Dašić protiv Crne Gore

Država na koju se presuda odnosi
Crna Gora
Institucija
Evropski sud za ljudska prava
Broj predstavke
37409/23
Stepen važnosti
3
Jezik
Crnogorski
Datum
27.11.2025
Članovi
5
5-1
Kršenje
5
5-1
Nekršenje
nije relevantno
Ključne reči po HUDOC/UN
(Čl. 5) Pravo na slobodu i bezbednost
(Čl. 5-1) Zakonito hapšenje ili pritvor
Tematske ključne reči
lišenje slobode
zakonitost pritvora / lišenja slobode
VS deskriptori
1.5.1 Lišenje slobode
1.5.2 Zakonitost lišenja slobode
1.5.2.12 Sudsko preispitivanje lišenja slobode
1.5.2.14 Pravo na osporavanje zakonitosti lišenja slobode
Zbirke
Sudska praksa
Presuda ESLJP
Odbor
Sažetak

Preuzmite presudu u pdf formatu

 EVROPSKI SUD ZA LJUDSKA PRAVA

PRVO ODJELJENJE

PREDMET DAŠIĆ protiv CRNE GORE 

(Predstavka br. 37409/23)

PRESUDA 

STRAZBUR

27. novembar 2025. godine 

Ova presuda je pravosnažna ali može biti predmet redakcijske izmjene.

U predmetu Dašić protiv Crne Gore, 

Evropski sud za ljudska prava (Prvo odjeljenje), na zasijedanju Vijeća u sastavu:

Erik Wennerström, predsjednik,
Raffaele Sabato,
Artūrs Kučs, sudije,
i Liv Tigerstedt, zamjenica registrara Odjeljenja,

Uzimajući u obzir:

predstavku (br. 37409/23) koju je protiv Crne Gore, na osnovu člana 34 Konvencije za zaštitu ljudskih prava i sloboda („Konvencija“) dana  3. oktobra 2023. godine Sudu podnio državljanin Crne Gore, g-din Nebojša Dašić („podnosilac predstavke“), koji je rođen 1989. godine, živi u Podgorici i zastupa ga g-din D. Vujanović, advokat iz Podgorice; odluku da obavijesti Vladu Crne Gore („Vlada“), koju je zastupala njena zastupnica, g-đa K. Peković, o pritužbi koja se odnosi na zakonitost pritvora podnosioca predstavke, te da se ostatak predstavke proglasi neprihvatljivim; izjašnjenja stranaka;

Nakon vijećanja na sjednici zatvorenoj za javnost 6. novembra 2025. godine,

Donosi sljedeću presudu, koja je usvojena toga dana:

PREDMET 

  1. Predmet se odnosi na pritužbe podnosioca predstavke, na osnovu člana 5 stav 1 Konvencije, u vezi sa tačnim vremenom njegovog lišavanja slobode i zakonitošću njegovog naknadnog pritvora.   

