules of Court.
Viktoriya Maradudina Branko Lubarda
Acting Deputy Registrar President
APPENDIX
List of applications raising complaints under Article 3 of the Convention
(inadequate conditions of detention after conviction)
Application no. Date of introduction | Applicant's name Year of birth | Representative's name and location | Facility Start and end date Duration | Inmates per brigade Sq. m per inmate Number of toilets per brigade | Specific grievances | Other complaints under well-established case-law | Amount awarded for pecuniary and non-pecuniary damage and costs and expenses per applicant (in euros)[1] | |
20/01/2019 | Maksim Valeryevich PRONIN 1975 |
| IK-25 Chelyabinsk Region 14/09/2017 to 19/12/2018 1 year(s) and 3 month(s) and 6 day(s)
IK-11 Nizhniy Novgorod Region 28/12/2018 pending as of 16/09/2022 3 year(s) and 8 month(s) and 20 day(s) | 84 inmate(s) <3 m² 6 toilet(s)
120 inmate(s) <3 m² | overcrowding, lack or inadequate furniture, lack of fresh air, no or restricted access to toilet
lack of fresh air, overcrowding, no or restricted access to toilet, lack of or inadequate hygienic facilities | Art. 13 - lack of any effective remedy in domestic law in respect of inadequate conditions of detention | 12,500 | |
24/09/2018 | Pavel Nikolayevich PATSUKOV 1981 |
| IK-25 Chelyabinsk Region 05/09/2017 pending as of 16/09/2022 5 year(s) and 12 day(s) | 135 inmate(s) 1 m² | no or restricted access to toilet, lack of fresh air, lack of ventilation, lack of toiletries, twin beds | Art. 13 - lack of any effective remedy in domestic law in respect of inadequate conditions of detention | 12,500 | |
08/10/2018 | Alik Viktorovich KOZONOV 1987 |
| IK-11 Nizhniy Novgorod Region 28/09/2015 to pending as of 16/09/2022 6 year(s) and 11 month(s) and 20 day(s) | 1.5 m² | lack of or inadequate hygienic facilities, overcrowding, no or restricted access to toilet, no or restricted access to shower, no or restricted access to warm water, mouldy or dirty cell, lack or insufficient quantity of food, lack of requisite medical assistance | Art. 13 - lack of any effective remedy in domestic law in respect of inadequate conditions of detention | 12,500 | |
17/09/2018 | Aleksandr Olegovich VATUTIN 2018 |
| IK-11 Nizhniy Novgorod Region 11/02/2017 pending as of 16/09/2022 5 year(s) and 7 month(s) and 6 day(s) | 1.8 m² | lack of or insufficient natural light, lack of fresh air, passive smoking, no or restricted access to shower, infestation of cell with insects/rodents, poor quality of food, lack of or insufficient physical exercise in fresh air, inadequate temperature
| Art. 13 - lack of any effective remedy in domestic law in respect of inadequate conditions of detention | 12,500 | |
08/10/2018 | Leonid Igorevich CHISTYAKOV 1992 |
| IK-11 Nizhniy Novgorod Region 01/07/2018 pending as of 16/09/2022 4 year(s) and 2 month(s) and 16 day(s) | 1.6 m² | lack or inadequate furniture, lack of or restricted access to leisure or educational activities, stench, lack of fresh air, no or restricted access to running water, no or restricted access to shower, no or restricted access to toilet, infestation of cell with insects/rodents, sharing cells with inmates infected with contagious disease, small courtyard, poor quality of food | Art. 13 - lack of any effective remedy in domestic law in respect of inadequate conditions of detention | 12,500 | |
11/10/2018 | Aleksey Viktorovich REDKOUSOV 1971 |
