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European Court of Human Rights


You are here: BAILII >> Databases >> European Court of Human Rights >> SHYLO AND OTHERS v. UKRAINE - 41135/08 (Judgment : Violation of Article 6 - Right to a fair trial (Article 6 - Criminal proceedings Article 6-1 - Reasonable time) Violation of ...) [2017] ECHR 578 (22 June 2017)
URL: http://www.bailii.org/eu/cases/ECHR/2017/578.html
Cite as: CE:ECHR:2017:0622JUD004113508, [2017] ECHR 578, ECLI:CE:ECHR:2017:0622JUD004113508

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    FIFTH SECTION

     

     

     

     

     

     

    CASE OF SHYLO AND OTHERS v. UKRAINE

     

    (Application no. 41135/08 and 6 others -

    see appended list)

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

    JUDGMENT

     

     

     

     

    STRASBOURG

     

    22 June 2017

     

     

     

    This judgment is final but it may be subject to editorial revision.


    In the case of Shylo and Others v. Ukraine,

    The European Court of Human Rights (Fifth Section), sitting as a Committee composed of:

              Nona Tsotsoria, President,
              Gabriele Kucsko-Stadlmayer,
              Lәtif Hüseynov, judges,

    and Karen Reid, Section Registrar,

    Having deliberated in private on 1 June 2017,

    Delivers the following judgment, which was adopted on that date:

    PROCEDURE

    1.  The case originated in applications against Ukraine lodged with the Court under Article 34 of the Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms (“the Convention”) on the various dates indicated in the appended table.

    2.  The applications were communicated to the Ukrainian Government (“the Government”).

    THE FACTS

    3.  The list of applicants and the relevant details of the applications are set out in the appended table.

    4.  The applicants complained of the excessive length of criminal proceedings and of the lack of any effective remedy in domestic law.

    THE LAW

    I.  JOINDER OF THE APPLICATIONS

    5.  Having regard to the similar subject matter of the applications, the Court finds it appropriate to examine them jointly in a single judgment.

    II.  ALLEGED VIOLATION OF ARTICLE  6 § 1 AND ARTICLE 13 OF THE CONVENTION

    6.  The applicants complained that the length of the criminal proceedings in question had been incompatible with the “reasonable time” requirement and that they had no effective remedy in this connection. They relied on Article 6 § 1 and Article 13 of the Convention, which read as follows:

    Article 6 § 1

    “In the determination of ... any criminal charge against him, everyone is entitled to a ... hearing within a reasonable time by [a] ... tribunal ...”

    Article 13

    “Everyone whose rights and freedoms as set forth in [the] Convention are violated shall have an effective remedy before a national authority notwithstanding that the violation has been committed by persons acting in an official capacity.”

    7.  The Court reiterates 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 applicants and the relevant authorities and what was at stake for the applicants in the dispute (see, among many other authorities, Pélissier and Sassi v. France [GC], no. 25444/94, § 67, ECHR 1999-II, and Frydlender v. France [GC], no. 30979/96, § 43, ECHR 2000-VII).

    8.  In the leading case of Merit v. Ukraine, no. 66561/01, 30 March 2004, the Court already found a violation in respect of issues similar to those in the present case.

    9.  Having examined all the material submitted to it, the Court has not found any fact or argument capable of persuading it to reach a different conclusion as to the admissibility and merits of these complaints. Having regard to its case-law on the subject, the Court considers that in the instant case the length of the proceedings was excessive and failed to meet the “reasonable time” requirement.

    10.  The Court further notes that the applicants did not have at their disposal an effective remedy in respect of these complaints.

    11.  These complaints are therefore admissible and disclose a breach of Article 6 § 1 and of Article 13 of the Convention.

    III.  APPLICATION OF ARTICLE 41 OF THE CONVENTION

    12.  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.”

    13.  Regard being had to the documents in its possession and to its case-law (see, in particular, Bevz v. Ukraine, no. 7307/05, § 52, 18 June 2009), the Court finds it reasonable to award the sums indicated in the appended table.

    14.  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.  Decides to join the applications;

     

    2.  Declares the applications admissible;

     

    3.  Holds that these applications disclose a breach of Article 6 § 1 and Article 13 of the Convention concerning the excessive length of criminal proceedings;

     

    4.  Holds

    (a)  that the respondent State is to pay the applicants, within three months, the amounts indicated in the appended table, to be converted into the currency of the respondent State at the rate applicable at the date of settlement;

    (b)  that from the expiry of the above-mentioned three months until settlement simple interest shall be payable on the above amounts at a rate equal to the marginal lending rate of the European Central Bank during the default period plus three percentage points.

    Done in English, and notified in writing on 22 June 2017, pursuant to Rule 77 §§ 2 and 3 of the Rules of Court.

              Karen Reid                                                                   Nona Tsotsoria
                Registrar                                                                         President


    APPENDIX

    List of applications raising complaints under Article 6 § 1 and Article 13 of the Convention

    (excessive length of criminal proceedings and lack of any effective remedy in domestic law)

    No.

    Application no.
    Date of introduction

    Applicant name

    Date of birth

    Representative name and location

    Start of proceedings

    End of proceedings

    Total length

    Levels of jurisdiction

     

    Amount awarded for pecuniary and non-pecuniary damage and costs and expenses

    per applicant (in euros)[1]

    1.     

    41135/08

    11/08/2008

    Leonid Volodymyrovych Shylo

    11/05/1981

    Roman Yuryevich Martynovskiy

    Kyiv

    22/08/2004

    05/10/2010

    6 years, 1 month and 14 days

    2 levels of jurisdiction

    1,500

    2.     

    70569/11

    31/10/2011

    Maksim Aleksandrovich Zavyalov

    01/01/1980

    Andrey Andreyevich Ivashchenko

    Pokrovsk

    27/01/2005

     

     

    15/02/2008

    23/11/2016

     

     

    23/11/2016

    11 years, 9 months and 28 days

    2 levels of jurisdiction

     

    8 years, 9 months and 9 days

    2 levels of jurisdiction

    4,200

    3.     

    38729/13

    31/05/2013

    Aleksandr Anatolyevich Opanasenko

    25/03/1973

     

     

    14/03/2006

     

    10/04/2014

     

    8 years and 28 days

    3 levels of jurisdiction

    1,200

    4.     

    44239/14

    05/06/2014

    Natalya Mikhaylovna Koren

    26/06/1976

    Olena Mykolayivna Ashchenko

    Kharkiv

    08/06/2010

     

    pending

     

    More than 7 years

    2 levels of jurisdiction

    1,800

    5.     

    69911/14

    23/10/2014

    Svetlana Nikolayevna Krupko

    15/09/1974

    Olena Mykolayivna Ashchenko

    Kharkiv

    08/06/2010

     

    pending

     

    More than 7 years

    2 levels of jurisdiction

    1,800

    6.     

    34595/16

    09/06/2016

    Volodymyr Anatoliyovych Kuchay

    24/03/1958

     

     

    15/06/2005

     

    04/02/2016

     

    10 years, 7 months and 21 days

    3 levels of jurisdiction

    3,000

    7.     

    41826/16

    09/07/2016

    Konstantin Mikhaylovich Gubenko

    11/04/1976

     

     

    07/03/2007

     

    27/04/2017

     

    10 years, 1 month and 21 days

    1 level of jurisdiction

    2,900

     



    [1]  Plus any tax that may be chargeable to the applicants.


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URL: http://www.bailii.org/eu/cases/ECHR/2017/578.html