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FIFTH
SECTION
CASE OF SUPTEL v. UKRAINE
(Application
no. 39188/04)
JUDGMENT
STRASBOURG
19 February 2009
This
judgment will become final in the circumstances set out in Article 44
§ 2 of the Convention. It may be subject to editorial
revision.
In the case of Suptel v. Ukraine,
The
European Court of Human Rights (Fifth Section), sitting as a Chamber
composed of:
Peer Lorenzen, President,
Rait
Maruste,
Karel Jungwiert,
Renate
Jaeger,
Isabelle Berro-Lefèvre,
Mirjana
Lazarova Trajkovska, judges,
Stanislav Shevchuk, ad
hoc judge,
and Claudia
Westerdiek, Section
Registrar,
Having
deliberated in private on 27 January 2009,
Delivers
the following judgment, which was adopted on that date:
PROCEDURE
- The
case originated in an application
(no. 39188/04) 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
Ukrainian national, Mr Aleksandr Leonardovich Suptel (“the
applicant”), on 14 October 2004.
- The
Ukrainian Government (“the Government”) were represented
by their Agent, Mr Y. Zaytsev.
- On
14 May 2007 the
President of the Fifth Section decided to give notice of the
application to the Government. It was also decided to rule on the
admissibility and merits of the application at the same time
(Article 29 § 3).
THE FACTS
I. THE CIRCUMSTANCES OF THE CASE
- The
applicant was born in 1963 and lives in Kyiv.
- On
22 December 1998 the applicant, accompanied by S.N. and V.B., threw a
burning torch into a car belonging to O.S. as a retaliatory measure
for allegedly unfair business dealings with the applicant. The
interior of the car was damaged. The police decided not to initiate
criminal proceedings into the incident at the material time for lack
of corpus delicti.
- On
8 May 1999 O.S. was fatally injured in a stabbing.
- Criminal
proceedings into the circumstances of his death were initiated on the
same date.
- According
to the applicant, at about 8 p.m. on 8 May 1999 he was arrested
on suspicion of incitement to murder and taken to the Vatutinsky
District Police Station, where he was severely ill-treated by some
ten police officers until he confessed to the offence on 10 May 1999.
In particular, he alleged that the police officers had handcuffed and
kicked him and fractured his ankle with a crowbar. He had lost
consciousness and, on coming round, had found himself suspended from
a crowbar with his hands locked under his knees. After he had signed
the confession, the officers had contacted his wife and requested her
to bring fresh clothes and a coat, on which he was then carried down
to a police cell. Afraid that the staff of the Temporary Detention
Centre (the “IVS”) would not admit the applicant on
account of his injuries, the officers left him in a cell at the
police station, unable to walk and without even the most basic care.
- According
to the official record, the applicant was arrested on 10 May 1999
at 3 p.m. in the premises of the Vatutinsky District Police Station.
- On
10 May 1999 criminal proceedings were instituted against the
applicant and two other individuals: M.V., who was suspected of
O.S.'s stabbing, and S.N., who was suspected of having hired M.V. to
do so.
- On
19 May 1999 the applicant was admitted to the IVS. The officer on
duty noted that he had a leg injury.
- On
20 May 1999 the IVS paramedic called an ambulance. The ambulance
paramedic found that the applicant had suffered a severe chest
contusion and arranged for his admission to the Emergency Hospital,
where he was treated until 17 June 1999. According to a
medical certificate issued by the hospital, the applicant had
suffered a closed chest injury, closed fragmental fracture of the
right ankle and a haematoma in an ankle joint. He was operated on to
drain abscesses on both ankles. 15 ml of puss was recovered from one
ankle and 5 ml from the other.
- On
22 May 1999 the applicant was officially indicted for incitement to
murder.
- On
29 October 1999 the Vatutinsky District Prosecutors' Office rejected
a request by the applicant to initiate criminal proceedings against
the police officers on account of his alleged ill-treatment, as it
found his complaint unfounded.
- On
24 April 2000 the case-file concerning the murder charges was sent
with the bill of indictment to the Kyiv City Court for examination on
the merits.
