I correctly predicted that there was a violation of human rights in ORAZBAYEV v. RUSSIA.

Information

  • Judgment date: 2019-06-06
  • Communication date: 2013-01-22
  • Application number(s): 15367/07
  • Country:   RUS
  • Relevant ECHR article(s): 3, 6, 6-1, 6-3-c, 13
  • Conclusion:
    Violation of Article 3 - Prohibition of torture (Article 3 - Degrading treatment
    Inhuman treatment) (Substantive aspect)
    Violation of Article 5 - Right to liberty and security (Article 5-3 - Reasonableness of pre-trial detention)
  • Result: Violation
  • SEE FINAL JUDGMENT

JURI Prediction

  • Probability: 0.67085
  • Prediction: Violation
  • Consistent


Legend

 In line with the court's judgment
 In opposition to the court's judgment
Darker color: higher probability
: In line with the court's judgment  
: In opposition to the court's judgment

Communication text used for prediction

The applicant, Mr Eldar Orazbayev, is a Russian national, who was born in 1977 and is currently serving a term of imprisonment in correctional colony IK-7 in the Karelia Republic.
He is represented before the Court by lawyers of Stichting Russian Justice Initiative, an NGO based in the Netherlands with a representative office in Russia.
The facts of the case, as submitted by the applicant, may be summarised as follows.
A.
The background to the case In 1999 the applicant resided the Stavropol Region.
On an unspecified date in May 1999 the applicant moved to the Chechen Republic, to study the Koran, came under the influence of members of the Wahhabist movement and joined a base of rebel fighters who took away his identity card and made him work for them and, in particular, participate in digging trenches, cooking food for them and doing other “household chores”.
In 2002 the applicant was wounded and was taken to Azerbaijan where he had a finger on one of his hands amputated and received other medical assistance.
In 2003 the applicant returned to Grozny where he worked in the construction sector and no longer participated in any armed groups.
On 17 February 2004, having learnt that the domestic law-enforcement authorities had offered to rebel fighters to surrender, the applicant went to the Federal Security Service (hereinafter also “the FSB”) Department in the Stavropol Region and informed the authority that he had voluntarily discontinued his participation in an illegal armed group.
On 26 February 2004 head of the Stavropol Regional Department of the FSB issued a decision refusing to institute criminal proceedings against the applicant in connection with his participation between May 1999 and September 2002 in an illegal armed group.
The decision stated that on 17 February 2004 the applicant had come to the FSB Department and had voluntarily informed the authorities of his participation in an illegal armed group.
Among other things, he submitted that in May 1999 he had joined a camp of an illegal armed group based in the vicinity of the village of Serzhen-Yurt, that he had been subsequently transferred to other camps of rebel fighters where he been mainly occupied with cooking, digging trenches and other similar tasks.
In summer 2002 he had been wounded as a result of a shell attack, after which he had been transferred for medical treatment to Azerbaijan where he had stayed until September 2002.
After his return to Russia he had discontinued his participation in the illegal armed groups and had lived in Grozny with his family.
The decision further noted that the examination of the applicant’s submissions had provided no evidence that he had been involved in military activities against the Russian army or law-enforcement officials or that he had committed crimes other than participation in an illegal armed group, an offence under Article 208 § 2 of the Criminal Code (hereinafter also “the CC”).
According to the provision in question, an individual who voluntarily discontinued his participation in an illegal armed group and surrendered his arms was to be relieved of criminal liability, provided that his acts did not constitute other criminal offences.
The decision concluded that the applicant had voluntarily terminated his participation in the illegal armed group and that, accordingly, no criminal case was to be opened against him.
B.
The applicant’s conviction in 2004 concerning unlawful possession of arms On 30 April 2004 the applicant was arrested in Neftekumsk, the Stavropol Region, on suspicion of unlawful possession of arms and on 2 May 2004 his placement in custody was authorised by a court.
Following his arrest the applicant was held in the police ward of the Neftekumskiy Department of the Interior (hereinafter also “the Neftekumskiy ROVD”).
By judgment of 26 November 2004 the Neftekumskiy District Court of the Stavropol Region found the applicant guilty of unlawful possession of arms and sentenced him to three years’ imprisonment.
On 18 February 2005 the judgment was upheld on appeal.
C. The applicant’s alleged ill-treatment On 19 November 2004 investigator B. of the prosecutor’s office of the Chechen Republic (hereinafter also “the republican prosecutor’s office”) interviewed the applicant in Neftekumsk, in the presence of his lawyer O.I.
in respect of criminal case no.
52402.
According to an interview record of the accused (протокол допроса обвиняемого) of 19 November 2004 a fresh criminal case no.
52402 had been opened against the applicant by the prosecuting authorities in Chechnya on charges of participation in an illegal armed group (Article 208 § 2 of the CC) and aggravated possession and carrying of arms and explosives (Article 222 § 3 of the CC).
The applicant refused to testify with reference to his right to remain silent.
The applicant and his lawyer also requested that the refusal to institute criminal proceedings against him under Article 208 § 2 of the CC, issued on 26 February 2004, and the relevant amnesty act be appended to criminal case no.
52402.
By decision of 19 November 2004 investigator B. ordered the applicant’s transfer from the police ward of the Neftekumskiy ROVD to remand prison IZ-20/1 in Grozny in connection with criminal case no.
52042.
The decision stated that that criminal case had been opened by the prosecutor’s office of the Shelkovskiy District of the Chechen Republic (hereinafter also “the district prosecutor’s office”) against a group of persons on suspicion of banditry, violent assaults against law-enforcement officials and unlawful possession of arms.