| IK-11 Nizhniy Novgorod Region 09/07/2018 pending as of 16/09/2022 4 year(s) and 2 month(s) and 8 day(s) | 2 m² | no or restricted access to toilet, infestation of cell with insects/rodents, lack of fresh air, passive smoking, poor quality of food | Art. 3 - inadequate conditions of detention during transport - transport by van and train on 05/06/2018 - 06/06/2018; 0.4 sq. m of personal space; overcrowding; insufficient number of sleeping places; restricted access to toilet;
Art. 13 - lack of any effective remedy in domestic law in respect of inadequate conditions of detention and in respect of inadequate conditions of transport | 13,500 | |
10/10/2018 | Valeriy Aleksandrovich KUDRIN 1989 |
| IK-5 Krasnoyarsk Region 13/10/2017 pending as of 16/09/2022 4 year(s) and 11 month(s) and 4 day(s) | 6 inmate(s) 2.34 m² | lack of fresh air, inadequate temperature, lack of or inadequate hygienic facilities, lack of or insufficient physical exercise in fresh air, lack of privacy for toilet, overcrowding | Art. 13 - lack of any effective remedy in domestic law in respect of inadequate conditions of detention and in respect of permanent video surveillance in detention facilities;
Art. 8 (1) - permanent video surveillance of detainees in pre-trial or post-conviction detention facilities - permanent video-surveillance in IZ-1 Krasnoyarsk Region and IK-5 Krasnoyarsk Region, since 27/09/2017 - pending as of 16/09/2022, by opposite-sex operators | 12,500 | |
28/11/2018 | Yevgeniy Vitalyevich ALEKSEYEV 1992 |
| OIK-36 IK-5 Krasnoyarsk Region 23/03/2018 to 12/07/2020 2 year(s) and 3 month(s) and 20 day(s) | 2.3 m² | overcrowding, inadequate temperature, mouldy or dirty cell, lack of or insufficient electric light, no or restricted access to toilet, no or restricted access to running water, infestation of cell with insects/rodents, no or restricted access to shower | Art. 13 - lack of any effective remedy in domestic law in respect of inadequate conditions of detention and in respect of inadequate conditions of transport;
Art. 3 - inadequate conditions of detention during transport - in a train on 12/07/2020: insufficient number of sleeping places, lack of or insufficient electric light, lack of or insufficient natural light, lack of or poor quality of bedding and bed linen, lack of privacy for toilet, no or restricted access to potable water, no food, overcrowding | 10,100 | |
13/10/2018 | Sergey Alekseyevich SHCHEGLOV 1976 |
| IK-11 Nizhniy Novgorod Region 21/08/2017 pending as of 16/09/2022 5 year(s) and 27 day(s) | 1.5-2 m² | lack of or insufficient electric light, lack of or insufficient natural light, lack of fresh air, infestation of cell with insects/rodents, passive smoking, poor quality of food, no or restricted access to toilet | Art. 13 - lack of any effective remedy in domestic law in respect of inadequate conditions of detention | 12,500 | |
10/10/2018 | Aleksandr Iskhakovich IZMAYLOV 1963 |
| IK-5 Krasnoyarsk Region 14/09/2016 to 09/08/2019 2 year(s) and 10 month(s) and 27 day(s) | 140 inmate(s) 2.2 m² 4 toilet(s) | overcrowding, no or restricted access to toilet, no or restricted access to running water, lack of or restricted access to leisure or educational activities, obligatory everyday outdoor physical morning exercises | Art. 13 - lack of any effective remedy in domestic law in respect of inadequate conditions of detention | 7,500 | |
05/10/2018 | Aleksandr Anatolyevich YEFIMOV 1986 |
