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SECOND
SECTION
CASE OF MILOŠEVIĆ v. SERBIA
(Application
no. 31320/05)
JUDGMENT
STRASBOURG
28
April 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 Milošević
v. Serbia,
The
European Court of Human Rights (Second Section), sitting as a Chamber
composed of:
Françoise Tulkens,
President,
Ireneu Cabral Barreto,
Vladimiro
Zagrebelsky,
Danutė Jočienė,
Dragoljub
Popović,
András Sajó,
Nona
Tsotsoria, judges,
and Sally
Dollé, Section
Registrar,
Having
deliberated in private on 7 April 2009,
Delivers
the following judgment, which was adopted on that date:
PROCEDURE
- The
case originated in an application (no. 31320/05) against the State
Union of Serbia and Montenegro lodged with the Court, under Article
34 of the Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and
Fundamental Freedoms (“the Convention”), by, at that
time, a national of the State Union of Serbia and Montenegro, Mr
Slaviša Milošević (“the applicant”),
on 17 August 2005.
- As
of 3 June 2006, following the Montenegrin declaration of
independence, Serbia remained the sole respondent in the proceedings
before the Court.
- The
applicant was represented by Mr N. Radosavović, a lawyer
practising in Belgrade. The Government of the State Union of Serbia
and Montenegro and, subsequently, the Government of Serbia (“the
Government”) were represented by their Agent, Mr S. Carić.
- The
applicant alleged that he had suffered a breach of Article 5 § 3
of the Convention, as well as a violation of Article 2 of Protocol
No. 4.
- On
16 April 2007 the President of the Second Section decided to give
notice of the application to the Government. Applying Article 29 §
3 of the Convention, it was also decided to examine the merits of the
application at the same time as its admissibility.
THE FACTS
I. THE CIRCUMSTANCES OF THE CASE
- The
applicant was born in 1972 and lives in Belgrade.
- The
facts of the case, as submitted by the parties, may be summarised as
follows.
- On
28 October 1999 the Fifth Municipal Public Prosecutor's Office (Peto
opštinsko javno tuZilastvo) in Belgrade filed a request
for the opening of a judicial investigation (zahtev za sprovođenje
istrage) against the applicant, alleging that he had committed
numerous offences of theft under Article 166 § 1 of the Criminal
Code.
- On
16 December 1999 the investigating judge of the Fifth Municipal Court
in Belgrade (Peti opštinski sud u Beogradu, hereinafter
“the Municipal Court”) instituted a judicial
investigation (doneo rešenje o sprovođenju istrage)
in respect of these charges.
- On
18 January 2000 the same court's investigating judge found that the
applicant's whereabouts were unknown and issued a warrant, ordering
his detention for a period of up to one month.
- On
16 April 2002 the Municipal Court, acting ex officio,
appointed a lawyer to represent the applicant in the proceedings.
- On
20 January 2005, at 4 p.m., the applicant was arrested by the police
and taken to the District Prison (OkruZni zatvor) in Belgrade.
This arrest was carried out on the basis of the Municipal Court's
detention order of 18 January 2000.
- On
21 January 2005 the Municipal Court attempted to contact the
applicant's lawyer, but he could not be reached. On 24 January 2005,
therefore, the court appointed another lawyer to represent the
applicant.
- Since
the newly appointed lawyer was unable to go to the District Prison on
25 January 2005, the applicant's hearing was re-scheduled for
27 January 2005.
- On
27 January 2005, at 9.30 a.m., the applicant, in his lawyer's
presence, was heard by the investigating judge of the Municipal
Court, on which occasion, inter alia, he denied all charges
and explicitly waived his right to file an appeal against the
detention order of 18 January 2000. It would appear that the
applicant considered that he had little chance of being released on
appeal and preferred instead to be tried as soon as possible.
- On
3 February 2005 the Fifth Municipal Public Prosecutor's Office issued
an indictment against the applicant.
- On
4 February 2005 the three-judge panel of the Municipal Court extended
the applicant's detention for another 30 days, without having heard
him or his lawyer in person.