A.D., one of the suspects, had identified the applicant on a picture shown to him as one of the members of the band, whom A.D. had met between September and December 1999 and who had participated, together with other members of the band, in armed resistance against the Russian military forces.
Investigator B. noted that the applicant’s actions at the material time were to be classified under Article 208 § 2 of the CC and that accordingly, investigative measures involving him were to be carried out in the Chechen Republic.
By the same decision the investigator ordered that the applicant be convoyed to the remand prison by officers of the Operational and Search Bureau no.
2 of the North Caucasus Department of the Ministry of the Interior in the Southern Federal Circuit (hereinafter also “ORB-2”).
By decision of 19 November 2004 the Neftekumskiy District Court authorised the applicant’s transfer by officers of ORB-2 to the Chechen Republic with a view to carrying out investigative steps in connection with criminal case no.
52402.
On 20 November 2004 the applicant was transferred to the police ward of ORB-2 where he was held until 23 November 2004.
According to the applicant, on their way to the ORB-2 its officers had handcuffed him and had put a plastic bag on his face which prevented him from seeing anything.
On the premises of ORB-2 he was severely beaten up by officers of that State authority, including those individuals who had escorted him from Neftekumsk, and who requested that he confessed to a number of violent crimes and signed several statements.
The applicant was cuffed to a radiator, he was hit and kicked all over his body and also hit with truncheons and administered electric shocks.
He was also strangled with the plastic bag they had put over his head.
He fainted on several occasions.
The applicant particularly remembered officer M.Kh.
of ORB-2 among the persons who had ill-treated him but he did not know the names of other ORB-2 officers who had participated in his beating.
The beatings continued during his entire stay on the ORB-2 premises.
In the applicant’s submission, his co-detainee K.T.
had witnessed that he had been ill-treated and saw his state of health when he had been brought back to the cell after the interrogations by ORB-2 police officers (see below).
Unable to stand the ill‐treatment, the applicant signed the self-incriminating statements required of him and containing the text which had already been prepared in advance.
On 25 November 2004, at the hearing before the Neftekamskiy District Court in the case concerning unlawful possession of arms the applicant allegedly saw that officer M.Kh.
of ORB-2 made with his mobile phone a video record of the applicant’s family.
During a break in the hearing, M.Kh.
allegedly told the applicant that if the latter refused to sign the statements requested of him, his family would be killed, as well as the applicant himself, when he would be transferred back to ORB-2 and that the transfer would take place in the nearest future.
According to a document entitled “additional interview record of the accused” (дополнительный допрос обвиняемого) and dated 25 November 2004, investigator B. of the republican prosecutor’s office interviewed the applicant in the presence of his lawyer O.I.
The ten-page long document described in detail how the applicant had joined illegal armed groups in 1999, in what terrorist attacks, assaults at law-enforcement officials and murders he had participated with its other members in the period between 1999 and September 2002 and provided further detailed information concerning other members of the gang and its operations against the Russian military forces in which he had participated.
According to the interview record, the applicant’s interrogation took place on the premises of the prosecutor’s office of the Neftekumskiy District of the Stavropol Region.
It started at 4.30 p.m. on 25 November 2004 and ended at 9.45 p.m. on the same day, with a break between 7 p.m. and 7.55 p.m.
According to the trial record of the Neftekumskiy District Court which examined the criminal case against the applicant concerning unlawful possession of arms (see above), at 11 a.m. on 25 November 2004 the court continued examining the applicant’s criminal case in the latter’s presence, as well as in the presence of his lawyer O.I.
According to the hearing record, after the parties’ pleadings and the applicant’s final statement, the court retired to the deliberations room at 5 p.m. on the same day.
In the applicant’s submission, neither he nor his lawyer took part in the above interview by investigator B.
Moreover, his lawyer O.I.
had produced at a certain moment a statement certified by the notary to that effect.
On 26 November 2004, after the district court pronounced the judgment convicting him of unlawful possession of arms and having in mind the threats by M.Kh., the applicant signed a self-incriminating statement requested of him by that police officer.
On 27 November 2004 the applicant was again transferred to the police ward of ORB-2 where he was held for the next two months and ten days.
During his stay the applicant was repeatedly ill-treated by ORB-2 officers with a view to obtaining his confessions and incriminating statements against other members of illegal armed groups, he was denied access to a lawyer or an opportunity to inform his relatives of his whereabouts.
It was also not possible to lodge a complaint about the ill-treatment while he was on ORB-2 premises because it provoked further ill-treatment, the complaints were not let outside and the ORB-2 authorities actively prevented their detainees from having any contacts with their lawyers.
On an unspecified date in January 2005 the applicant was transferred to remand prison IZ-20/1 in Grozny (hereinafter also “the remand prison”).
On 10 February 2005 the applicant was transferred back to ORB-2 where police officers beat him up “to prepare him” for an on-site verification of his earlier statements (проверка показаний на месте), following which they took him to the village of Mirny.
Upon their arrival there officer M.Kh.
explained to the applicant in detail what he was supposed to say and show during that investigative step.
Fearing further ill-treatment, the applicant did as requested.
The on-site verification of his statements in the village of Voskresenovskaya, which was carried out in the presence of investigator B. and lawyer P. whom the applicant saw for the second time in his life was carried out in the same way.
