FOURTH SECTION
DECISION
Application no. 41170/16
Florian-Valentin GRIGORE against Romania
and 22 other applications
(see appended table)
The European Court of Human Rights (Fourth Section), sitting on 21 May 2026 as a Committee composed of:
 Anne Louise Bormann, President,
 András Jakab,
 Corinna Wissels, 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 regard to the observations submitted by the respondent Government and the observations in reply submitted by the applicant,
Having deliberated, decides as follows:
FACTS AND PROCEDUREThe list of applicants is set out in the appended table.
The applicants’ complaints under Article 3 of the Convention concerning the inadequate conditions of detention were communicated to the Romanian Government (“the Government”).
THE LAW   Joinder of the applicationsHaving regard to the similar subject matter of the applications, the Court finds it appropriate to examine them jointly in a single decision.
   Complaints under Article 3 of the Convention (inadequate conditions of detention) during periods indicated in the appended tableHaving examined all the material before it, the Court considers that for the reasons stated below, the present complaints raised under Article 3 of the Convention about the applicants’ detention in allegedly inadequate conditions during the periods indicated in the appended table are inadmissible.
The Government argued that the applicants had failed to exhaust the available effective remedies for their complaints about the inadequate conditions of their detention, as the complaint with the judge responsible for supervising the deprivation of liberty (plângerea în fața judecătorului de supraveghere a privării de libertate), provided for by Article 56 of Law no. 254/2013, had become an effective remedy for grievances similar to those of the applicants.
The Court recalls that in Văscăuțanu v. Romania (dec.), no. 10120/23, §§ 47–59, 18 November 2025, it held that the remedy, which consists of lodging a complaint with the judge responsible for supervising the deprivation of liberty (plângerea în fața judecătorului de supraveghere a privării de libertate), provided for by Article 56 of Law no. 254/2013, constituted, as of 6 April 2023, an effective remedy enabling individuals who allege that they are being held in inadequate conditions of detention to put an end to their situation that they denounced as being contrary to Article 3 of the Convention.
In light of all the material in its possession, the Court observes that the applicants, who allege that they are being held in inadequate conditions of detention, did not indicate that they pursued the available remedy before the domestic courts (see Văscăuțanu, cited above, § 65). Therefore, their complaints in that regard must be dismissed for failure to exhaust domestic remedies.
The Government also invoked other grounds of inadmissibility to argue that the present complaints must be rejected. Since it has already upheld the Government’s objection on the non-exhaustion of domestic remedies, the Court does not consider it necessary to examine further any other arguments raised by the Government.
In view of the above, the Court finds that the applicants’ complaints concerning the periods set out in the appended table must be rejected for failure to exhaust the domestic remedy laid down in Article 56 of Law no. 254/2013, in accordance with Article 35 §§ 1 and 4 of the Convention.
   Remaining complaintsThe applicant in application no. 47626/16 also raised other complaints under Article 3 of the Convention, in relation to previous periods of detention.
The Court has examined the application and considers that, in the light of all the material in its possession and in so far as the matters complained of are within its competence, these complaints either do not meet the admissibility criteria set out in Articles 34 and 35 of the Convention or do not disclose any appearance of a violation of the rights and freedoms enshrined in the Convention or the Protocols thereto.
It follows that this part of the application must be rejected in accordance with Article 35 § 4 of the Convention.
For these reasons, the Court, unanimously,
Decides to join the applications;
Declares the applications inadmissible.
Done in English and notified in writing on 11 June 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
Facility
Start and end date
Duration
   41170/16
12/08/2016
Florian-Valentin GRIGORE
1985
 
 
 
Mărgineni and Rahova Prisons
23/12/2019
pending
More than 6 year(s) and 1 month(s) and 20 day(s)
   47626/16
19/09/2016
Nicușor-Gabriel CODREANU
1988
 
Codreanu Gheorghina
Braila
Focșani, Galați, Brăila, and Tulcea Prisons
23/12/2019
pending
More than 6 year(s) and 1 month(s) and 20 day(s)
   67391/16
28/12/2016
Danilă AKNAI
1963
 
 
 
Cluj-Napoca County Police Station; Jilava Prison Hospital; Gherla, Rahova and Aiud Prisons
27/06/2011 to
23/07/2012
1 year(s) and 27 day(s)
 
Aiud Prison
23/12/2019
pending
More than 6 year(s) and 1 month(s) and 20 day(s)
   9822/20
11/03/2020
Sali APTULA
1961
 
 
 