| IK-5 Krasnoyarsk Region 12/03/2015 to 31/05/2019 4 year(s) and 2 month(s) and 20 day(s) | 135 inmate(s) 2 m² 4 toilet(s) | overcrowding, lack of privacy for toilet | Art. 13 - lack of any effective remedy in domestic law in respect of inadequate conditions of detention | 7,000 | |
05/10/2018 | Aslan Vladimirovich MASHUKOV 1985 |
| IK-25 Chelyabinsk Region 27/09/2017 to 14/11/2019 2 year(s) and 1 month(s) and 19 day(s) | 135 inmate(s) 2 m² 8 toilet(s) | overcrowding, lack of or inadequate hygienic facilities, lack of fresh air, sharing cells with inmates infected with contagious disease, lack of toiletries | Art. 13 - lack of any effective remedy in domestic law in respect of inadequate conditions of detention | 8,500 | |
17/09/2018 | Temur Ibadullovich SAODATOV 1987 |
| IK-5 Krasnoyarsk Region 28/10/2014 pending as of 16/09/2022 7 year(s) and 10 month(s) and 20 day(s) | 2 m² | no or restricted access to running water, no or restricted access to toilet, poor quality of food, incomplete provision with clothes, overcrowding | Art. 13 - lack of any effective remedy in domestic law in respect of inadequate conditions of detention | 12,500 | |
09/10/2018 | Dmitriy Robertovich MAYUROV 1988 |
| OIK-36 IK-5 Krasnoyarsk Region 05/06/2017 pending as of 16/09/2022 5 year(s) and 3 month(s) and 12 day(s) | 26 inmate(s) 2.4 m² 4 toilet(s) | overcrowding, lack of or inadequate hygienic facilities, lack of privacy for toilet | Art. 13 - lack of any effective remedy in domestic law in respect of inadequate conditions of detention | 12,500 | |
07/09/2018 | Andrey Yevgenyevich POPOV 1985 |
| OIK-36 IK-5 Krasnoyarsk Region 31/07/2017 pending as of 16/09/2022 5 year(s) and 1 month(s) and 17 day(s) | 3 m² | no or restricted access to toilet, no or restricted access to running water, lack of privacy for toilet | Art. 13 - lack of any effective remedy in domestic law in respect of inadequate conditions of detention | 12,500 | |
12/01/2019 | Andrey Gennadyevich AFANASYEV 1973 |
| IK-3 St Petersburg 26/07/2018 pending as of 16/09/2022 4 year(s) and 1 month(s) and 22 day(s) | 285 inmate(s) <2 m² 9 toilet(s) | overcrowding, insufficient number of sleeping places, no or restricted access to toilet, no or restricted access to running water | Art. 13 - lack of any effective remedy in domestic law in respect of inadequate conditions of detention | 12,500 | |
18/10/2018 | Yevgeniy Yuryevich SOKOLOV 1987 | Solovyev Igor Anatolyevich Rzhev | IK-11 Nizhniy Novgorod Region 06/10/2014 pending as of 16/09/2022 7 year(s) and 11 month(s) and 11 day(s) | 1.7-1.9 m² | twin beds, lack of ventilation, no or restricted access to toilet, poor quality of food, no windows | Art. 13 - lack of any effective remedy in domestic law in respect of inadequate conditions of detention | 12,500 | |
10/10/2018 | Aleksandr Sergeyevich NEFEDOV 1983 | Prozorov Artem Andreyevich Furmanov | IK-11 Nizhniy Novgorod Region 13/10/2017 pending as of 16/09/2022 4 year(s) and 11 month(s) and 4 day(s) | 70 inmate(s) 1.8 m² 5 toilet(s) | lack of or insufficient natural light, lack of privacy for toilet, poor quality of food, lack of outfit, lack of fresh air, lack of ventilation, lack of time for eating |
| 12,500 | |
05/09/2018 | Viktor Nikolayevich TENITSKIY 1970 |