- On
11 February 2005 the applicant filed an appeal against this decision,
pointing out, inter alia, that he had not been brought
promptly before a judge, “in breach of Article 5 § 3 of
the Convention”.
- On
18 February 2005 the District Court (OkruZni sud) in Belgrade
rejected this appeal, ruling again in the absence of the applicant
and his lawyer. It also failed to consider the applicant's specific
complaint made under Article 5 § 3 of the Convention.
- The
applicant's trial began on 2 March 2005, but his detention had been
extended.
- On
18 May 2005 the applicant was found guilty by the Municipal Court,
sentenced to one year and two months in prison and released from
detention.
- On
19 December 2005 the District Court quashed the impugned judgment and
ordered a retrial.
- On
16 February 2007 the Municipal Court, based on a somewhat amended
indictment, found the applicant guilty and sentenced him to eight
months in prison.
- On
5 April 2007 the applicant seems to have filed an appeal against this
judgment with the District Court in Belgrade.
II. RELEVANT DOMESTIC LAW
A. Constitutional Charter of the State Union of Serbia
and Montenegro (Ustavna povelja drZavne zajednice Srbija i Crna Gora;
published in the Official Gazette of Serbia and Montenegro - OG SCG -
no. 1/03)
- Article
10 stated that the “provisions of international treaties on
human and minority rights applicable in ... [the State Union of] ...
Serbia and Montenegro shall be directly enforceable”.
B. Code of Criminal Procedure (Zakonik o krivičnom
postupku, published in the Official Gazette of the Federal Republic
of Yugoslavia - OG FRY - nos. 70/01 and 68/02, as well as in the
Official Gazette of the Republic of Serbia - OG RS - nos. 58/04,
85/05 and 115/05)
- Article
229 regulates police detention, providing, inter alia, that it
can last up to 48 hours, which is when the suspect must be brought
before the investigating judge who can, in accordance with Article
228, either order his release or have him placed in “judicial
detention”.
- Articles
143-145 concern “pre-indictment detention”, that is
judicial detention following any police detention until the
defendant's indictment by the public prosecutor. Under these
provisions, the investigating judge, in addition to conducting the
investigation, is also authorised to order the defendant's detention.
The defendant whose detention was so ordered in his absence shall be
served with this order upon arrest or, at the latest, within 24 hours
thereafter. The defendant shall then have the right to lodge an
appeal against this order, which appeal must be filed within 24 hours
and considered by a three-judge panel of the same court within
another 48 hours. The defendant and his counsel have no right to be
heard in person on this occasion but the three-judge panel, if it so
decides, may invite them to appear and state their views orally (see,
also, Article 262). The investigating judge can order detention for
up to one month. Throughout the judicial investigation stage of the
proceedings, the defendant is not explicitly entitled to request his
release, but the investigating judge may release the defendant with
the consent of the competent public prosecutor. If there is
disagreement between the two, the issue shall be resolved by a
three-judge panel of the same court, within 48 hours. The defendant
and his counsel have no right to be heard in person on this occasion
(ibid.). The three-judge panel may also extend the defendant's
pre-indictment detention for another two months, without having heard
him or his counsel in person (ibid.). The defendant and his counsel
can lodge an appeal against this decision to a higher court, but
again have no right to be present when this appeal is being
considered (see, also, Articles 401 and 402 § 1, as well as
Article 375 §§ 1 and 2). As regards crimes punishable by
more than five years' imprisonment, the three-judge panel of the
Supreme Court can extend the defendant's detention for an additional
period of three months, without having heard him or his counsel in
person (see, also, Article 262). The defendant and his counsel can
lodge an appeal against this decision to another panel of the same
court but, again, have no right to be present when this appeal is
being considered (see, also, Articles 401 and 402 § 1, as well
as Article 375 §§ 1 and 2). After these three months, the
defendant has to be indicted or released. Domestic law, therefore,
provides that pre-indictment detention cannot last more than 6 months
in all.