- On
10 May 2000 the court held the first hearing.
- Between
May and October 2000 the court held some eleven hearings. At the
trial all the defendants retracted their initial confessions. Two
witnesses also complained that they had been ill-treated by the
police, who had incited them to give evidence against the defendants,
who were friends of theirs. The applicant further alleged that the
police officers had drafted a confession which they had forced him to
sign.
- On
31 October 2000 the Kyiv City Court found the defendants guilty as
charged and sentenced the applicant to fifteen years' imprisonment.
It rejected the defendants' allegations of ill-treatment, primarily
on the strength of the testimony of eight police officers who had
denied the allegations while admitting that force had been used to
arrest the defendants. The court further referred to the prosecutors'
office's decision of 29 October 1999, dismissing the applicant's
request to institute criminal proceedings.
- On
14 January 2001 the applicant filed a new request with the
prosecutors' office for a criminal investigation into his alleged
ill-treatment. This was rejected on 9 February 2001.
- On
19 February 2001, following complaints by the defendants and several
witnesses involved in the proceedings of ill-treatment, the Deputy
Head of the Parliamentary Committee on Organised Crime and
Corruption, R., sent a letter to the Prosecutor General requesting a
criminal investigation.
- In
a letter of 2 March 2001 the Deputy General Prosecutor requested the
Kyiv City Court to include his letter in the case-file and informed
R. that no investigation had been possible at the material time, as
the case had been pending before the judicial authorities, which
prevented the prosecution from having access to the relevant
materials annexed to the case-file.
- On
27 March 2001 the Vatutinsky District Polyclinic issued the applicant
with a certificate stating that, in addition to the injuries recorded
in the hospital, in May 1999 he had also suffered injuries to his
wrist and coccyx.
- On
17 May 2001 the Supreme Court quashed the judgment of 31 October
2000 and remitted the case for additional pre-trial investigations.
It found it peculiar that the applicant's confession was dated 8 May
1999, while the official record stated that he had first been
questioned and arrested on 10 May 1999. Further, it noted that the
trial court should have ordered a medical report on the applicant in
order to obtain objective information concerning his injuries and an
assessment by a handwriting expert to verify his allegation that his
confession had not been drafted by him.
- On
23 July 2001 the investigators decided to resume the criminal
proceedings against the applicant, S.N. and V.B on suspicion of arson
in connection with the torching of O.S.'s car in 1998. Subsequently,
the applicant was formally charged with arson.
- On
26 July 2001 the criminal cases concerning both the arson and murder
charges were joined.
- On
31 August 2001 the medical records of the applicant's injuries were
assessed by a medical expert, who confirmed that in May 1999 the
applicant had suffered a haematoma to his right ankle joint. At the
same time he found that the chest contusion diagnosis was
insufficiently substantiated. He did not provide any conclusions
concerning the other injuries listed in the applicant's records.
- On
7 September 2001 the police instituted criminal proceedings against
N.N., the applicant's wife on the grounds that, while working as a
nurse, she had forged, in particular, a certificate that purported to
have been issued by the Vatutinsky District Polyclinic on 27 March
2001. On 16 October 2001 she was amnestied.
- On
30 September 2001 the Vatutinsky District Prosecutors' Office again
refused to institute criminal proceedings in connection with the
applicant's allegation of ill-treatment. It noted, in particular,
that the applicant had been arrested on 8 May 1999 and
that, as the arresting officers had been aware that the applicant, a
former sportsman, was well-built, might have been armed and was
implicated in a serious offence, they had had to use force to arrest
him. In doing so, they had tripped him up, thrown him against the
bonnet of a car, and handcuffed him. The Prosecutor's Office
considered that this was what had caused the applicant to suffer the
haematoma. As regards the other injuries noted in the applicant's
medical records, they had not been confirmed by the recent medical
expert report.
- On
29 November 2001 the Kyiv Forensic Experts Institute found it
probable that the applicant's confession had been dictated by a
professional, skilled in the preparation of procedural documents, to
an individual, who had written the text under stress, possibly on
account of physical pain. No assessment was carried out to determine
whether the statement had been written by the applicant's hand.