| IK-5 Krasnoyarsk Region 12/10/2015 pending as of 16/09/2022 6 year(s) and 11 month(s) and 5 day(s) | 100 inmate(s) 4 m² 3 toilet(s) | lack of fresh air, lack of or insufficient electric light, poor quality of food, lack of or insufficient physical exercise in fresh air, overcrowding, lack of privacy for toilet, lack of or inadequate hygienic facilities | Art. 8 (1) - permanent video surveillance of detainees in pre-trial or post-conviction detention facilities - detention in different cells in IK-5 Krasnoyarsk Region with video surveillance by opposite sex operators, since 12/10/2015, pending as of 16/09/2022 | 12,500 | |
17/10/2018 | Artur Mukhamedovich SIZHAZHEV 1989 |
| IK-5 Kirov Region 20/06/2017 to 28/02/2019 1 year(s) and 8 month(s) and 9 day(s) | 105 inmate(s) 2.4 m² | overcrowding, no or restricted access to shower, poor quality of food, lack of requisite medical assistance | Art. 13 - lack of any effective remedy in domestic law in respect of inadequate conditions of detention | 6,300 | |
18/10/2018 | Edgar Erikovich MYAGI 1990 |
| IK-11 Nizhniy Novgorod Region 01/04/2018 pending as of 16/09/2022 4 year(s) and 5 month(s) and 16 day(s) | 120 inmate(s) 1.6 m² | overcrowding, narrow passages in the cell, lack of fresh air, no or restricted access to running water, no or restricted access to toilet, infestation of cell with insects/rodents, lack of or insufficient physical exercise in fresh air, lack of requisite medical assistance | Art. 13 - lack of any effective remedy in domestic law in respect of inadequate conditions of detention | 12,500 | |
24/10/2018 | Ivan Anatolyevich IVANOV 1989 |
| IK-11 Nizhniy Novgorod Region 14/06/2016 pending as of 16/09/2022 6 year(s) and 3 month(s) and 3 day(s) | 1.65 m² | overcrowding, lack of or insufficient physical exercise in fresh air, no or restricted access to shower | Art. 13 - lack of any effective remedy in domestic law in respect of inadequate conditions of detention | 12,500 | |
18/10/2018 (3 applicants) | Vyacheslav Dzhenistonovich ZHADOV 1970
Aleksey Leonidovich TSIVILEV 1975
Sergey Yevgenyevich MURZINOV 1963
|
| IK-25 Chelyabinsk Region (Murzinov) 01/08/2017 pending as of 16/09/2022 5 year(s) and 1 month(s) and 16 day(s)
IK-25 Chelyabinsk Region (Zhadov) 03/10/2017 pending as of 16/09/2022 4 year(s) and 11 month(s) and 14 day(s)
IK-25 Chelyabinsk Region (Tsivilyov) 18/10/2017 pending as of 16/09/2022 4 year(s) and 10 month(s) and 30 day(s) | 1.2 m² 9 toilet(s)
1.2 m² 9 toilet(s)
1.2 m² 9 toilet(s) | overcrowding, no or restricted access to toilet, no or restricted access to running water
overcrowding, no or restricted access to toilet, no or restricted access to running water
overcrowding, no or restricted access to toilet, no or restricted access to running water | Art. 13 - lack of any effective remedy in domestic law in respect of inadequate conditions of detention | 12,500, to each of the applicants | |
18/10/2018 | Aleksandr Gennadyevich UZHEGOV 1972 |
| IK-25 Chelyabinsk Region 18/10/2017 pending as of 16/09/2022 4 year(s) and 10 month(s) and 30 day(s) | 1.2 m² 9 toilet(s) | overcrowding, no or restricted access to running water, no or restricted access to toilet | Art. 13 - lack of any effective remedy in domestic law in respect of inadequate conditions of detention | 12,500 | |
26/10/2018 | Aleksandr Oskarovich LOGANOVSKIY 1990 |
| IK-5 Krasnoyarsk Region 10/08/2018 pending as of 16/09/2022 4 year(s) and 1 month(s) and 7 day(s) | 115 inmate(s) 2.7 m² 5 toilet(s) | overcrowding, insufficient number of toilets and wash basins, lack of or inadequate hygienic facilities, lack of privacy for toilet, lack or inadequate furniture, no or restricted access to shower | Art. 13 - lack of any effective remedy in domestic law in respect of inadequate conditions of detention | 12,500 | |