Poarta Albă, Tulcea, Slobozia and Mioveni (Colibași) Prisons
08/07/2008
pending
More than 17 year(s) and 7 month(s) and 4 day(s)
   10783/20
07/04/2020
Ion-Valentin COMĂNESCU
1980
 
 
 
Dolj County Police Station; Craiova, Gherla, Mărgineni and Giurgiu Prisons
01/09/2017
pending
More than 8 year(s) and 5 month(s) and 11 day(s)
   15724/20
04/05/2020
Emil COŞTEAN
1990
 
 
 
Arad Prison
23/12/2019
pending
More than 6 year(s) and 1 month(s) and 20 day(s)
 
   50938/20
15/03/2021
Cristian PAUL
1981
 
 
 
Bacău, Rahova, Giurgiu, Iaşi, Poarta Albă, Arad and Vaslui Prisons; Jilava Prison Hospital
16/03/2010
pending
More than 15 year(s) and 10 month(s) and 27 day(s)
   52977/20
11/01/2021
Cristian-Florentin HENDRE
1976
 
 
 
Gherla and Oradea Prisons
12/06/2020
pending
More than 5 year(s) and 8 month(s)
   13130/21
31/05/2021
Vasile PARASCHIV
1980
 
 
 
Focşani, Poarta Albă and Slobozia Prisons
23/12/2019
pending
More than 6 year(s) and 1 month(s) and 20 day(s)
 13167/21
30/03/2021
Gheorghe-Roman COPIL
1970
 
 
 
Timișoara, Arad and Deva Prisons
28/10/2018
pending
More than 7 year(s) and 3 month(s) and 15 day(s)
 13789/21
20/04/2021
Cristian-Mihai CARDOŞ
1998
 
 
 
Baia Mare County Police Station; Gherla and Oradea Prisons
08/03/2020
pending
More than 5 year(s) and 11 month(s) and 4 day(s)
 
 41368/21
24/09/2021
Florin-Marcel CSIKI
1991
 
 
 
Arad County Police Station and Arad Prison
17/07/2015
pending
More than 10 year(s) and 6 month(s) and 27 day(s)
 
 44930/21
25/09/2021
Cornel GROŞANU
1960
 
 
 
Bucharest - Rahova, Ploiești, Giurgiu and Bucharest - Jilava Prisons; Bucharest - Jilava Prison Hospital
23/12/2019
pending
More than 6 year(s) and 1 month(s) and 21 day(s)
 
 45603/21
08/10/2021
Valentin-Claudiu COAJE
1992
 
 
 
Bucharest - Jilava, Găești and Giurgiu Prisons
23/12/2019
pending
More than 6 year(s) and 1 month(s) and 21 day(s)
 
 45830/21
02/09/2021
Ştefan ROMAN
1979
 
 
 
Oradea Prison
05/03/2018
pending
More than 7 year(s) and 11 month(s) and 8 day(s)
 
 46895/21
07/10/2021
Flaviu-Mihai CONTRAŞ
1990
 
 
 
Oradea Prison
07/01/2020
pending
More than 6 year(s) and 1 month(s) and 6 day(s)
 50740/21
15/11/2021
Marian BOTEZATU
1982
 
 
 
Gherla and Galați Prisons
24/12/2019
pending
More than 6 year(s) and 1 month(s) and 20 day(s)
 51314/21
09/11/2021
Cătălin-Eugen MICU
1973
 
 
 
Giurgiu and Gherla Prisons
29/07/2017
pending
More than 8 year(s) and 6 month(s) and 15 day(s)
 57371/21
21/12/2021
Florin-Adrian STOICA
1994
 
 
 
Codlea, Miercurea Ciuc and Aiud Prisons
21/01/2018
pending
More than 8 year(s) and 23 day(s)
 57990/21
05/04/2022
Gerard-Alexandru AVRAMESCU
1968
 
 
 
Focșani, Drobeta-Turnu-Severin, Târgu-Jiu Prisons
01/01/2020
pending
More than 6 year(s) and 1 month(s) and 12 day(s)
 7107/22
21/02/2022
Viorel PAHONIE
1975
 
 
 
Drobeta Turnu Severin and Craiova Prisons
19/12/2019
pending
More than 4 year(s) and 2 month(s) and 25 day(s)
 39428/22
05/08/2022
Florin BOCA
1987
 
 
 
Craiova, Arad, Giurgiu and Colibași Prisons
10/12/2008
pending
More than 17 year(s) and 2 month(s) and 10 day(s)
 39446/22
21/09/2022
Traian PUŞCAŞ
1985
 
 
 
Gherla Prison
08/10/2018
pending
More than 7 year(s) and 4 month(s) and 12 day(s)