- In
February 2002 the criminal case concerning the murder and arson
charges was sent to the Kyiv City Court of Appeal (the former Kyiv
City Court) for trial.
- On
10 April 2002 the court decided that further pre-trial investigations
were necessary. It found, inter alia, that the investigation
had not fully complied with the Supreme Court's instructions. In
particular, it had not been established why the applicant's
confession had been dated 8 May 1999, while no other
procedural documents had been executed on that date; nor was there
any indication as to where the applicant had been held between 8 and
18 May 1999 and why he had arrived in the IVS only on 19 May 1999.
The court further noted that the officers manning the premises where
the applicant had been kept before 19 May 1999 should have been
questioned about his state of health during that period. Finally, the
investigation should have established whether it was likely that the
applicant's injuries had been caused in the manner he had described.
- On
13 June 2002 the Supreme Court of Ukraine upheld the decision to
order additional investigations.
- On
31 October 2002 the case was referred to the Kyiv City Court of
Appeal for trial. Between December 2002 and November 2003 that court
held some forty hearings.
- On
6 November 2003 the Kyiv City Court of Appeal remitted the case for a
pre-trial investigation in respect of the murder charges. It found,
in particular, that the materials relating to the applicant's first
interrogation, in which he had confessed to the murder, were
inadmissible as evidence, as he had been questioned as a witness in
the absence of a lawyer, whose presence was obligatory in view of the
gravity of the alleged offence. Furthermore, the court referred to
the failure of the investigation to establish the facts concerning
the drafting of the applicant's confession and the other
circumstances of his arrest and initial interrogation, including the
date. It noted, in particular, that the investigator had alleged that
he had been unaware of the applicant's detention on 8 May 1999.
According to him, the applicant had confessed on 10 May 1999. At the
same time, several police officers had submitted that the
investigative and prosecuting authorities had been fully aware of the
applicant's arrest on 8 May 1999. The court also noted that the
expert who had carried out the applicant's medical assessment had not
made any findings concerning certain of his injuries, including the
wrist injury and two abscesses that had been noted in various medical
records. Moreover, the assessment had not been carried out by a panel
of experts as required, but by a single expert.
- On
14 November 2003 the court found the applicant, S.N. and V.B. guilty
of arson and sentenced the applicant to seven years' imprisonment.
- On
15 April 2004 the Supreme Court upheld the Court of Appeal's decision
of 6 November 2003 and judgment of 14 November 2003.
- On
26 July 2004 the investigators ordered the applicant's medical
assessment by a panel of experts.
- On
24 December 2004 the Kyiv City Bureau of Forensic Medical Experts
found the diagnosis of the closed chest injury unfounded. They
confirmed, however, that on 20 May 1999 the applicant had had the
following injuries: a haemorrhage of the left ankle and contusion of
soft tissue on the left arm, which qualified as light bodily
injuries, and a haemorrhage of the right ankle and a closed fracture
of the right ankle, which qualified as bodily injuries of
“intermediate” gravity. Based on the available documents
it was not possible to establish the exact date of the infliction of
these injuries, however, their infliction in the period between 8 and
11 May 1999 was not improbable.
- By
28 December 2006 the proceedings in respect of M.V., the alleged
perpetrator of the murder, were terminated for want of evidence of
his involvement. As of April 2008 the proceedings in respect of the
applicant and S.N. were still pending.
II. RELEVANT DOMESTIC LAW
- The
relevant provisions of the Constitution and the Code of Criminal
Procedure can be found in the judgment in the case of Kozinets v.
Ukraine (no. 75520/01, §§ 39-42,
6 December 2007).
THE LAW
I. ALLEGED VIOLATION OF ARTICLE 3 OF THE CONVENTION
- The
applicant complained under Article 3 of the Convention that he had
been subjected to ill-treatment by police officers who had forced him
to confess to incitement to murder. The relevant Convention provision
reads as follows:
“No one shall be subjected to torture or to
inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment.”
A. Admissibility
- The
Government did not comment on the admissibility of this complaint.
- The
Court finds that the complaint is not manifestly ill-founded within
the meaning of Article 35 § 3 of the Convention. It further
notes that it is not inadmissible on any other grounds. It must
therefore be declared admissible.