- Under
Article 146, following the indictment of the defendant until the
adoption of the judgement at first instance, detention is a matter
for the trial chamber to decide, during the hearings themselves, or,
indeed, for the same court's three-judge panel in-between those
hearings. Apart from that, “post-indictment detention” is
automatically reviewed every thirty days until the indictment is
confirmed and every two months following this confirmation until the
adoption of the judgement at first instance. The accused and defence
counsel have no explicit right to be heard in person by the said
three-judge panel or to be present when their appeal against the
decision rendered within the “automatic review mechanism”
is being considered by a higher court (ibid.).
- Pursuant
to Article 152, the situation of persons detained on remand is
regularly monitored by the president of the competent court or a
judge appointed by the president who cannot be an investigating
judge. The president of the court and the investigating judge,
however, may visit persons detained on remand at any time, speak with
them and receive their complaints.
- Lastly,
Article 419 provides, inter alia, that the competent public
prosecutor “may” (moZe) file a Request for the
Protection of Legality (zahtev za zaštitu zakonitosti)
against a “final judicial decision”, on behalf of or
against the defendant, if the relevant substantive and/or procedural
“law has been breached” (ako je povređen zakon).
C. Court Organisation Act (Zakon o uređenju
sudova; published in OG RS nos. 63/01, 42/02, 27/03, 29/04, 101/05
and 46/06)
- The
relevant provisions of this Act read as follows:
Article 7
“A party or another participant in the court
proceedings shall have the right to complain about the work of a
court when they consider the proceedings delayed, improper, or that
there has been an [untoward] influence on their course and outcome.”
Article 51
“The President of a higher instance court shall
have the right to monitor the court administration of a lower
instance court, and the President of a directly higher court shall
have the authority to adopt an act from within the competence of the
President of a lower instance court, if the latter omits to perform
his duty.
The President of a higher instance court may request
from the lower instance court information regarding the
implementation of existing legislation, information concerning any
problems about trials and all information regarding the work of the
court.
The President of a higher instance court may order a
direct inspection of the work of a lower instance court.”
Article 52
“When a party to a case or another person taking
part in the proceedings files a complaint, the President of the court
must, having considered it, inform the complainant about his views
concerning its merits as well as any measures taken in this respect,
within 15 days of receipt of the complaint.
If a complaint was filed through the Ministry of Justice
or through a higher instance court, the Minister and the President of
a higher court shall be informed of the merits of the complaint and
of any measures taken in this respect.”
D. Rules of Court (Sudski poslovnik; published in OG RS
nos. 65/03, 115/05 and 4/06)
- Under
Article 8, inter alia, the President of a court must ensure
that the court's work is carried out in a timely manner. He or she
shall also look into every complaint filed by a party to the
proceedings in respect of delay and respond within 15 days, giving
his or her decision and, if necessary, ordering that steps be taken
to remedy the situation.
- Article
4, inter alia, provides that the Ministry of Justice shall
supervise the work of the courts in terms of their timeliness. Should
certain problems be identified, the Ministry shall “propose”
specific measures to be undertaken within a period of 15 days.
E. Judges Act (Zakon o sudijama; published in OG RS
nos. 63/01, 42/02, 60/02, 17/03, 25/03, 27/03, 29/04, 61/05 and
101/05)
- The
relevant provisions of this Act read as follows:
Article 40a §§ 1 and 2
“The Supreme Court of Serbia shall set up a
Supervisory Board [“Nadzorni odbor”] (“the
Board”).
This Board shall be composed of five Supreme Court
judges elected for a period of four years by the plenary session of
the Supreme Court of Serbia.”
Article 40b
“In response to a complaint or ex officio,
the Board is authorised to oversee judicial proceedings and look into
the conduct of individual cases.
Following the conclusion of this process, the Board may
initiate, before the High Personnel Council, proceedings for the
removal of a judge based on his unconscientious or unprofessional
conduct, or propose the imposition of other disciplinary measures.”