I. REZIME SLUČAJA

  1. Dana 6. jula 2023. godine, u periodu između 15.05 i 15.30 časova, policija je privela podnosioca predstavke. Zbog povreda koje je zadobio dok je pokušavao da izbjegne privođenje, policija je pozvala hitnu pomoć u 15.40, nakon čega je podnosilac predstavke prevezen u bolnicu, što je potvrđeno u nekoliko ljekarskih izvještaja. U službenoj zabilješci o lišenju slobode koji je izdat iste večeri navedeno je da je podnosilac predstavke bio lišen slobode u 20.15.
  2. Narednog dana državni tužilac je donio rješenje o zadržavanju. U rješenju je navedeno da će podnosilac predstavke biti zadržan najduže sedamdeset dva časa od datuma i vremena kada je bio lišen slobode, „to jest, 6. jula 2023. godine od 20.15“. 
  3. Dana 9. jula 2023. godine, u 17.00 časova, podnosilac predstavke je doveden kod istražnog sudije, koji je donio rješenje o pritvoru. U tom rješenju se navodi da će pritvor trajati do trideset dana počevši od 6. jula u 20.15. Sudija je odbio kao neosnovane navode podnosioca predstavke da je njegovo zadržavanje trebalo da se završi jer je već trajalo duže od sedamdeset dva časa, utvrdivši da je, s obzirom na to da je u službenoj zabilješci bilo navedeno da je bio lišen slobode 6. jula u 20.15 a da je izveden pred istražnog sudiju 9. jula u 17.00 časova, proteklo manje od sedamdeset dva časa. Žalba koju je podnosilac predstavke podnio protiv te odluke je odbijena i obrazloženje istražnog sudije je potvrđeno.
  4. Podnosilac predstavke je podnio ustavnu žalbu. On se žalio da je vrijeme kada je bio priveden bilo netačno zabilježeno i da je njegov pritvor bio nezakonit, suprotno Zakoniku o krivičnom postupku i članu 5 Konvencije.
  5. Dana 31. jula 2023. godine Ustavni sud je odbio ustavnu žalbu, navodeći da ukoliko su postojale bilo kakve sumnje u vezi sa uračunavanjem bilo koje kazne izrečene podnosiocu predstavke ili ukoliko pravosnažna presuda nije tačno odražavala vrijeme koje je proveo u pritvoru prije suđenja, takva situacija bi se mogla ispraviti u postupcima pred redovnim sudovima.
  6. U periodu između 4. avgusta 2023. godine i 2. februara 2024. godine, prvostepeni sud je po službenoj dužnosti ispitao rješenje o pritvoru podnosioca predstavke od 9. jula 2023. godine i isti produžio sedam puta. Ove odluke je potvrdio Viši sud.
  7. Dana 7. februara 2024. godine, prvostepeni sud je utvrdio da je podnosilac predstavke kriv za krađu i osudio ga na osam mjeseci zatvora, u koje se uračunava vrijeme koje je već proveo u pritvoru „od 6. jula 2023 godine u 20.15“.
  8. Dana 6. marta 2024. godine podnosilac predstavke je pušten na slobodu. 
  9. Dana 3. jula 2024. godine Viši sud je ukinuo prvostepenu presudu, utvrdivši po službenoj dužnosti da nije bilo jasno kako je prvostepeni sud utvrdio da je podnosilac predstavke bio lišen slobode u 20.15. Žalbeni sud je utvrdio da je Krivični zakonik povrijeđen na štetu podnosioca predstavke i naložio ponovno suđenje, pozivajući se indirektno na odredbu koja se odnosi na način na koji se vrijeme koje je lice provelo u pritvoru ili na drugi način lišeno slobode uračunava u trajanje njegove kazne. 
  10. Dana 3. februara 2025. godine, nakon ponovljenog suđenja, prvostepeni sud je utvrdio da je podnosilac predstavke kriv za krađu i osudio ga na osam mjeseci zatvora, navodeći da bi kazna trebalo da obuhvati vrijeme koje je proveo u pritvoru „između 6. jula 2023. godine od 15.05 do 6. marta 2024. godine u 15.05“. 

II. RELEVANTNO DOMAĆE PRAVO 

  1. Član 264 Zakonika o krivičnom postupku, u mjeri u kojoj je to relevantno, propisuje da ovlašćeni policijski službenici mogu neko lice lišiti slobode, ali da su dužni da sačine službenu zabilješku koja sadrži vrijeme lišenja slobode. Članom 267 definisano je da osumnjičeni lišen slobode može, u izuzetnim okolnostima, biti privremeno zadržan najduže sedamdeset dva časa od časa lišenja slobode. Član 268 dalje propisuje da, ukoliko državni tužilac smatra da razlozi za određivanje pritvora i dalje postoje, treba da zatraži od istražnog sudije da odredi pritvor osumnjičenom prije isteka roka o zadržavanju. Zadržano lice mora biti izvedeno pred istražnog sudiju u istom roku. Član 448 istog Zakonika, u vezi sa članom 179, u mjeri u kojoj je to relevantno, propisuje da je vijeće suda dužno da, po predlogu stranaka ili po službenoj dužnosti, ispita da li još postoje razlozi za pritvor i da donese rješenje o produženju ili ukidanju pritvora, po isteku svakih trideset dana do stupanja optužnice na pravnu snagu, a svaka dva mjeseca nakon stupanja optužnice na pravnu snagu.

III. PRITUŽBE

  1. Podnosilac predstavke se žalio da vrijeme kada je priveden nije bilo tačno evidentirano. Naveo je da je kao posljedica toga bio nezakonito lišen slobode, što je takođe učinilo njegov naknadni pritvor nezakonitim, suprotno članu 5 stav 1 Konvencije.