Merits
1. The submissions of the parties
- The
applicant maintained that he had not resisted arrest and that, in any
event, his injuries had been inflicted on him in custody for the
purposes of extorting a confession. They included a contusion of the
chest, injuries to a wrist and the coccyx and fractures of an ankle
and a cheek-bone. By keeping him in a police cell for over a week
after the initial interrogation the police officers had denied him
access to medical assistance, which had resulted in the aggravation
of his condition. His wife had merely recorded what she had been told
by a doctor when consulting the applicant's medical file. In any
event, the fact that she had drafted one certificate was immaterial,
as the case file contained various other independent pieces of
evidence attesting to the applicant's numerous injuries.
- The
Government noted that there were inconsistencies in the medical
records concerning the applicant's injuries, in particular, as a
result of the forgery that had been committed by the applicant's
wife. According to the expert assessment of 31 August 2001, however,
the applicant had sustained a haematoma to his right ankle. The
Government submitted that this was a light bodily injury only, and
may have been caused by the arresting officers. Regard being had to
the officers' reasonable suspicion that the applicant, who was
implicated in a murder, would resist his arrest, was in all
probability armed and was known to be a well-built sportsman, the
force used to effect his arrest was not disproportionate.
2. The Court's assessment
- The
Court reiterates that Article 3 of the Convention prohibits in
absolute terms torture and inhuman or degrading treatment.
Ill-treatment must attain a minimum level of severity if it is to
fall within the scope of Article 3. The assessment of this minimum is
relative: it depends on all the circumstances of the case, such as
the duration of the treatment, its physical and mental effects and,
in some cases, the sex, age and state of health of the victim. In
respect of a person deprived of his liberty, recourse to physical
force which has not been made strictly necessary by his own conduct
diminishes human dignity and is in principle an infringement of the
right set forth in Article 3 (see Labita v. Italy [GC], no.
26772/95, 6 April 2000, §§ 119-20, ECHR 2000-IV).
- In
assessing evidence, the Court has generally applied the standard of
proof “beyond reasonable doubt” (see Ireland v. the
United Kingdom, 18 January 1978, § 161, Series A no.
25). However, proof may follow from the coexistence of sufficiently
strong, clear and concordant inferences or of similar unrebutted
presumptions of fact. Where the events in issue lie wholly, or in
large part, within the exclusive knowledge of the authorities, as in
the case of persons under their control in custody, strong
presumptions of fact will arise in respect of injuries occurring
during such detention. Indeed, the burden of proof may be regarded as
lying with the authorities to provide a satisfactory and convincing
explanation (see Ribitsch v. Austria, 4 December 1995,
§ 34, Series A no. 336, and Salman v. Turkey [GC],
no. 21986/93, § 100, ECHR 2000-VII).
- Turning to the facts of the case, the Court notes that
on 20 May 1999, following the applicant's medical examination upon
his transfer from the police department to the IVS, he was found to
be suffering from various injuries and was admitted to hospital,
where he was operated on and remained as an inpatient until
17 June 1999. The Court further notes certain discrepancies
between various records concerning the gravity of his injuries. It
observes, however, that the results of the medical assessment of
24 December 2004 have remained undisputed at the domestic level
and the Government have not put forward any arguments that would
undermine their validity. In these circumstances, the Court finds it
reasonable to base its analysis on the results of that assessment,
according to which the applicant sustained several injuries
cumulatively characterised as being of “intermediate”
gravity. The Court finds that these injuries were sufficiently
serious to amount to ill-treatment within the meaning of Article 3.
- As
regards the Government's contention that the applicant was injured as
a result of the use of proportionate force during his arrest, the
Court notes that no detailed account of the arrest operation
(including the date, place, number of participating officers and the
nature of the applicant's resistance) has been supplied to
corroborate this allegation. Moreover, that account only explains the
haematoma, while the circumstances in which the other injuries were
sustained have not been clearly established after some nine years of
inquiries. In particular, as noted in the Kyiv City Court of Appeal's
decision of 6 November 2003, the investigation has not
established clearly whether the applicant was first interrogated on
8 or 10 May 1999, why he was not transferred to the
IVS immediately after the decision on his detention, in what
conditions he was held before his transfer to the IVS and whether he
was provided with appropriate medical assistance during that period.