F. Obligations Act (Zakon o obligacionim odnosima;
published in the Official Gazette of the Socialist Federal Republic
of Yugoslavia - OG SFRY - nos. 29/78, 39/85, 45/89, 57/89 and OG FRY
no. 31/93)
- Articles
199 and 200 of the Obligations Act provide, inter alia, that
anyone who has suffered fear, physical pain or, indeed, mental
anguish as a consequence of a breach of his “personal rights”
(prava ličnosti) is entitled, depending on their duration
and intensity, to sue for financial compensation in the civil courts,
as well as to request other forms of redress “which might be
capable” of affording adequate non-pecuniary satisfaction.
THE LAW
I. ALLEGED VIOLATION OF ARTICLE 5 § 3 OF THE
CONVENTION
- The
applicant complained about not being brought promptly and in person
before a judge with the power to release him, in breach of Article 5
§ 3 of the Convention.
- The
relevant part of Article 5 reads as follows:
“1. Everyone has the right to liberty and
security of person. No one shall be deprived of his liberty save in
the following cases and in accordance with a procedure prescribed by
law: ...
(c) the lawful arrest or detention of a person
effected for the purpose of bringing him before the competent legal
authority on reasonable suspicion of having committed an offence or
when it is reasonably considered necessary to prevent his committing
an offence or fleeing after having done so; ...
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
1. The six-month time-limit
- The
Government claimed that the applicant had failed to submit his
application to the Court within six months as of 27 January 2005,
which is when he had first been heard by the investigating judge (see
paragraph 15 above).
- The
applicant did not comment.
- The
Court reiterates that Article 35 § 1 of the Convention provides
that it may only deal with a complaint which has been introduced
within six months from date of the final decision rendered in the
process of exhaustion of domestic remedies. Where no effective remedy
is available to the applicant, the time-limit expires six months
after the date of the acts or measures complained of, or after the
date of knowledge of that act or its effect on the applicant (see
Younger v. the United Kingdom (dec.), no. 57420/00, ECHR
2003-I). In the case of a continuing situation, however, the
time-limit expires six months after the end of the situation
concerned (see, mutatis mutandis, Ječius v. Lithuania,
no. 34578/97, § 44, ECHR 2000-IX).
- The
Court observes that in the present case the applicant's complaint
under Article 5 § 3 of the Convention relates to an alleged
deficiency in the respondent State's Code of Criminal Procedure, as
construed by the domestic courts and applied to him, which had given
rise to a continuing situation. In particular, the
investigating judge who had heard the applicant on 27 January 2005
had had no obligation under domestic law to review his detention or
the power to independently order his release (see paragraphs 15 and
27 above). Moreover, it was not until 2 March 2005, when the first
trial hearing had been held, that the applicant had been brought in
person “before a judge” authorised to release him (see
paragraphs 17-20, 27 and 28 above). The Court therefore
concludes that it was on that date that the situation which had begun
with the applicant's arrest had come to an end for the purposes of
Article 35 § 1 of the Convention (see, mutatis mutandis,
Radoslav Popov v. Bulgaria, no. 58971/00, §§ 39 and
40, 2 November 2006).
- Accordingly,
the time-limit for the submission of the applicant's complaint
expired six months after 2 March 2005.
Since the applicant introduced his application on 17 August 2005, it
follows that the Government's objection must be dismissed.
2. Exhaustion of domestic remedies
- The
Government submitted that the applicant had not exhausted all
effective domestic remedies. In particular, he had failed to refer to
Article 10 of the Constitutional Charter or the Convention before the
domestic courts (see paragraph 25 above). The applicant had also not
filed a separate civil lawsuit under Articles 199 and 200 of the
Obligations Act (see paragraph 35 above) and had omitted to urge the
public prosecutor to submit a Request for the Protection of Legality
on his behalf in respect of the District Court's decision of 18
February 2005 (see paragraph 30 above). Lastly, the applicant had
neither made use of Article 152 of the Code of Criminal Procedure nor
complained to the President of the Municipal Court, the President of
the District Court, the Minister of Justice or the Supreme Court's
Supervisory Board, respectively (see paragraphs 29 and 31-34 above).