OCJENA SUDA

NAVODNA POVREDA ČLANA 5 STAV 1 KONVENCIJE 

A. Zakonitost zadržavanja podnosioca predstavke 

1. Prihvatljivost 

  1. Vlada je navela da je pritužba podnosioca predstavke preuranjena. Ona je smatrala da se prvostepena presuda kojom je podnosilac predstavke proglašen krivim (vidi stav 11 iznad) mogla preispitati pred višim sudovima i da bi, ukoliko bi se u krivičnom postupku utvrdilo da je vrijeme u koje je podnosilac predstavke lišen slobode bilo pogrešno zabilježeno, on imao pravo da traži naknadu štete zbog nezakonitog lišenja slobode na domaćem nivou. 
  2. Podnosilac predstavke je osporio navode Vlade i potvrdio svoju pritužbu.
  3. Sud ponavlja da je obim preispitivanja poštovanja pravila o iscrpljivanju pravnih sredstava od strane podnosioca predstavke ograničen prigovorima Vlade (vidjeti Yordanov protiv Bugarske, br. 56856/00, stav 76, 10. avgust 2006. godine, sa daljim upućivanjima).
  4. U odnosu na ovaj predmet, Sud konstatuje da Vlada nije prigovorila da podnosilac predstavke nije iscrpio pravna sredstva koja su mu bila na raspolaganju prije nego je podnio svoju predstavku Sudu, već je umjesto toga navela da bi on imao mogućnost da podnese građansku tužbu za naknadu štete po okončanju krivičnog postupka protiv njega ukoliko bi se u tom postupku utvrdilo da je vrijeme lišavanja slobode bilo pogrešno zabilježeno (vidjeti stav 14 iznad). S tim u vezi, Sud konstatuje da se i nalaz Ustavnog suda takođe odnosio na obračun kazne i na pitanje da li bi pravosnažna presuda tačno odražavala dužinu vremena koje je podnosilac predstavke proveo u pritvoru prije suđenja, što bi se moglo ispraviti u postupku pred redovnim sudovima (vidjeti stav 6 iznad). Sud dalje konstatuje da je prvostepeni sud, u ponovljenom postupku, zaista izvršio novi obračun kazne (vidjeti stavove 1011 iznad). Međutim, Sud primjećuje da problem u ovom predmetu nije obračun kazne već zakonitost zadržavanja podnosioca predstavke, uključujući i to da li je on izveden pred sudiju u roku od sedamdeset dva časa od hapšenja. Imajući u vidu okolnosti ovog predmeta, Sud smatra da Vlada nije pokazala da bi ponovni obračun kazne podnosioca predstavke pred redovnim sudovima i njegovo podnošenje zahtjeva za naknadu štete po tom osnovu doveli do priznanja potencijalne povrede u pogledu zakonitosti njegovog zadržavanja. Naime, prije podnošenja ove predstavke Sudu, podnosilac predstavke je već iznio svoju žalbu u domaćem postupku, uključujući i pred Ustavnim sudom, ali ni jedan od tih organa nije izričito ili implicitno potvrdio da je njegov pritvor bio nepropisan ili nezakonit (vidjeti stavove 4 i 6 iznad). Stoga se prigovor Vlade mora odbiti.
  5. Sud konstatuje da ova pritužba nije očigledno neosnovana u smislu člana 35 stav 3 (a) Konvencije niti je neprihvatljiva po bilo kom drugom osnovu. Stoga se mora proglasiti prihvatljivom. 