- Accordingly,
although the case-file does not contain conclusive evidence as to the
circumstances in which the applicant sustained his injuries, the
Court finds that, viewed cumulatively, the medical evidence, the
applicant's detailed testimony, the failure of the authorities to
provide a clear and consistent account of his whereabouts between 8
and 19 May 1999, his confession in circumstances in which
he appeared to enjoy no procedural guarantees, and the lack of any
plausible alternative explanation as to the origin of his injuries,
give rise to a reasonable suspicion that they may have been caused by
the police officers.
- The
Court reiterates that a State is responsible for the welfare of
persons in detention and that the authorities have a duty to protect
such persons. Bearing in mind the authorities' obligation to account
for injuries caused to persons under their control, the Court
considers that the mere fact that no individuals have been found
guilty of a crime of violence against a detainee, as in the instant
case, cannot absolve the State of its responsibility under the
Convention (see, mutatis mutandis, Esen v. Turkey,
no. 29484/95, § 28; Yaz v. Turkey,
no. 29485/95, § 30; and Ayşe Tepe v. Turkey,
no. 29422/95, 22 July 2003).
- The
Court therefore concludes that there has been a breach of Article 3
of the Convention in this regard.
II. ALLEGED VIOLATION OF ARTICLE 6 § 1 OF THE CONVENTION
- The
applicant further complained that the length of the criminal
proceedings against him was incompatible with the “reasonable-time”
requirement laid down in Article 6 § 1 of the Convention, which
reads as follows:
“In the determination of ... any criminal charge
against him, everyone is entitled to a ... hearing within a
reasonable time by [a] ... tribunal...”
A. Admissibility
- The
Court notes that this complaint is not manifestly ill-founded within
the meaning of Article 35 § 3 of the Convention. It further
notes that it is not inadmissible on any other grounds. It must
therefore be declared admissible.
B. Merits
1. The period to be taken into account
- The Court notes that in criminal matters, the
“reasonable time” referred to in Article 6 § 1
of the Convention begins to run as soon as a person is “charged”,
in other words, upon the official notification by the competent
authority of an allegation that he has committed a criminal offence.
This definition also corresponds to the test whether “the
situation of the [suspect] has been substantially affected”. As
regards the end of the “relevant period”, in criminal
matters the period governed by Article 6 § 1 of the
Convention covers the whole of the proceedings in issue, including
appeal proceedings ( see Merit v. Ukraine, no. 66561/01,
§ 70, 30 March 2004).
- As
regards the facts of the present case, the Court notes on the basis
of the materials before it that, notwithstanding the formal
institution of criminal proceedings on 10 May 1999 and certain
irregularities in the domestic records concerning the date of the
applicant's initial interrogation, according to the case-file
materials the applicant made his confession, and was accordingly
questioned about his involvement in the murder, on 8 May 1999.
By April 2008 the criminal proceedings concerning the murder
charge were still at the preliminary-investigation stage. They had by
then lasted some nine years.
2. Reasonableness of the length of the proceedings
- The
Court observes that the reasonableness of the length of proceedings
must be assessed in the light of the circumstances of the case and
with reference to the following criteria: the complexity of the case,
the conduct of the applicant and the relevant authorities (see, among
many other authorities, Pélissier and Sassi v. France
[GC], no. 25444/94, § 67, ECHR 1999-II). It further notes that
an accused in criminal proceedings should be entitled to have his
case conducted with special diligence, especially where he is kept in
custody (see, among other authorities, Yurtayev v. Ukraine,
no. 11336/02, § 37, 31 January 2006; Nakhmanovich
v. Russia, no. 55669/00, § 89, 2 March 2006; and Ivanov
v. Ukraine, no. 15007/02, § 71, 7 December
2006).
- The Court appreciates that the criminal proceedings at
issue, which concerned multiple defendants implicated in two offences
– murder and arson – involved evidential and procedural
aspects of a certain complexity. It also notes the efforts of the
trial court to fix a tight hearing schedule.