17/10/2018 | Pavel Vladimirovich ZAPLATKIN 1981 |
| OIK-36 IK-5 Krasnoyarsk Region 14/04/2014 to 21/05/2020 6 year(s) and 1 month(s) and 8 day(s) | 165 inmate(s) 2 m² 3 toilet(s) | no or restricted access to toilet, lack of privacy for toilet, lack of or inadequate hygienic facilities, overcrowding | Art. 13 - lack of any effective remedy in domestic law in respect of inadequate conditions of detention | 10,000 | |
23/10/2018 | Igor Petrovich BOROVKOV 1977 |
| KP-31 Krasnoyarsk Region 19/10/2017 to 29/04/2018 6 month(s) and 11 day(s) | 150 inmate(s) 3 m² 8 toilet(s) | lack of or inadequate hygienic facilities, infestation of cell with insects/rodents, overcrowding | Art. 13 - lack of any effective remedy in domestic law in respect of inadequate conditions of detention | 3,300 | |
06/02/2019 | Yegor Yuryevich SHALAYEV 1978 |
| IK-25 Chelyabinsk Region 18/05/2017 pending as of 16/09/2022 5 year(s) and 3 month(s) and 30 day(s) | <2 m² 9 toilet(s) | overcrowding, lack of fresh air, insufficient number of toilets and wash basins, poor quality of potable water, poor quality of warm water, insufficient hygiene items provided
| Art. 13 - lack of any effective remedy in domestic law in respect of inadequate conditions of detention | 12,500 | |
30/10/2018 | Aleksey Aleksandrovich ABRAMOV 1983 |
| IK-11 Nizhniy Novgorod Region 30/08/2015 pending as of 16/09/2022 7 year(s) and 18 day(s) | 132 inmate(s) 1.5 m² 6 toilet(s) | overcrowding, lack of or inadequate hygienic facilities, poor quality of food, mouldy or dirty cell |
| 12,500 | |
25/09/2018 | Aleksandr Yuryevich PANOV 1972 |
| IK-29 Kirov Region 02/05/2015 to 15/07/2018 3 year(s) and 2 month(s) and 14 day(s) | 2 m² | overcrowding, lack of or inadequate hygienic facilities, lack of privacy for toilet, no or restricted access to running water, no or restricted access to warm water, lack of sewage system, lack of fresh air, lack of or insufficient natural light, inadequate temperature, poor quality of food |
| 5,000 | |
29/10/2018 | Aleksey Aleksandrovich IVANOV 1974 |
| IK-11 Nizhniy Novgorod Region 15/12/2014 pending as of 16/09/2022 7 year(s) and 9 month(s) and 2 day(s) | 1.7 m² | overcrowding, poor quality of potable water, no or restricted access to toilet, lack of or insufficient physical exercise in fresh air |
| 12,500 | |
08/11/2018 | Shota Romazanovich MIKAUTADZE 1991 |
| IK-11 Nizhniy Novgorod Region 15/08/2016 pending as of 16/09/2022 6 year(s) and 1 month(s) and 2 day(s) | <2 m² | lack of fresh air, lack of or insufficient electric light, overcrowding, poor quality of food, infestation of cell with insects/rodents | Art. 13 - lack of any effective remedy in domestic law in respect of inadequate conditions of detention | 12,500 | |
29/10/2018 | Sergey Anatolyevich SUCHKOV 1967 |
| IK-11 Nizhniy Novgorod Region 21/08/2017 pending as of 16/09/2022 5 year(s) and 27 day(s) | 1.5 m² | lack of fresh air, lack of or inadequate hygienic facilities, lack of privacy for toilet, lack or inadequate furniture, no or restricted access to shower, no or restricted access to toilet, no or restricted access to warm water, overcrowding, no or restricted access to running water | Art. 13 - lack of any effective remedy in domestic law in respect of inadequate conditions of detention | 12,500 |
[1] Plus any tax that may be chargeable to the applicants.