After those investigative steps the applicant was brought back to ORB-2 and on the next day he was transferred to the remand prison.
On 11 July 2005 the applicant was transferred to the police ward of the Department of the Interior of the Shelkovskiy District (hereinafter also “the Shelkovskiy ROVD”).
On 19 July 2005 two officers of the Shelkovskiy ROVD, one of them R.I. and another, whose family name the applicant did not remember, beat the applicant up, requesting that he repeated exactly what they told him to do during the forthcoming investigating experiment (следственный эксперимент) and that otherwise they would again torture him.
In the applicant’s submission, their visit and beating had been prompted by the fact that during his interrogation on 25 May 2005 he had retracted the statement he had allegedly given on 25 November 2004 (see below).
On 20 July 2005 two investigating experiments with the applicant’s participation were carried out in villages Sary-Su and Kobi, where the applicant did as he had been told to.
During those investigative steps the applicant’s lawyer L.K.
was present but the applicant was afraid to seek his help because of the threats of police officers.
On 21 July 2005 the applicant was transferred back to the remand prison.
D. Proceedings concerning the applicant’s alleged ill-treatment During the applicant’s interrogation on 25 May 2005 by investigator B., in the presence of his lawyer K., the applicant retracted some of his earlier self-incriminating statements, submitting that they had been given under physical and psychological pressure and asserting that he had been beaten to make them.
At an interrogation by investigator B. on 1 June 2005, conducted in the presence of lawyer K., the applicant complained to investigator B. that during his detention in ORB-2 officers of that law-enforcement authority had repeatedly beaten him up and threatened him with killing him.
The applicant did not know those officers because they had worn masks.
He further explained that he had not earlier complained about the ill-treatment because ORB officers had explicitly told him that if he dared to complain, they would torture him again.
On 21 July 2005 the applicant’s lawyer K. complained to investigator B. that on 20 July 2005, during an on-site verification in the Shelkovskiy District of the Chechen Republic of his client’s earlier submissions he had discovered bodily injuries on the applicant’s body.
The applicant refused to reply to K.’s repeated questions as to the origin of those injuries, as well as identities of the persons who had inflicted them on the applicant.
K. requested that a forensic medical examination of his client be immediately conducted.
The complaint was received by the republican prosecutor’s office on 22 July 2005.
On 27 July 2005 investigator B. ordered the Forensic Medical Expert Bureau of the Chechen Republic (hereinafter also the forensic bureau“) to carry out the applicant’s medical examination with a view to establishing, among other things, whether he had any bodily injuries and if so, when those had been sustained.
On 28 July 2005 an expert of the forensic bureau carried out the applicant’s medical examination on the premises of the remand prison.
The expert report, in so far as relevant, states as follows: “...
According to the submissions of the [applicant] arrested on 11 July 2004 [sic] by the RUBOP of the Shelkovksiy District.
Was hit and kicked on different parts of the body.
For the last time was beaten about two weeks ago.
Did not apply for medical assistance, records were made in medical file in IZ-20/1.
...
Locally: two areas of irregular roundish form on which there are pinkish-red vertical scars 1cm to 1,5 cm long and up to 0,1 cm wide on the back side on the left and right sides of the middle third of the back surface.
[There are] up to 60-65 scars with straight borders, [illegible] located at a distance of 0,5 cm on the back surface of the middle third of both lower legs following the calf muscles [,] there are analogous scars in the form of trapeziums, coinciding as to their sizes and quantity with the scars on the back.
On the right side of the lateral part of the chest there is a pinkish-red short oblique scar measuring 2,8×0,1cm with even borders, sharp extremities, floating, not matted together with the surrounding tissues.
In the area of the pectoral muscle on the left there is a yellow oval bruise measuring 3×4 cm.
On the left side surface of the lumbar region [there is] an oval yellowish bruise measuring 4×2 cm.
The index finger in the metacarpophalangeal joint area is missing.
...
According to [the applicant] [the missing part] was cut off in 1999 so that he did not leave illegal armed groups.
A whitish scar with uneven endings 15 cm below the left nipple, matted with the surrounding tissues measuring 1×8cm.
At the level of the 7th rib in the shoulder-blade area a whitish scar ... measuring 2,8×0,5cm.
No other peculiarities or injuries discovered.
From medical file from IZ-20/1 concerning [the applicant] ... it follows that “ 25.01.05.
A scar 15 cm below the left nipple.
Shrapnel wound (in 2000).
In the shoulder-blade area on the back at the level of the 6-7th rib a scar after a shrapnel wound (in 2000).
On the left hand the index finger missing (1990).
[date illegible].
No bodily injuries.
Return.
21.07.05.
No injuries.
No complaints.
Return.
Conclusions: On the basis of the examination, the information from the medical file and the circumstances of the case and having regard to the questions put, [I] come to the following conclusions: 1.
On [the applicant’s] body there have been discovered the following injuries: - bruises on the body, - a scar on the front surface of the right side of the chest, - numerous scars of linear form on the back and the back surface of lower legs, - stump of the index finger on the left hand, - scars on the back and the front surface of the chest.
2.
Bruises to the body, scar on the right side surface of the chest and scars on the back and lower legs could have been sustained two to three weeks before examination.
Bruises could have been sustained as a result of impact of a blunt solid object (objects).
Scars in the chest area, back and the lower legs could have been sustained as a result of repeated impact of a bladed object (arm).
It is impossible to establish the date of infliction of scars on the front and back surfaces of the chest and of damage to the index finger.