- On
the other hand, the Court observes that the delays in resolving the
matter have been primarily due to the numerous remittals of the case
for reinvestigation and the rectification of procedural errors. By
April 2008, after some nine years of inquiries, the pre-trial
investigation concerning the murder was still pending. There is no
evidence to show that any investigative activities have been carried
out in the applicant's case since the completion of his medical
assessment in December 2004.
- Having
examined all the material submitted to it in the light of its
jurisprudence (see, among other authorities, Ivanov v. Ukraine,
no. 15007/02, §§ 74, 7 December 2006, and
Benyaminson v. Ukraine, no. 31585/02, §§ 104,
106, 26 July 2007) the Court considers that the Government have
not provided a plausible explanation for the delay. The length of the
criminal proceedings against the applicant has thus been excessive
and fails to meet the “reasonable-time” requirement.
- There
has accordingly been a breach of Article 6 § 1.
III. OTHER
ALLEGED VIOLATIONS OF THE CONVENTION
- The
applicant also complained under Article 5 §§ 1 (c), 3, 4
and 5 of the Convention of the unlawfulness of his detention on
remand, of its length and of the lack of compensation. Lastly, he
referred to Article 5 § 1 (a) and Article 6 § 2 of the
Convention without clarifying his complaints under those provisions.
- Having
considered the applicant's submissions in the light of all the
material in its possession, the Court finds that, in so far as the
matters complained of are within its competence, they do not disclose
any appearance of a violation of the rights and freedoms set out in
the Convention.
- It
follows that this part of the application must be declared
inadmissible as being manifestly ill-founded, pursuant to
Article 35 §§ 3 and 4 of the
Convention.
IV. APPLICATION OF ARTICLE 41 OF THE CONVENTION
- 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.”
A. Damage
- The
applicant claimed 46,292 euros (EUR) in respect of pecuniary damage
under various heads and EUR 50,000 in respect of non-pecuniary
damage.
- The
Government contested these claims.
- The
Court does not discern any causal link between the violations found
and the pecuniary damage alleged; it therefore rejects this claim. As
regards the claim in respect of non-pecuniary damage, the Court has
found violations of Articles 3 and 6 § 1 of the
Convention in the present case and considers that the applicant must
have suffered anguish and distress as a result of those violations.
Having regard to these considerations and to its case-law (see, for
example, Afanasyev v. Ukraine, no. 38722/02, § 84,
5 April 2005; and Lugovoy v. Ukraine, no. 25821/02,
§ 46, 12 June 2008) and ruling on an equitable
basis, the Court awards the applicant EUR 11,000 in respect of
non-pecuniary damage.
B. Costs and expenses
- The
applicant also claimed EUR 4,000 for the costs and expenses, but
did not produce any relevant receipts.
- The
Government contested that claim.
- According
to the Court's case-law, an applicant is entitled to the
reimbursement of costs and expenses only in so far as it has been
shown that these have been actually and necessarily incurred and were
reasonable as to quantum. In the present case, regard being had to
the information in its possession and the above criteria, the Court
rejects the claim.
C. Default interest
- The
Court considers it appropriate that the default interest 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
- Declares the complaints under Articles 3
and 6 § 1 admissible and the remainder of the
application inadmissible;
- Holds that there has been a violation of Article
3 of the Convention;
- Holds that there has been a violation of Article
6 § 1 of the Convention;
- Holds
(a) that
the respondent State is to pay the applicant, within three months
from the date on which the judgment becomes final in accordance with
Article 44 § 2 of the Convention, EUR 11,000
(eleven thousand euros) plus any tax that may be chargeable, in
respect of non-pecuniary damage, to be converted into the national
currency of Ukraine 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 amount at a rate equal
to the marginal lending rate of the European Central Bank during the
default period plus three percentage points;
- Dismisses the remainder of the applicant's claim
for just satisfaction.
Done in English, and notified in writing on 19 February 2009,
pursuant to Rule 77 §§ 2 and 3 of the Rules of Court.
Claudia Westerdiek Peer
Lorenzen
Registrar President