FOURTH SECTION
DECISION
Application no. 52700/20
Gabriel MIHALCEA against Romania
and 21 other applications
(see appended table)
The European Court of Human Rights (Fourth Section), sitting on 9 April 2026 as a Committee composed of:
 Anne Louise Bormann, President,
 Sebastian Răduleţu,
 András Jakab, judges,
and Viktoriya Maradudina, Acting Deputy Section Registrar,
Having regard to the above applications against Romania 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,
Having deliberated, decides as follows:
FACTS AND PROCEDUREThe list of the applicants and the relevant details are set out in the appendix.
The applicants’ complaints under Article 3 of the Convention concerning the inadequate conditions of detention were communicated to the Romanian Government, who submitted observations on the admissibility and merits. The observations were forwarded to the applicants, who were invited to submit their own observations (see the appended table for the relevant dates). No reply was received to the Registry’s letter.
By letters, sent by registered post, the applicants were notified that the time allowed for the submission of their observations had expired (see the appended table for the relevant dates) and that no extension of time had been requested. The applicants’ attention was drawn to Article 37 § 1 (a) of the Convention, which provides that the Court may strike an application out of its list of cases where the circumstances lead to the conclusion that the applicant does not intend to pursue the application.
No reply to these letters has been received by the Court. The registered letters were either received by the applicants or the applicants’ relatives or by the prison’s authorities (see details in the appended table).
THE LAWHaving regard to the similar subject matter of the applications, the Court finds it appropriate to examine them jointly in a single decision.
In the light of the foregoing, and in the absence of any special circumstances regarding respect for the rights guaranteed by the Convention and the Protocols thereto, the Court, in accordance with Article 37 § 1 (a) of the Convention, considers that it is no longer justified to continue the examination of the applications
Accordingly, the cases should be struck out of the list.
For these reasons, the Court, unanimously,
Decides to join the applications;
Decides to strike the applications out of its list of cases.
Done in English and notified in writing on 13 May 2026.
 
 Viktoriya Maradudina Anne Louise Bormann
 Acting Deputy Registrar President
 
APPENDIX
List of applications raising complaints under Article 3 of the Convention
(inadequate conditions of detention)
 
No.
Application no.
Date of introduction
Applicant’s name
Year of birth
Representative’s name and location
Date of the applicant’s last letter to the Court
Date of sending Government’s observations to the applicant
Date of time-limit for submission of response by the applicant
Date of the Court’s registered letter
Date of receipt/return of the registered letter
   52700/20
11/01/2021
Gabriel MIHALCEA
1997
 
 
19/03/2024
05/09/2024
17/10/2024
12/08/2025
Returned as “recipient moved from address” on 03/10/2025
   26677/21
06/07/2021
Florea ALESU
1966
 
 
 
06/07/2021
28/08/2024
09/10/2024
24/10/2024
31/10/2024
   29404/21
11/08/2021
Dănuţ-Ionuţ FERARU
1992
 
 
 
03/11/2021
18/03/2025
29/04/2025
29/07/2025
21/08/2025
   30033/21
13/07/2021
Paul POPA
1983
 
 
 
13/07/2021
28/08/2024
09/10/2024
24/10/2024
31/10/2024
   37966/21
09/09/2021
Bogdan CONSTANTIN
1988
 
 
 
13/10/2021
28/08/2024
09/10/2024
24/10/2024
04/11/2024
   44479/21
27/08/2021
Victor-Liviu BARDAI
1990
 
 
 
23/12/2021
28/08/2024
09/10/2024
24/10/2024
01/11/2024
   50308/21
10/11/2021
Costel GEANTÎC
1968
 
 
 
25/07/2024
28/08/2024
09/10/2024
24/10/2024
04/11/2024
   60384/21
17/01/2022
Adrian BERCA
1975
 
 
 
17/01/2022
28/08/2024
09/10/2024
24/10/2024
31/10/2024
   12728/22
30/08/2022
Marius MUSTAŢĂ
1987
 
 
 
30/08/2022
26/02/2025
09/04/2025
25/06/2025
Returned as “recipient moved from address” on 06/08/2025
 18134/22
08/08/2022
Ionuţ PAŢACHIA
1985
 
 
 
02/12/2024
25/04/2025
06/06/2025
29/07/2025
11/08/2025
 18958/22
06/06/2022
Vasile CRINU
1990
 
 
 
06/06/2022
28/01/2025
11/03/2025
01/07/2025
14/07/2025
 20176/22
24/05/2022
Claudiu POSPAI
1990
 
 
 
27/06/2022
28/01/2025
11/03/2025
06/05/2025
Returned as “recipient moved from address” on 12/06/2025
 20253/22
24/05/2022
Constantin Florin ONESCU
1994
 
 
 
13/07/2022
28/01/2025
11/03/2025
06/05/2025
27/05/2025
 20260/22
14/05/2022
Gheorghe GANEA
1980
 
 
 
14/05/2022
25/04/2025
06/06/2025
29/07/2025
Returned as “recipient moved from address” on 04/09/2025
 21469/22
30/05/2022
Nicolae-Vivi ANGHEL
1980
 
 
 
30/05/2022
28/01/2025
11/03/2025
06/05/2025
27/05/2025
 21599/22
06/07/2022
Alexandru CĂULEA
1993
 
 
 
07/12/2022
28/01/2025
11/03/2025
01/07/2025
11/07/2025
 21620/22
31/03/2022
Pavel-Gabriel CONDURACHI
1993
 
Condurachi Neculai-Cătălin
Iasi
05/07/2022
28/01/2025
11/03/2025
06/05/2025
29/05/2025
 22560/22
03/06/2022
Iosif BERKI
1978
 
 
 
12/05/2023
25/04/2025
06/06/2025
29/07/2025
Returned as “recipient moved from address” on 15/09/2025
 22980/22
31/05/2022
Vasile ICHIM
1966
 
 
 
21/11/2022
28/01/2025
11/03/2025
06/05/2025
Returned as “incomplete address” on 25/06/2025
 25417/22
13/05/2022
Vasile TOMA
1993
 
 
 
19/07/2022
28/01/2025
11/03/2025
06/05/2025
28/05/2025
 28676/22
18/08/2022
George-Cristian DEDU
1986
 
 
 
19/09/2022
25/04/2025
06/06/2025
29/07/2025
Returned as “recipient moved from address” on 04/09/2025
 29096/22
18/07/2022
Valentin GHEORGHE
1974
 
 
 
18/07/2022
26/02/2025
09/04/2025
28/04/2025
20/05/2025