However, it cannot be excluded that they could result from shell and cut wounds sustained in 1999 and 2000.
... 4.
The localisation of the scars at the back surface of the lower legs, the bruises of the body and the scar of the side surface of the chest does not exclude their self-infliction.
The localisation of the linear scars on the back in such a form and, of practically the same length and similar location in respect of each other excludes their self-infliction.
...” At an interrogation by investigator B. of the republican prosecutor’s office on 10 August 2005, in the presence of lawyer K., the applicant submitted that he was not guilty as regards the charges levelled against him on 10 August 2005.
He claimed that he had given his earlier self‐incriminating statements, including the statement made on 20 July 2005 during the on-site verification in the Shelkovskiy District, under torture, beatings and physical pressure, which was proved by the conclusions of the forensic medical examination of 28 July 2005.
The applicant asserted that ORB-2 officers, while beating him up, had explained him in detail the statements that he was to give and that during his more than two months detention in that facility he had no possibility to complain about their acts.
On 12 August 2005 investigator B. interviewed S.M., staff doctor of remand prison IZ-20/1 in Grozny, as a witness.
According to her interview record of the same date, S.M.
stated that she had examined the applicant on 21 July 2005 upon his admission to the remand prison.
The examination had revealed numerous (thirty-one) slashes on four parts of his body and, in particular, on his back and calves.
The applicant explained to her that those slits had been inflicted on him by his co-detainees “with a view to purifying the blood”.
In S.M.’s submission, she had already witnessed similar injuries on individuals admitted to the remand prison and heard similar explanations in that respect.
On 12 August 2005 investigator B. interviewed M.KH., officer of ORB‐2, as a witness.
According to his interview record, M.KH.
stated that he was in charge of the “operative support” (оперативное сопровождение) in respect of the criminal case against the applicant.
In November 2004 the applicant had been transferred to ORB-2.
The operational and search measures conducted had revealed that the applicant had been implicated in a number of serious and particularly serious crimes committed in the Shelkovskiy District in the Chechen Republic.
In that connection the applicant had been interviewed in the Neftekamsk prosecutor’s office by an investigator of the prosecutor’s office of the Chechen Republic.
The applicant had testified of his own free well, no physical or psychological pressure had been applied to him.
Likewise, no such pressure had been applied to him when he had been detained in the police ward of ORB-2.
According to interview record of A.Ch., an on-duty officer of the police ward of the Shelkovksiy ROVD, dated 12 August 2005, the latter submitted to investigator B. that on 11 July 2005 the applicant had been admitted to the facility.
Upon admission he had been examined by on-duty officers of the police ward which had discovered no injuries on his body.
The applicant had been held in the police ward until 21 July 2005 and during the entire period of his detention in the police ward none of the police officers or other law-enforcement officials had exerted on him either physical or psychological pressure.
On 12 August 2005 investigator B. interviewed the applicant in the presence of his lawyer K. According to the interview record of the same date, the applicant stated that he did not know the family names of the officers of ORB-2 who had ill-treated him because they had worn masks.
The ill-treatment consisted of hitting him with their truncheons, administering electric shocks to his body and strangling him with a plastic bag they had put on his head.
They had also threatened to kill him and his relatives if he complained and for that reason, namely the fear of repeated ill-treatment, he had not complained about it after his transfer to the remand prison.
He further stated that while in police ward of the Shelkovskiy ROVD officers of that authority had also beaten him up by hitting him.
However, he had not met those officers before and could not indicate their names.
By decision of 12 August 2005 investigator B. of the prosecutor’s office of the Chechen Republic refused to open a criminal case into the applicant’s alleged ill-treatment.
The decision stated that on 10 August 2005 the applicant had complained that he had been ill-treated by officers of ORB-2 and the Shelkovskiy ROVD during his detention in police wards of both law-enforcement authorities.
The decision referred to submissions by officer M.Kh.
and A.Ch.
of ORB-2 and the Shelkovksiy ROVD (see above).
It further noted that the applicant’s forensic medical examination had established the existence of scars on the applicant’s back and lower legs which could have been caused by repeated impact of stabbing and cutting objects.
The decision further cited the statement by S.M., doctor of the remand prison, who submitted that the applicant had been admitted to that detention facility with those scars, had explained to her that those cuts had been inflicted on him by his fellow detainees with a view to “purifying the blood” and that she had previously encountered similar injuries on persons admitted to the facility accompanied by similar explanations.
In view of the foregoing, the investigator concluded that there were no grounds to believe that a crime had been committed.
On 30 May 2008 the applicant complained to the Staropromyslovskiy District Court of Grozny under Article 125 of the Code of Criminal Procedure about the prosecutor’s refusal to institute criminal proceedings.
On 25 July 2008 the district court dismissed the complaint.
It noted that on 28 April 2006 the Supreme Court of the Chechen Republic found the applicant guilty of a number of violent crimes and sentenced him to sixteen years’ imprisonment (see below).
The applicant’s allegations of ill‐treatment had been examined by the courts which had heard the criminal case against him.
It also noted that Article 125 provided for an opportunity to challenge decisions refusing to institute criminal proceedings before a court having jurisdiction over the place of the preliminary investigation.