- The
applicant maintained that all of the above-mentioned remedies were
irrelevant and/or ineffective.
- The
Court reiterates that, according to Article 35 § 1 of the
Convention, it may only deal with an issue after all domestic
remedies have been exhausted (see, for example, Hentrich v.
France, judgment of 22 September 1994, Series A no. 296-A,
p. 18, § 33; Remli v. France, judgment of 23 April 1996,
Reports of Judgments and Decisions 1996-II, p.
571, § 33). It further recalls that it is incumbent on the
Government claiming non-exhaustion to satisfy the Court that the
remedy in question was available in theory and in practice at the
relevant time (see, inter alia, Vernillo v. France,
judgment of 20 February 1991, Series A no. 198, pp. 11–12,
§ 27; Dalia v. France, judgment of 19 February 1998,
Reports 1998-I, pp. 87-88, § 38). Moreover, a remedy
cannot be deemed effective if it depends on the benevolence of a
public official (see, mutatis mutandis, Malfatti v. the
Slovak Republic, no. 38855/97, Commission decision of 1 July
1998; V.S. v. the Slovak Republic, no. 30894/96, Commission
decision of 22 October 1997; see, also, X v. Ireland, no.
9136/80, Commission decision of 10 July 1981, Decisions and Reports
(DR). 26, p. 242).
- As
regards the present case, the Court firstly notes, concerning the
Government's submission that the applicant should have filed a civil
claim pursuant to Article 200 of the Obligations Act, that the rights
guaranteed under Article 5 § 3 are to be distinguished from the
right to receive compensation for a violation thereof, which is why a
civil action for damages cannot be deemed effective in respect of the
applicant's complaint (see, among many other authorities, Włoch
v. Poland, no. 27785/95, § 90, ECHR 2000-XI).
Secondly, even assuming that all of these remedies can be considered
relevant, the Government have failed to provide any domestic
jurisprudence indicating that, in a case such as the applicant's, it
was indeed possible to obtain any other detention-related redress
under Article 199 of the Obligations Act, Article 152 of the Code of
Criminal Procedure or, for that matter, on the basis of legislation
described at paragraphs 31-34 above. Thirdly, the Court finds that it
was only the public prosecutor who could have filed a Request for the
Protection of Legality on behalf of the applicant and, moreover, the
former had full discretion in respect of whether to do so. This
remedy was thus also ineffective as understood by Article 35 § 1
of the Convention (see Lepojić v. Serbia, no. 13909/05, §
54, 6 November 2007). Finally, it is observed that in his appeal of
11 February 2005, the applicant had specifically complained about not
being brought promptly before a judge, in breach of Article 5 §
3 of the Convention.
- In
view of the above, the Court concludes that the applicant's
complaints cannot be declared inadmissible for non-exhaustion of
domestic remedies under Article 35 § 1 of the Convention.
Accordingly, the Government's objection in this respect must be
dismissed.
3. Conclusion
- The
Court considers that the applicant's complaint is not manifestly
ill-founded within the meaning of Article 35 § 3 of the
Convention. It further considers that it is not inadmissible on any
other grounds. It must therefore be declared admissible.
B. Merits
- The
Government argued that there had been no violation of Article 5 §
3 of the Convention. In particular, the detention at issue had been
in accordance with the law and ordered by a court, not the police or
a public prosecutor. Further, the applicant had appeared before the
investigating judge less than seven days following his arrest, some
of the prior delay being attributable to the applicant's own lawyer
rather than the respondent State's judiciary. Finally, the Government
maintained that the applicant's first trial had ended quickly and
observed that he had been released immediately thereafter.
- The
applicant reaffirmed his complaint.