2. Osnovanost 

  1. Relevantna načela u pogledu zakonitosti pritvora su prikazana u predmetu, na primjer, Assanidze protiv Gruzije ([VV], br. 71503/01, stavovi 169-71, ECHR 2004-II). Konkretno, odredbe člana 5 zahtijevaju da pritvor bude „u skladu sa postupkom propisanim zakonom“ te da svaka odluka koju donesu domaći sudovi u okviru člana 5 bude u skladu sa procesnim i materijalnim zahtjevima koje propisuje postojeći zakon. Konvencija se ovdje suštinski poziva na domaće pravo, ali takođe zahtijeva da bilo koje lišenje slobode bude u skladu sa svrhom člana 5, odnosno da zaštiti pojedince od samovolje (ibid., stav 171, i citirana praksa). Iako je prije svega na domaćim vlastima, naročito sudovima, da tumače i primjenjuju domaće pravo, shodno članu 5 stav 1, nepostupanje u skladu sa domaćim pravom podrazumijeva povredu Konvencije i Sud može i treba da ispita da li je postupljeno u skladu sa tim pravom (ibid.; vidjeti takođe Mooren protiv Njemačke [VV], br. 11364/03, stav 73, 9. jul 2009. godine).
  2. U odnosu na ovaj predmet, Sud prvo konstatuje da je podnosilac predstavke bio de facto lišen slobode od trenutka kada ga je privela policija, i da se ta situacija nastavila dok je bio u bolnici i tokom kasnijeg prevoza do policijske stanice, i dok je bio zadržan tamo, jer ne postoji ništa što bi ukazivalo na to da je mogao slobodno da odluči da ne ide u bolnicu ili policijsku stanicu zajedno sa policijskim službenicima, ili onda kada je tamo stigao, da je mogao da ode u bilo kom trenutku bez negativnih posljedica (vidjeti Rozhkov protiv Rusije (br. 2), br. 38898/04, stav 79, 31. januar 2017. godine; Aftanache protiv Rumunije, br. 999/19, stavovi 81-83, 26. maj 2020. godine; i Duğan protiv Turske, br. 84543/17, stavovi 35-37, 7. februar 2023. godine).
  3. Sud dalje konstatuje da nije dostavljen nikakav zapisnik o hapšenju niti rješenje o pritvoru za period između 15.40 i 20.15 dana  6. jula 2023. godine, iako je podnosilac predstavke bio pod efektivnom kontrolom policije od 15.40 najkasnije (vidi stavove 2 i 19 iznad) i čak iako domaće pravo propisuje da službenici policije, prilikom lišavanja nekog lica slobode, moraju sačiniti službenu zabilješku u kojoj se navodi vrijeme lišavanja slobode (vidi stav 12 iznad). Policija je u predmetnom slučaju zaista sačinila takvu zabilješku ali se u istoj navodi 20.15 časova kao vrijeme lišavanja slobode podnosioca predstavke (vidi stav 2 iznad). Sud ponavlja, s tim u vezi, da se izostanak tačno upisanog vremena u zapisniku o hapšenju mora smatrati ozbiljnim propustom budući da je stalno stanovište Suda da neprijavljeni pritvor predstavlja potpuno negiranje suštinski važnih garancija sadržanih u članu 5 Konvencije i otkriva ozbiljno kršenje te odredbe (vidjeti Lopatin i Medvedskiy protiv Ukrajine, br. 2278/03 i 6222/03, § 84 in limine, 20. maj 2010. godine, navedene izvore u tom dokumentu). Iako je prvostepeni sud tokom ponovljenog suđenja zaista ponovo računao kaznu podnosiocu predstavke, kao što je već prethodno pomenuto (vidjeti stavove 11 i 17), on nije ispitao zakonitost samog zadržavanja podnosioca predstavke, te stoga nije pružio nikakvu potvrdu činjenice da nije postojao zapisnik o hapšenju niti rješenje o pritvoru za period prije 20.15 časova dana 6. jula 2023. godine. 
  4. Osim toga, Sud primjećuje da je podnosilac predstavke izveden pred istražnog sudiju dana 9. jula 2023. godine u 17.00 časova, što je bilo duže od sedamdeset dva časa nakon što ga je policija privela, što je takođe suprotno domaćem pravu (vidjeti stavove 2-4 i 12 iznad), i pitanje koje Ustavni sud nije suštinski razmatrao, uprkos tome što ga je podnosilac predstavke isticao (vidjeti stavove 5 i 6 iznad), kao ni prvostepeni sud u ponovljenom postupku (vidjeti stav 11 iznad). Sud ponavlja da kada postoje određeni vremenski rokovi, nepoštovanje istih može biti relevantno za pitanje „zakonitosti“, budući da se pritvor koji prekoračuje period dozvoljen domaćim pravom  teško može smatrati da je „u skladu sa zakonom“ (vidjeti Komissarov protiv Češke Republike, br. 20611/17, § 50 in fine, 3. februar 2022. godine).
  5. Uzimajući u obzir sve prethodno navedeno, Sud smatra da je bilo povrede člana 5 stav 1 Konvencije u pogledu zakonitosti zadržavanja podnosioca predstavke.

B. Naknadni pritvor podnosioca predstavke 

  1. Što se tiče navoda podnosioca predstavke da je njegov dalji pritvor takođe bio nezakonit, Sud konstatuje da je pritvor podnosioca predstavke, koji je određen 9. jula 2023. godine, bio naknadno redovno ispitivan i produžavan, u periodu između 4. avgusta 2023. i 2. februara 2024. godine, od strane prvostepenog suda. Sve ove odluke potvrđene su po žalbi od strane Višeg suda (vidjeti stav 7 iznad). Ove odluke su donijete u skladu sa zakonom i u okviru propisanih rokova (vidjeti stav 12 iznad).
  2. Prema tome, ova pritužba je očigledno neosnovana i mora se odbaciti u skladu sa članom 35 stavovi 3 (a) i 4 Konvencije.