However, the applicant had already been convicted and the criminal proceedings against him had been terminated.
No new evidence suggesting that the applicant had suffered damage was produced before the court.
On 20 August 2008 the Supreme Court of the Chechen Republic upheld the district court decision on the applicant’s appeal.
E. The applicant’s conviction in 2006 1.
Relevant information from the trial record According to the trial record, witness K.T.
submitted to the trial court that in November 2004 (he did not remember the exact date) he had been held in the same cell as the applicant in ORB-2 during three days.
In K.T.’s submission, the applicant was routinely taken by officers of ORB-2 for interrogations at around midnight and was then returned to the cell in the morning.
The applicant not only told K.T.
that he had been ill-treated but K.T.
himself saw bruises on the left and right sides of his body.
When he was brought back to the cell in the mornings the applicant could barely walk or hold a bottle with water in his hands.
K.T.
submitted at the same time that there had been no injuries on the visible parts of the applicant’s body, such as his face.
K.T.
also asserted that the medical staff of ORB-2 were also police officers and that they were, in reality, not interested in recording the detainees’ injuries.
Lastly, he submitted that it was unthinkable to complain in ORB-2 about the alleged ill-treatment because those who complained risked severe reprisals.
2.
Trial judgment of 28 April 2006 By judgment of 28 April 2006 the Supreme Court of the Chechen Republic found the applicant guilty of participation in an illegal armed group, several counts of assault on law-enforcement officials, several counts of concerted murder and an attempted murder, unlawful possession and carrying of arms and unlawful crossing of the State border.
The court noted that although the applicant pleaded guilty only to participation in an illegal armed group and the unlawful crossing of the State border, his guilt in the imputed crimes was confirmed, among other things, by his pre-trial statements and the on-site verifications of those statements with his participation, as well as other pieces of evidence.
It held that the applicant’s allegations of ill-treatment were unfounded and noted that K.T.’s statement that he had witnessed the applicant’s injuries were untrustworthy because he was also a convicted person, had been held in the same detention facility and transferred to the court in the same vehicles and was trying to assist the applicant in avoiding his criminal responsibility.
The applicant appealed, submitting, among other things, that his self‐incriminating statements from the pre-trial stage on which the trial court had relied in finding him guilty had been obtained under torture.
3.
Appellate court judgment of 16 January 2007 On 16 January 2007 the Supreme Court of the Russian Federation upheld the conviction on appeal.
The appellate court noted, among other things, that the applicant’s allegations that he had been ill-treated with a view to confessing to the crimes imputed to him were not supported by the materials of the case-file and that the information contained in his pre-trial statements was confirmed by other pieces of evidence.
F. Proceedings before the Court By letter of 31 January 2007 the applicant requested the Registry to send him an application form, an explanatory notice to applicants and the Convention text.
Subsequently, the Court received an application form submitted on behalf of the applicant by Mr E., who had represented him in the domestic proceedings.
The application form was dated 6 July 2007, signed by Mr E. and listed among the enclosures “the authority form”.
It appears however that the authority form was missing.
By letter of 20 August 2007 the Registry acknowledged to Mr E. the receipt of the application form and informed the latter that, if he wished to represent the applicant, he was to fill in and return to the Court the authority form enclosed to the letter of 20 August 2007.
No reply followed.
Subsequently, the applicant submitted an application form in his own name, without indicating any persons or organisations as his representatives.
The application form was dated 15 August 2007.
By letter dated 10 June 2009 lawyers of Stichting Russian Justice Initiative informed the Court that they would act as the applicant’s representatives, enclosing an authority form and an additional application form dated 10 June 2009.
COMPLAINTS 1.
In the application form dated 6 July 2007 and submitted by Mr E. the applicant complains: (a) under Article 3 of the Convention about the alleged ill-treatment and the lack of effective investigation into it; (b) under Article 5 that his detention after the final judgment of 16 January 2007 was unfair because he had been unfairly convicted as a result of torture; (c) under Article 6 that he had been deprived of fair trial and the domestic courts incorrectly assessed the evidence against him, and (d) under Article 13 that the appeal court in its judgment of 16 January 2007 did not protect his rights, as well as right of other Chechens unlawfully convicted, and (e) that there has been a breach of Article 15 of the Convention.
2.
In his application form of 15 August 2007 the applicant complains: (a) under Article 3 about the alleged ill-treatment and ineffective investigation; (b) under Article 5 that that in arresting him on 30 April 2004 and ordering his placement in custody the authorities did not have “a reasonable suspicion” against him; (c) under Article 6 that the Supreme Court of the Chechen Republic had heard his case concerning banditry and other charges in a closed hearing and that he had been convicted on the basis of self-incriminating statements obtained under duress, and (d) Under Article 4 of Protocol No.7 that the courts convicted him of the same offence in respect of which there had been issued a decision refusing to open a criminal case.
3.
In his application form dated 10 June 2009 the applicant complains: (a) under Article 3 about his ill-treatment and the lack of effective investigation into it; (b) under Article 5 that his detention between 19 November 2004 and January 2005 and between 11 and 17 July 2005 was unlawful; (c) under Article 6 that the domestic courts convicted him on the basis of his self-incriminating statements obtained under torture, and (d) under Article 13 that he did not have effective remedies in respect of his grievances under Article 3.

