CASE OF MATYASHUK AND OTHERS v. UKRAINE

      FIFTH SECTION CASE OF MATYASHUK AND OTHERS v. UKRAINE (Applications nos. 44844/17 and 8 others – see appended list)             JUDGMENT   STRASBOURG 28 November 2024   This judgment is final but it may be subject to editorial revision. In the case of Matyashuk and Others v. Ukraine, The European Court of Human Rights (Fifth Section), sitting as a Committee composed of:  Diana Sârcu, President,  Kateřina Šimáčková,  Mykola Gnatovskyy, judges, and Viktoriya Maradudina, Acting Deputy Section Registrar, Having deliberated in private on 7 November 2024, 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 Ukrainian Government (“the Government”) were given notice of the applications. THE FACTS 3.  The list of applicants and the relevant details of the applications are set out in the appended table. THE LAW  JOINDER OF THE APPLICATIONS4.  Having regard to the similar subject matter of the applications, the Court finds it appropriate to examine them jointly in a single judgment. ALLEGED VIOLATION OF ARTICLE 6 § 1 AND ARTICLE 13 OF THE CONVENTION5.  The applicants complained that the length of the civil 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. 6.  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 Frydlender v. France [GC], no. 30979/96, § 43, ECHR 2000-VII). 7.  In the leading case of Karnaushenko v. Ukraine (no. 23853/02, 30 November 2006), the Court already found a violation in respect of issues similar to those in the present case. 8.  Having examined all the material submitted to it, the Court has not found any fact or argument capable of justifying the overall length of the proceedings at the national level. 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. 9.  The Court further notes that the applicants did not have at their disposal an effective remedy in respect of these complaints. 10.  These complaints are therefore admissible and disclose a breach of Article 6 § 1 and of Article 13 of the Convention. APPLICATION OF ARTICLE 41 OF THE CONVENTION11.  Regard being had to the documents in its possession and to its case‑law (see, in particular, Karnaushenko, cited above, §§ 70 and 75), the Court considers it reasonable to award the sums indicated in the appended table. FOR THESE REASONS, THE COURT, UNANIMOUSLY, Decides to join the applications;Declares the applications admissible;Holds that these applications disclose a breach of Article 6 § 1 and Article 13 of the Convention concerning the excessive length of civil proceedings and the lack of any effective remedy in domestic law;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 28 November 2024, pursuant to Rule 77 §§ 2 and 3 of the Rules of Court.  Viktoriya Maradudina Diana Sârcu  Acting Deputy Registrar President     APPENDIX List of applications raising complaints under Article 6 § 1 and Article 13 of the Convention (excessive length of civil proceedings and lack of any effective remedy in domestic law) No. Application no. Date of introduction Applicant’s name Year of birth   Representative’s name and location Start of proceedings End of proceedings Total length Levels of jurisdiction Amount awarded for pecuniary and non-pecuniary damage per applicant (in euros)[1]    44844/17 12/06/2017 Vladyslav Kostyantynovych MATYASHUK 1978       12/11/2014   pending   More than 9 year(s) and 10 month(s) and 28 day(s) 3 level(s) of jurisdiction 1,800    71985/17 22/09/2017 Margaryta Andriyivna VELKOVA 1987   Avramenko Gennadiy Mykolayovych Chernigiv 13/11/2014   20/06/2022   7 year(s) and 7 month(s) and 8 day(s) 3 level(s) of jurisdiction   1,200    19944/18 10/04/2018 Anatoliy Mykolayovych SAVCHENKO 1975   Avramenko Gennadiy Mykolayovych Chernigiv 20/11/2014   27/09/2022   7 year(s) and 10 month(s) and 8 day(s) 3 level(s) of jurisdiction   1,200    13637/19 01/03/2019 Andriy Anatoliyovych VITENKO 1981   Ponomarenko Denys Vasylyovych Odesa 06/02/2018   29/08/2023   5 year(s) and 6 month(s) and 24 day(s) 1 level(s) of jurisdiction   1,800    4563/20 09/01/2010 Vasyl Petrovych KOZACHUK 1953   Kozachuk Mykhaylo Vasylyovych Kyiv 17/11/2014   pending   More than 9 year(s) and 10 month(s) and 23 day(s) 3 level(s) of jurisdiction   1,800    25284/20 14/05/2020 Sergiy Mykhaylovych GRYTSAY 1959       30/10/2014   24/05/2021   6 year(s) and 6 month(s) and 25 day(s) 2 level(s) of jurisdiction   1,800    23297/23 15/05/2023 Lyudmyla Volodymyrivna SHVETS 1961   Akhramovych Yan Igorovych Kyiv 13/03/2019   11/10/2023   4 year(s) and 6 month(s) and 29 day(s) 1 level(s) of jurisdiction   1,100    27980/23 29/06/2023 Viktoriya Oleksiyivna ILYINA 1967   Akhramovych Yan Igorovych Kyiv Proceedings no. 1 12/07/2018       Proceedings no. 2 13/03/2019   Proceedings no. 1 pending       Proceedings no. 2 pending   Proceedings no. 1 More than 6 year(s) and 2 month(s) and 28 day(s) 1 level(s) of jurisdiction     Proceedings no. 2 More than 5 year(s) and 6 month(s) and 27 day(s) 1 level(s) of jurisdiction   1,500    5714/24 01/02/2024 Dmytro Borysovych YUROVSKYY 1978       24/02/2022   07/02/2024   1 year(s) and 11 month(s) and 15 day(s) 1 level(s) of jurisdiction   900     [1] Plus any tax that may be chargeable to the applicants.