PRIMJENA ČLANA 41 KONVENCIJE 

  1. Podnosilac predstavke je tražio 8.000 eura na ime nematerijalne štete, i 1.359,40 eura za troškove i izdatke nastale pred domaćim sudovima i Sudom. 
  2. Vlada je osporila zahtjev podnosioca predstavke. Naročito je navela da on nije dostavio dokaz da je zaista platio troškove i izdatke koje je tražio. 
  3. Sud dosuđuje podnosiocu predstavke iznos od 900 eura na ime nematerijalne štete, uvećan za bilo koje poreze koji se mogu naplatiti. 
  4. Na osnovu prakse Suda, podnosilac predstavke ima pravo na naknadu troškova i izdataka samo u onoj mjeri u kojoj dokaže da su oni stvarno i nužno nastali i da su razumni u pogledu iznosa. Odnosno, da podnosilac predstavke mora da ih je platio, ili da je dužan da ih plati, shodno zakonskoj ili ugovornoj obavezi, i da su oni morali biti neizbježni kako bi se spriječila utvrđena povreda ili kako bi se dobila odgovarajuća nadoknada (vidjeti,  na primjer, Stevan Petrović protiv Srbije, br. 6097/16 i 28999/19, stav 186, 20. april 2021. godine). Imajući u vidu dokumenta koja su u njegovom posjedu i gore navedene kriterijume, Sud smatra da je razumno da dodijeli iznos od 1.059,40 eura koji pokriva troškove po svim osnovama, uvećano za bilo koji porez koji može biti naplaćen podnosiocu predstavke.

IZ TIH RAZLOGA, SUD, JEDNOGLASNO,

  1. Proglašava pritužbu podnosioca predstavke u pogledu zakonitosti njegovog zadržavanja prihvatljivom a ostatak predstavke neprihvatljivim;

  2. Utvrđuje da je bilo povrede člana 5 stav 1 Konvencije u pogledu zakonitosti zadržavanja podnosioca predstavke;

  3. Utvrđuje

(a)   da je tužena država dužna da plati podnosiocu predstavke, u roku od tri mjeseca, sljedeće iznose:

(i)   900 eura (devetsto eura), uvećan za bilo koje poreze koji se mogu naplatiti, na ime nematerijalne štete;

(ii) 1.059,40 eura (hiljadu i pedeset devet eura i četredeset centi), uvećan za bilo koje poreze koji se mogu naplatiti podnosiocu predstavke, na ime troškova i izdataka;

(b)  da ćr se od isteka navedena tri mjeseca do isplate, obračunavati kamata na gore navedene iznose po stopi koja je jednaka najnižoj kamatnoj stopi Evropske centralne banke tokom obračunskog perioda, uz dodatak od tri procentna poena;

4. Odbija  ostatak zahtjeva podnosioca predstavke za pravičnim zadovoljenjem.

Sačinjeno na engleskom jeziku i objavljeno u pisanoj formi dana  27. novembra 2025. godine na osnovu Pravila 77 stavovi 2 i 3 Poslovnika suda. 

            Liv Tigerstedt

Erik Wennerström

        zamjenik registrara

predsjednik

 

Prevod presude Kancelarija zastupnika Crne Gore pred ESLJP

prevod preuzet sa portala Vlade Republike Crne Gore

 

 ____________________________________________________

 

FIRST SECTION

CASE OF DAŠIĆ v. MONTENEGRO

(Application no. 37409/23)

JUDGMENT

STRASBOURG

27 November 2025

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

In the case of Dašić v. Montenegro,

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

 Erik Wennerström, President,
 Raffaele Sabato,
 Artūrs Kučs, judges,
and Liv Tigerstedt, Deputy Section Registrar,

Having regard to:

the application (no. 37409/23) against Montenegro lodged with the Court under Article 34 of the Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms (“the Convention”) on 3 October 2023 by a Montenegrin national, Mr Nebojša Dašić (“the applicant”), who was born in 1989, lives in Podgorica and was represented by Mr D. Vujanović, a lawyer practising in Podgorica;

the decision to give notice of the complaint concerning the lawfulness of the applicant’s detention to the Montenegrin Government (“the Government”), represented by their Agent, Ms K. Peković, and to declare the remainder of the application inadmissible;

the parties’ observations;

Having deliberated in private on 6 November 2025,

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

SUBJECT MATTER OF THE CASE

1.  The case concerns the applicant’s complaints under Article 5 § 1 of the Convention regarding the exact time of his deprivation of liberty and the lawfulness of his subsequent detention.