Judgment

FIFTH SECTION

CASE OF GARUMOV v. UKRAINE

(Application no.
70043/17)

JUDGMENT

STRASBOURG

6 June 2019

This judgment is final but it may be subject to editorial revision.
In the case of Garumov v. Ukraine,
The European Court of Human Rights (Fifth Section), sitting as a Committee composed of:
Yonko Grozev, President,Gabriele Kucsko-Stadlmayer,Lado Chanturia, judges,and Milan Blaško, Deputy Section Registrar,
Having deliberated in private on 7 May 2019,
Delivers the following judgment, which was adopted on that date:
PROCEDURE
1.
The case originated in an application (no. 70043/17) against Ukraine lodged with the Court under Article 34 of the Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms (“the Convention”) by a Russian national, Mr Magomedganipa Gadzhiyevych Garumov (“the applicant”), on 26 September 2017. 2. The applicant was represented by Mr V.V. Rakov and Mr R.N. Rozmetov, lawyers practising in Kyiv. The Ukrainian Government (“the Government”) were represented by their Agent, Mr I. Lishchyna. 3. The applicant complained, inter alia, of a lack of medical treatment in detention and of the authorities’ failure to give relevant and sufficient reasons to justify his pre-trial detention. 4. On 26 September 2017 the applicant applied to the Court for an interim measure under Rule 39 of the Rules of Court, so that he could be transferred to a specialised medical facility for further neurological treatment. The Court rejected that request on 19 March 2018. The application was granted priority under Rule 41 of the Rules of Court. 5. On the same day the above complaints (see paragraph 3 above) were communicated to the Government and the remainder of the application was declared inadmissible pursuant to Rule 54 § 3 of the Rules of Court. Further to the notification under Article 36 § 1 of the Convention, the Russian Government informed the Court that they did not wish to exercise their right to intervene in the present case. THE FACTS
I.
THE CIRCUMSTANCES OF THE CASE
6.
The applicant was born in 1967 and is currently detained in the Kyiv pre-trial detention centre (“the SIZO”). A. The applicant’s arrest and detention
7.
On 1 June 2017 the applicant was arrested on suspicion of kidnapping. 8. On 2 June 2017 the Pecherskyy District Court of Kyiv (“the District Court”) ordered the applicant’s pre-trial detention. The court agreed with the reasons for the applicant’s detention which had been advanced by the investigator, but did not mention them in its decision. The decision merely stated that the reasons advanced by the investigator were sufficient for the court to conclude that the applicant might try to abscond from justice, obstruct the investigation, and influence the other suspect or witnesses in the proceedings. No further details were provided by the court. On 3 August 2017 the decision was upheld by the Court of Appeal. 9. On 6 June 2017 the applicant was placed in the Kyiv SIZO. 10. In the course of the pre-trial investigation the applicant’s detention was extended a number of times, including on 27 July, 22 and 28 September, and 15 and 29 November 2017. The reasons for extending his detention were the severity of the possible sanction, the need to take additional investigative and procedural steps, and the fact that the existing risks [of the applicant’s absconding or obstructing the criminal proceedings] were still relevant. No further details were provided by the courts. On the last mentioned date the court maintained non-custodial preventive measures in respect of two co-accused. 11. On 13 December 2017 the Kagarlyk Court of Kyiv Region (“the trial court”) committed the applicant for trial. The trial court maintained the custodial preventive measure in respect of the applicant, reiterating, without providing details, the same reasons which had been mentioned at the pre‐trial stage, namely that there was a reasonable suspicion that the applicant had committed the said crime; if released he might attempt to abscond from justice; the statutory penalty for the crime was up to ten years’ imprisonment along with confiscation of all property; and, being a foreign national, he had no permanent place of residence in Ukraine and was unemployed. 12. During the trial the applicant’s detention was again extended a number of times, including on 9 February, 28 March, 24 April, 13 June, 11 September, 7 November 2018 and 11 February 2019. The reasons for extending his detention were similar to those mentioned in paragraphs 8, 10 and 11 above. No further details were provided by the courts. 13. In the decisions taken on 22 September and 13 December 2017, 28 March, 13 June and 11 September 2018, and 7 November and 11 February 2019, the courts also referred to the fact that the applicant was a national of the Russian Federation, and might therefore escape justice abroad as he had not handed in his passport, had no permanent place of residence, no social ties in Ukraine and was unemployed. No further details or reasons for the relevant decision were provided by the courts in that regard. 14. In the course of the proceedings in respect of the extension of his detention, on 28 September and 13 December 2017, 28 March, 24 April, 13 June, 11 September, 7 November 2018, and 11 February 2019 the applicant raised objections. He argued, inter alia, that his state of health was unsatisfactory as he had recently suffered a stroke, that he had a stable family relationship, and that he had not attempted to abscond from justice. 15. In particular, on 13 December 2017, 7 February, 21 March, and 23 April 2018 the applicant applied to the court to change the preventive measure for house arrest. He stated that he suffered from cardiac and neurological conditions and that his state of health required treatment in a specialised medical facility outside the SIZO; that he had a permanent residence permit issued by the Ukrainian authorities; and that he had had a civil partner and two children born in Ukraine. He further stated that a non‐custodial preventive measure had been applied to his two co-accused in the course of the pre-trial investigation, and the fact that they were at liberty had not obstructed the investigation. It appears from the relevant decisions that the courts did not address the above-mentioned arguments. 16. According to the available information, between September and November 2017 an ambulance was called ten times to provide the applicant with urgent treatment or to take him outside the SIZO. Additionally, on hearing days, notably on 13 December 2017, 16 January, 9 February, 24 April and 8 May 2018, he was taken to the trial court by ambulance in view of his poor health. 17. According to the available information, the applicant is currently detained in the Kyiv SIZO pending examination of his case by the trial court. B. Medical treatment provided to the applicant while in detention
18.
