The European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) dismissed as inadmissible complaints about the detention conditions filed by Moldovan plaintiffs for the reason that a remedy appeared at the national level. The decision was published on March 28 following the examination of the complaints of five applicants - Vlad Filat, Ion Moțpan, Vladimir Țurcanu, Chirică Lazăr and Roman Zvezdebnko. However, this has effect on all the similar complaints submitted by Moldovan citizens, IPN reports.
According to the Rehabilitation Center of Torture Victims “Memoria”, the ECHR made reference to the fact that amendments to the Penal Procedure Code that envision the introduction of a new preventive and compensatory remedy took effect in Moldova on January 1 this year. The ECHR specified the plaintiffs can use the solution provided by the Penal Procedure Code within four months of the coming into force of the given changes.
It is also noted that the plaintiffs who consider they were held in conditions contrary to Article 3 of the Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms should make use of the new solution to obtain recognition of the violation and appropriate compensation, depending on the case, at the national level. If they do not manage to, they can file a new application to the Court within six months of the expiration of the new appeal solution.
Under the Penal Procedure Code, the persons held for at least ten days in inhuman or degrading conditions as from January 1 this year can ask for the reduction of the punishment or for damages. The reduction will be calculated from one to three days for ten detention days in precarious conditions, determined cumulatively.