  1. Summary of the case

2.  Between 3.05 p.m. and 3.30 p.m. on 6 July 2023 the applicant was apprehended by the police. On account of injuries which he had sustained while trying to escape apprehension, the police called an ambulance at 3.40 p.m., and the applicant was then taken to hospital, as confirmed by several medical reports. A police report issued the same evening specified that the applicant had been deprived of his liberty at 8.15 p.m.

3.  The following day a State prosecutor issued a provisional detention order (rješenje o zadržavanju). The order stated that the applicant would be detained for a maximum of seventy-two hours starting from the date and time he had been deprived of his liberty, “that is, from 8.15 p.m. on 6 July 2023”.

4.  At 5 p.m. on 9 July 2023 the applicant was brought before an investigating judge, who issued a detention order (rješenje o pritvoru). The order specified that the detention would last up to thirty days starting from 8.15 p.m. on 6 July. The judge dismissed as unfounded the applicant’s submission that his detention should have ended as it had already lasted longer than seventy-two hours, finding that, as the police report had specified that he had been deprived of his liberty at 8.15 p.m. on 6 July and as he had been brought before the investigating judge at 5 p.m. on 9 July, less than seventy-two hours had elapsed. An appeal lodged by the applicant against that decision was dismissed and the investigating judge’s reasoning was endorsed.

5.  The applicant lodged a constitutional appeal. He complained that the time at which he had been apprehended had been inaccurately recorded and that his detention had been unlawful, in breach of the Code of Criminal Procedure and Article 5 of the Convention.

6.  On 31 July 2023 the Constitutional Court dismissed the constitutional appeal, stating that if there were any doubts about the calculation of any sentence handed down to the applicant or if the final judgment did not accurately reflect the length of time which he had spent in pre-trial detention, such a situation could be rectified in proceedings in the regular courts.

7.  Between 4 August 2023 and 2 February 2024 the Court of First Instance examined of its own motion the applicant’s detention order of 9 July 2023 and extended it seven times. These decisions were upheld by the High Court.

8.  On 7 February 2024 the Court of First Instance found the applicant guilty of theft and sentenced him to eight months’ imprisonment, which included the time he had already spent in detention “since 8.15 p.m. on 6 July 2023”.

9.  On 6 March 2024 the applicant was released.

10.  On 3 July 2024 the High Court quashed the first-instance judgment, finding of its own motion that it was unclear how the first-instance court had established that the applicant had been deprived of his liberty at 8.15 p.m. The appeal court found that the Criminal Code had been violated to the applicant’s detriment and ordered a retrial, referring indirectly to the provision relating to how the length of time an individual has been in detention or otherwise deprived of his or her liberty is counted towards the term of his or her sentence.

11.  On 3 February 2025, following a retrial, the Court of First Instance found the applicant guilty of theft and sentenced him to eight months’ imprisonment, specifying that the sentence would include the time he had spent in detention “between 3.05 p.m. on 6 July 2023 and 3.05 p.m. on 6 March 2024”.

  1. Relevant domestic law

12.  Article 264 of the Code of Criminal Procedure, in so far as relevant, provides that authorised police officers may deprive a person of his or her liberty, but that they must make an official report indicating the time of deprivation of liberty. Article 267 provides that a suspect deprived of his or her liberty may, in exceptional circumstances, be provisionally detained for a maximum of seventy-two hours from the moment of deprivation of liberty. Article 268 further provides that, if a State prosecutor considers that the reasons for detention persist, he or she shall ask an investigating judge to order the suspect’s continued detention before the ongoing provisional detention order expires. A detainee must be brought before an investigating judge within the same period. Article 448 of the same Code in conjunction with Article 179, in so far as relevant, provide that a court’s chamber, either at a proposal of the parties or of its own motion, must examine whether the reasons for detention still persist and issue a decision on the extension or termination of detention, upon the expiry of every thirty days until the indictment comes into force, and every two months after the indictment comes into force.

  1. ComplaintS

13.  The applicant complained that the time at which he had been apprehended had not been accurately registered. He argued that as a result, he had been unlawfully deprived of his liberty, which had also made his subsequent detention unlawful, in breach of Article 5 § 1 of the Convention.