According to the Government, when he was placed in the SIZO (see paragraph 9 above), the applicant did not raise any health complaints. 19. Since 6 July 2017 the applicant has been treated in the SIZO medical unit in connection with, inter alia, ischemic heart disease and second‐stage hypertension. 20. On 3 September 2017 an ambulance took the applicant to the Kyiv Medical Emergency Hospital (“the Emergency Hospital”) where he was diagnosed with a haemorrhagic stroke and third‐stage hypertension. He was provided with urgent treatment. 21. On 8 September 2017 the applicant was discharged from the hospital and returned to the SIZO with medical prescriptions and recommendations for further treatment. His medical condition was assessed as being of medium gravity. 22. On 13 September 2017 the applicant consulted a neurologist and a cardiologist, who prescribed medication in view of his diagnosis (see paragraph 20 above) and recommended further in-patient treatment at a medical facility specialising in neurology. It was also recommended that he undergo a magnetic resonance tomography (“MRT”), massages and rehabilitation exercises. In a further recommendation of 2 October 2017 the neurologist stated that a lack of adequate medical treatment could result in another intracerebral hemorrhage and disability. The neurologist also stated that by 13 September 2017 the applicant had needed further examinations and treatment at a medical facility specialising in neurology, in order to specify the further treatment to be prescribed. 23. In the course of the court hearing on 21 September 2017 the applicant felt unwell. An ambulance transported him to the Emergency Hospital where he consulted a neurosurgeon and a therapist, and underwent a spiral computed tomography (CT) scan of the brain. He was recommended further supervision by a neurologist and sent back to the SIZO. 24. On the same day the District Court ordered the Kyiv SIZO administration to ensure that the applicant underwent an urgent forensic examination. The parties did not inform the Court whether that order had been implemented. 25. On 29 September and 10 October 2017 the applicant consulted a neurologist, who prescribed him medication and massage of the limbs of the left side of the body. 26. On 29 December 2017 the SIZO administration informed the applicant’s defence lawyer that the SIZO had no cardiologist or rehabilitation physician on its staff. An MRT scanner was not available either. Medical treatment for those suffering from cardiac diseases was provided by a therapist. According to the case-file material, an MRT scan was eventually carried out on 15 January 2018 in an outside facility, allegedly at the expense of the applicant’s wife. 27. On 3 January 2018 the applicant’s defence lawyer requested the Kyiv Bureau for Forensic Medical Examinations to carry out a forensic examination with a view to establishing, inter alia, what medical conditions the applicant was suffering from and whether he required medical treatment. 28. In the course the above-mentioned examination the forensic experts studied the applicant’s medical file and examined him in person. In their opinion of 2 February 2018 the forensic experts concluded that the applicant was suffering from cerebrovascular disease, acute stroke (3 September 2017), discirculatory encephalopathy, and third-degree hypertension. From his symptoms at the time of examination it was evident that he had had repeated acute strokes and that further examination and in-patient treatment at a medical facility specialising in neurology were imperative. 29. On 9 February and 6 March 2018 the SIZO administration replied to the defence lawyer’s applications for the applicant’s transfer to a specialised medical facility, informing him that such a transfer would be possible if the relevant documentation confirming the readiness of the medical facility in question to admit the applicant for treatment, were presented. 30. On 8 May 2018 the applicant’s defence lawyer applied to the trial court, seeking the applicant’s transfer to a medical facility specialising in neurology with a view to his further examination and in-patient treatment. On the same day the trial court allowed that application and ordered the applicant’s transfer to a relevant medical facility of the applicant’s choice and at his or his relatives’ expense. 31. On 11 May 2018 the SIZO authorities informed the applicant’s defence lawyer that his client’s transfer for treatment would be possible if he presented relevant documentation confirming the readiness of the medical facility in question to admit the applicant for treatment. The lawyer was further informed that the applicant was being provided with symptomatic treatment at the SIZO. 32. On 4 June 2018 the applicant was transferred to Kyiv City Hospital no. 4 for treatment. A number of tests and examinations were carried out and medication was prescribed. On 22 June 2018 he was discharged and sent back to the SIZO with an insignificant improvement in his health. 33. On 5 July 2018 the applicant was recognised as a person suffering from a category 2 disability. The second category is the intermediary one, the first constituting the severest level of disability and the third the least severe. The applicant was also recommended rehabilitation treatment. 34. The parties did not inform the Court about the treatment the applicant had been provided with after July 2018. THE LAW
I.
ALLEGED VIOLATION OF ARTICLE 3 OF THE CONVENTION
35.
The applicant complained that no appropriate medical assistance had been provided to him while in detention. He relied on Article 3 of the Convention, which reads as follows:
“No one shall be subjected to torture or to inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment.”
A. Admissibility
36.
The Court notes that this complaint is not manifestly ill-founded within the meaning of Article 35 § 3 (a) of the Convention. It further notes that it is not inadmissible on any other grounds. It must therefore be declared admissible. B. Merits
37.
The applicant complained that he had not been given access to appropriate medical assistance while detained. The Government contended that they had taken all possible measures to provide the applicant with appropriate medical assistance and treatment in full compliance with the requirements of Article 3 of the Convention. 38. The applicable general principles in respect of medical treatment in detention have been summarised in Hummatov v. Azerbaijan (nos. 9852/03 and 13413/04, §§ 112‐22, 29 November 2007); Ukhan v. Ukraine (no. 30628/02, §§ 77‐83, 18 December 2008); Petukhov v. Ukraine (no. 43374/02, §§ 91‐98, 21 October 2010); and Sergey Antonov v. Ukraine (no. 40512/13, §§ 70‐75, 22 October 2015). 39. Turning to the circumstances of the present case, the Court notes at the outset that the medical condition the applicant suffered from (see paragraph 20 above) was serious enough to affect his everyday functioning and even to pose a risk for his life. Therefore, he could have experienced considerable anxiety regarding whether the medical care provided to him was adequate. 40. The Court further notes that soon after having had a stroke, the applicant was recommended in-patient treatment at a medical facility specialising in neurology. His placement in such a facility was recommended on account of the need to carry out further examinations and treatment (see paragraph 22 above). It appears that that recommendation was not implemented by the SIZO. 41. The Court observes that the recommendation that the applicant undergo an MRT scan and rehabilitation treatment (see paragraph 22 above) was not implemented in good time. In this connection, the Court notes that the authorities did not provide any explanation for the delay in performing an MRT scan, having acknowledged that the SIZO medical unit had not been sufficiently equipped and staffed to address the applicant’s neurological illness (see paragraph 26 above). An MRT scan was eventually carried out four months after it had been prescribed (idem). 42. Moreover, the Court cannot but note that the repeated recommendation for the applicant’s further examination and in-patient treatment at a medical facility specialising in neurology – after the forensic experts had concluded that the applicant had suffered another severe stroke (see paragraph 28 above), was not taken seriously by the authorities. It appears that they simply shifted the burden – of placing the applicant in a specialised medical facility – onto the applicant and his relatives (see paragraphs 29 - 31 above). Instead, they continued providing him with symptomatic treatment at the SIZO. 43. Lastly, it took the applicant four months to arrange such a transfer (see paragraph 32 above). Against the background the Court cannot exclude that the applicant’s disability (see paragraph 33 above) could have been the result of the authorities’ reluctance to take all the steps they were reasonably expected to take. 44. The Court nevertheless observes that the applicant was not entirely left without medical care while in detention. He received certain medication and underwent a number of examinations. However, the Court cannot subscribe to the Government’s argument that the level of medical care provided to him was sufficient. Although the Government provided a substantial amount of documentary information concerning the treatment provided to the applicant, it did not contain evidence proving that the prescribed medication had been actually administered to him throughout his detention. It would appear from several barely legible documents in the case file that some medication had been administered to the applicant between 6 July and 10 October 2017. 