- The
Court reiterates that an individual lawfully arrested or detained on
suspicion of having committed a criminal offence must, under Article
5 § 3 of the Convention, be protected by a certain judicial
control. That control must satisfy the requirement of promptness (see
McKay v. the United Kingdom [GC], no. 543/03, § 33, ECHR
2006 ...), be “automatic”, that is not dependent on
a previous application by the person concerned (ibid., § 34),
and the detainee must be brought in person before “a judge or
[an]other officer authorised by law” to determine whether to
order his or her release pending trial (ibid., § 35).
- The
Court further recalls that even where the initial detention was
ordered by a domestic court this does not preclude the subsequent
application of the said “promptness requirement” if,
inter alia, the defendant was not heard when his detention was
being considered. For example, an interval of fifteen days between
the applicant's placement in custody, based on a court order, and his
hearing in person before a judge was deemed inconsistent with Article
5 § 3 in the case of McGoff v. Sweden (judgment of 26
October 1984, § 27, Series A no. 83).
- In
view of the above jurisprudence and as regards the present case, the
Court observes that there is no evidence in the case file which would
suggest that the applicant's arrest and/or his subsequent detention
had been in breach of Article 5 § 1 (c) of the Convention. The
Court further notes, however, that, given the relevant provisions of
the Code of Criminal Procedure and its prior findings (paragraphs 27,
28 and 41 above), the applicant had not been
brought in person before a judge who had both an obligation to
review his detention and the necessary power to order his release
until, at best, 2 March 2005, more than forty-one days following his
arrest (see also paragraphs 12-21 above).
- There
has accordingly been a breach of Article 5 § 3 of the Convention
(see, mutatis mutandis, Vrenčev v. Serbia, no.
2361/05, §§ 64-68, 23 September 2008).
II. ALLEGED VIOLATION OF ARTICLE 2 OF PROTOCOL NO. 4
- The
applicant further complained that, as a consequence of the violation
of Article 5 § 3 of the Convention, the respondent State's
authorities had also breached his right to liberty of movement, as
guaranteed under Article 2 of Protocol No. 4.
- The
Court notes that this complaint is linked to the one examined above
and must therefore likewise be declared admissible.
- However,
having regard to its findings under Article 5 § 3 above, the
Court considers that it is not necessary to examine whether, in this
case, there has also been a separate violation of Article 2 of
Protocol No. 4 (see, among other authorities, Bozano v. France,
18 December 1986, § 63, Series A no. 111).
III. 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 10,000 euros (EUR) in respect of the non-pecuniary
damage suffered.
- The
Government contested that claim.
- The
Court considers that the applicant has suffered non-pecuniary damage
which cannot be sufficiently compensated by its mere finding of a
violation of the Convention. Having regard to the character of the
violation found in the present case and making its assessment on an
equitable basis, the Court therefore awards the applicant EUR 3,000
under this head (see, mutatis mutandis, Vrenčev v.
Serbia, cited above).
B. Costs and expenses
- The
applicant also claimed EUR 500 for the costs and expenses incurred
before the Court.
- 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
also reasonable as to their quantum. In the present case, regard
being had to the documents in its possession and the above criteria,
the Court considers it reasonable to award in full the sum sought by
the applicant for the proceedings before it.
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 application admissible;
- Holds that there has been a violation of Article
5 § 3 of the Convention;
- Holds that there is no need to examine
separately the applicant's complaint under Article 2 of Protocol No.
4;
- 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, the following
sums, to be converted into Serbian dinars at the rate applicable on
the date of settlement:
(i) EUR
3,000 (three thousand euros) in respect of the non-pecuniary damage
suffered, plus any tax that may be chargeable,
(ii) EUR
500 (five hundred euros) for costs and expenses, plus any tax that
may be chargeable to the applicant;
(b) that
from the expiry of the above-mentioned three months until settlement
simple interest shall be payable on the above amounts at a rate equal
to the marginal lending rate of the European Central Bank during the
default period plus three percentage points;
- Dismisses the remainder of the applicant's claim
for just satisfaction.
Done in English, and notified in writing on 28 April 2009, pursuant
to Rule 77 §§ 2 and 3 of the Rules of Court.
Sally Dollé Françoise
Tulkens
Registrar President