THE COURT’S ASSESSMENT

ALLEGED VIOLATION OF ARTICLE 5 § 1 OF THE CONVENTION

  1. The lawfulness of the applicant’s initial detention
    1. Admissibility

14.  The Government submitted that the applicant’s complaint was premature. They maintained that the first-instance judgment finding the applicant guilty (see paragraph 11 above) could be reviewed by the higher courts and that if it were to be established in the criminal proceedings that the time at which the applicant had been deprived of his liberty had been incorrectly recorded, he would have the right to seek compensation for unlawful deprivation of liberty at the domestic level.

15.  The applicant contested the Government’s submissions and reaffirmed his complaint.

16.  The Court reiterates that the scope of the review of the applicant’s compliance with the rule on exhaustion of domestic remedies is limited by the Government’s objections (see Yordanov v. Bulgaria, no. 56856/00, § 76, 10 August 2006, with further references).

17.  Turning to the present case, the Court notes that the Government did not contend that the applicant had failed to exhaust remedies which had been available to him before he had lodged his application with the Court, submitting instead that he would have the opportunity to lodge a civil claim for damages after the end of the criminal proceedings against him if it were to be established in those proceedings that the time at which he had been deprived of his liberty had been incorrectly recorded (see paragraph 14 above). In that connection the Court notes that the Constitutional Court’s finding also referred to the calculation of a sentence and the question of whether a final judgment would accurately reflect the length of time which the applicant had spent in pre-trial detention, which situation could be rectified in proceedings in the regular courts (see paragraph 6 above). The Court further notes that the first-instance court, in a re-trial, indeed recalculated the sentence (see paragraphs 10-11 above). However, the Court observes that the issue in the present case is not the calculation of a sentence but the lawfulness of the applicant’s initial detention, including whether he was brought before a judge within seventy-two hours of his arrest. In the circumstances of the present case, the Court considers that the Government have not shown that the re-calculation of the applicant’s sentence before the regular courts and his lodging a compensation claim in that regard would amount to acknowledging a potential violation in respect of the lawfulness of his initial detention. Indeed,  before lodging his application with the Court, the applicant had already raised his complaint domestically, including before the Constitutional Court, but none of those bodies explicitly or implicitly acknowledged that his detention had been improper or unlawful (see paragraphs 4 and 6 above). The Government’s objection must therefore be dismissed.

18.  The Court notes that this complaint is not manifestly ill-founded within the meaning of Article 35 § 3 (a) of the Convention or inadmissible on any other grounds. It must therefore be declared admissible.

  1. Merits

19.  The relevant principles as regards the lawfulness of detention are set out in, for example, Assanidze v. Georgia ([GC], no. 71503/01, §§ 169-71, ECHR 2004-II). In particular, the provisions of Article 5 require the detention to be “in accordance with a procedure prescribed by law” and any decision taken by the domestic courts within the sphere of Article 5 to conform to the procedural and substantive requirements laid down by a pre-existing law. The Convention here refers essentially to national law, but it also requires that any deprivation of liberty be in conformity with the purpose of Article 5, namely to protect individuals from arbitrariness (ibid., § 171, and the authorities cited therein). Although it is in the first place for the national authorities, notably the courts, to interpret and apply domestic law, under Article 5 § 1 failure to comply with domestic law entails a breach of the Convention and the Court can and should review whether this law has been complied with (ibid.; see also Mooren v. Germany [GC], no. 11364/03, § 73, 9 July 2009).

20.  Turning to the present case, the Court firstly notes that the applicant was de facto deprived of his liberty from the moment he was apprehended by the police, and that this situation continued while he was in the hospital and during the subsequent journey to the police station, and while he was being held there, as there is nothing to suggest that he could have freely decided not to accompany the police officers to the hospital or police station or that, once there, he could have left at any time without incurring adverse consequences (see Rozhkov v. Russia (no. 2), no. 38898/04, § 79, 31 January 2017; Aftanache v. Romania, no. 999/19, §§ 81-83, 26 May 2020; and Duğan v. Türkiye, no. 84543/17, §§ 35-37, 7 February 2023).