45. The Court reiterates in this connection that it is for the Government to provide credible and convincing evidence that an applicant received comprehensive and adequate medical care in detention (see, among others, Savinov v. Ukraine, no. 5212/13, § 50, 22 October 2015). 46. In the light of the foregoing, the Court considers that the authorities’ unjustified delays in providing the applicant with medical treatment after his medical condition had been established, their failure to secure his placement in a hospital for further examination and in-patient treatment, and the subsequent deterioration in his health are sufficient indications of a serious failing on the part of the respondent State to provide him with the appropriate medical care while in detention. This amounted to inhuman and degrading treatment in breach of Article 3 of the Convention. II. ALLEGED VIOLATION OF ARTICLE 5 OF THE CONVENTION
47.
The applicant complained that the domestic courts’ decisions on his detention were arbitrary and lacked reasoning. He relied on Article 5 §§ 1 (c), 3 and 4 of the Convention. 48. Being master of the characterisation to be given in law to the facts of the case (see Radomilja and Others v. Croatia [GC], nos. 37685/10 and 22768/12, §§ 114 and 126, 20 March 2018), and having regard to the substance of the applicant’s complaints, the Court decides to examine them under Article 5 § 3 of the Convention. 49. The relevant part of Article 5 reads as follows:
“... 3.
Everyone arrested or detained in accordance with the provisions of paragraph 1 (c) of this Article shall be brought promptly before a judge or other officer authorised by law to exercise judicial power, and shall be entitled to trial within a reasonable time or to release pending trial. Release may be conditioned by guarantees to appear for trial ...”
A. Admissibility
50.
The Court notes that this complaint is not manifestly ill-founded within the meaning of Article 35 § 3 (a) of the Convention. It further notes that it is not inadmissible on any other grounds. It must therefore be declared admissible. B. Merits
51.
The applicant submitted that his detention had not been lawful and justified, as the courts had failed to give relevant and sufficient reasons for it. He further stated that he had a permanent residence permit issued by the Ukrainian authorities, a stable family relationship and two children born in Ukraine. Lastly, he stressed that there had been no risks of his absconding from justice, and that the authorities had never requested that he hand in his passport. 52. The Government submitted that the applicant’s detention had been lawful within the meaning of the domestic law and had been justified by the reasonable suspicion that he had committed a crime. They added that there had been “adequate” and “sufficient” grounds for the applicant’s continued detention. They thus considered that his detention had been in compliance with Article 5 of the Convention. 53. The applicable general principles are set out in Buzadji v. the Republic of Moldova ([GC], no. 23755/07, §§ 84-91 and 102, 5 July 2016). 54. The Court observes that contrary to the Government’s argument, the District Court’s decision of 2 June 2017 did not contain clear and precise reasons for the applicant’s detention but simply referred to the investigator’s submissions, without any examination of the plausibility of the grounds invoked by the latter (see paragraph 8 above). 55. The Court further observes that the seriousness of the charges against the applicant and the risk of his absconding or interfering with the investigation were mentioned in the initial order for his detention (see idem). However, that reasoning did not evolve with the passage of time. Moreover, when committing the applicant for trial approximately six months later, the domestic court reiterated, without providing details, the same reasons which had been given at the pre-trial stage (see paragraph 11 above). 56. The Court also notes that the domestic courts consistently failed to consider and reply to the applicant’s arguments that his state of health had been deteriorating and that he required special medical treatment, that he had a stable family relationship, and that he had not absconded from justice (see paragraphs 14 and 15 above). For instance, the courts failed to provide any explanation as to how the applicant’s release would hamper the investigation and trial, taking into account (a) his state of health and (b) the fact that a non-custodial preventive measure had been applied to his two co‐accused at least as from 29 November 2017 (see paragraph 10 above). 57. The Court further notes that the authorities did not comment on the applicant’s argument that he had never been requested to hand in his passport. 58. The Court has often found a violation of Article 5 § 3 of the Convention in cases against Ukraine on the basis that the domestic courts referred to the same set of grounds, if there were any, throughout the period of the applicant’s detention (see, for example, Kharchenko v. Ukraine, no. 40107/02, §§ 80-81 and 99, 10 February 2011 and Ignatov v. Ukraine, no. 40583/15, § 41, 15 December 2016). 59. Having regard to the above, the Court considers that by failing to address the specific facts of the applicant’s situation and by relying essentially and routinely on the seriousness of the charges against him, the authorities extended the applicant’s detention pending trial on grounds which cannot be regarded as “sufficient” and “relevant”. 60. There has accordingly been a violation of Article 5 § 3 of the Convention. III. APPLICATION OF ARTICLE 41 OF THE CONVENTION
61.
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.”
62.
The applicant claimed 874 euros (EUR) in respect of pecuniary damage, which he had incurred in order to purchase medicines and undergo a forensic medical examination. He also claimed EUR 70,000 in respect of non-pecuniary damage. 63. The Government considered the claims unsubstantiated and excessive. 64. The Court finds that the applicant’s claims in respect of pecuniary damage are not substantiated; it therefore rejects them. On the other hand, it awards the applicant EUR 10,000 in respect of non‐pecuniary damage, plus any tax that may be chargeable. 65. The applicant did not request any sum in respect of costs and expenses. Therefore, the Court is not called upon to make an award under this head. 66. 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.
Declares the applicant’s complaints under Article 3 of the Convention concerning the lack of access to appropriate medical assistance in detention, and his complaints under Article 5 § 3 of the Convention admissible;

2.
Holds that there has been a violation of Article 3 of the Convention;

3.
Holds that there has been a violation of Article 5 § 3 of the Convention;

4.
Holds
(a) that the respondent State is to pay the applicant, within three months, EUR 10,000 (ten thousand euros), to be converted into the currency of the respondent State at the rate applicable at the date of settlement, plus any tax that may be chargeable, in respect of non‐pecuniary damage;
(b) that from the expiry of the above-mentioned three months until settlement simple interest shall be payable on the above amount at a rate equal to the marginal lending rate of the European Central Bank during the default period, plus three percentage points;

5.
Dismisses the remainder of the applicant’s claim for just satisfaction. Done in English, and notified in writing on 6 June 2019, pursuant to Rule 77 §§ 2 and 3 of the Rules of Court. Milan Blaško Yonko GrozevDeputy RegistrarPresident