21.  The Court further notes that no arrest record or detention order was produced in respect of the period between 3.40 p.m. and 8.15 p.m. on 6 July 2023, even though the applicant was under the effective control of the police as of 3.40 p.m. at the latest (see paragraphs 2 and 19 above) and even though the domestic law provides that police officers, when depriving a person of his or her liberty, must draw up an official report indicating the time of the deprivation of liberty (see paragraph 12 above). The police in the present case did draw up such a report but indicated 8.15 p.m. as the time of the applicant’s deprivation of liberty (see paragraph 2 above). The Court reiterates in that connection that the absence of a correctly recorded time in the arrest record must be considered a serious failing, as it has been the Court’s constant view that unrecorded detention of an individual is a complete negation of the fundamentally important guarantees contained in Article 5 of the Convention and discloses a grave violation of that provision (see Lopatin and Medvedskiy v. Ukraine, nos. 2278/03 and 6222/03, § 84 in limine, 20 May 2010, and the authorities cited therein). While the Court of First Instance during the retrial indeed recalculated the applicant’s sentence, as already noted above (see paragraphs 11 and 17), it did not examine the lawfulness of the applicant’s initial detention as such, and therefore provided no acknowledgment of the fact that there had been no arrest record or detention order for the period before 8.15 p.m. on 6 July 2023.

22.  Moreover, the Court observes that the applicant was brought before the investigating judge on 9 July 2023 at 5 p.m., which was more than seventy-two hours after he had been apprehended by the police, which was also in breach of domestic law (see paragraphs 2-4 and 12 above), an issue which was not examined in substance by the Constitutional Court, despite the applicant raising it (see paragraphs 5 and 6 above) nor by the Court of First instance in the retrial (see paragraph 11 above). The Court reiterates that where fixed timelimits exist, a failure to comply with them may be relevant to the question of “lawfulness”, as detention exceeding the period permitted by domestic law is unlikely to be considered to be “in accordance with the law” (see Komissarov v. the Czech Republic, no. 20611/17, § 50 in fine, 3 February 2022).

23.  In view of all of the above, the Court considers that there has been a violation of Article 5 § 1 of the Convention in respect of the lawfulness of the applicant’s initial detention.

  1. The applicant’s subsequent detention

24.  As concerns the applicant’s allegation that his continued detention was also unlawful, the Court notes that the applicant’s detention ordered on 9 July 2023 was subsequently regularly examined and extended, between 4 August 2023 and 2 February 2024, by the Court of First Instance. All of these decisions were upheld upon appeal by the High Court (see paragraph 7 above). These decisions were all taken in accordance with the law and within the set time-limits (see paragraph 12 above).

25.  Accordingly, this complaint is manifestly ill-founded and must be rejected in accordance with Article 35 §§ 3 (a) and 4 of the Convention.

APPLICATION OF ARTICLE 41 OF THE CONVENTION

26.  The applicant claimed 8,000 euros (EUR) in respect of non-pecuniary damage and EUR 1,359.40 in respect of the costs and expenses incurred before the domestic courts and the Court.

27.  The Government contested the applicant’s claim. In particular, they maintained that he had failed to submit proof that he had actually paid the costs and expenses that he claimed.

28.  The Court awards the applicant EUR 900 in respect of nonpecuniary damage, plus any tax that may be chargeable.

29.  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 were actually and necessarily incurred and were also reasonable as to their quantum. That is, the applicant must have paid them, or be bound to pay them, pursuant to a legal or contractual obligation, and they must have been unavoidable in order to prevent the violation found or to obtain redress (see, for example, Stevan Petrović v. Serbia, nos. 6097/16 and 28999/19, § 186, 20 April 2021). Having regard to the documents in its possession and the above criteria, the Court considers it reasonable to award EUR 1,059.40 covering costs under all heads, plus any tax that may be chargeable to the applicant.

FOR THESE REASONS, THE COURT, UNANIMOUSLY,

  1. Declares the applicant’s complaint in respect of the lawfulness of his initial detention admissible and remainder of the application inadmissible;
  2. Holds that there has been a violation of Article 5 § 1 of the Convention in respect of the lawfulness of the applicant’s initial detention;
  3. Holds

(a) that the respondent State is to pay the applicant, within three months, the following amounts:

(i) EUR 900 (nine hundred euros), plus any tax that may be chargeable, in respect of non-pecuniary damage;

(ii) EUR 1,059.40 (one thousand and fifty-nine euros and forty cents), plus any tax that may be chargeable to the applicant, in respect of costs and expenses;

(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;

  1. Dismisses the remainder of the applicant’s claim for just satisfaction.

Done in English, and notified in writing on 27 November 2025, pursuant to Rule 77 §§ 2 and 3 of the Rules of Court.

 Liv Tigerstedt                         Erik Wennerström
 Deputy Registrar                    President

 

 

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