THIRD SECTION

Application no. 73725/12 Vasile STOIAN against Romania lodged on 22 October 2012

STATEMENT OF FACTS

The applicant, Mr Vasile Stoian , is a Romanian national, who was born in 1960 and lives in Craiova .

The facts of the case, as submitted by the applicant, may be summarised as follows.

The applicant had been arrested in 2010 and imprisoned in various detention places, including the Mă rgineni Penitentiary , where he had been detained for a period of seven months and from where he had been moved, in January 2013, to the Craiova Penitentiary, where he is currently serving the remainder of his ten year prison sentence .

The applicant describes the conditions of detention in the two p risons as follows: ( i ) in the Mă rgineni Penitentiary he allegedly shared with 26 detainees a 7x7 square meter cell equipped with one sink and two lavatories; (ii) in the Craiova Penitentiary there are 39 detainees sharing a 6x8 square metres cell with two toilets and three sinks; (iii) the plumbing is old and the sinks and lavatories are, for most part, out of order, which requires the detainees to save water in barrels to use for the lavatories and for their personal hygiene; nevertheless, given the high number of people sharing a cell, the solution is not sustainable; (iv) the drinking water is not available at all times, the hot water is not sufficient and, in winter, the heating is not adequate; (v) the cells are infested with bed bugs, lice and cockroaches; (vi) the mattresses are old and infested with parasites; (vii) the food provided is insufficient, of very low quality and not appropriate for specific dietary needs (the applicant mentions that he had been diagnosed with diabetes in 2010); (viii) the detainees have to eat in their beds, as there is no dining area and no tables; (ix) there are no cultural activities available, nor any programs aimed at helping them reintegrate in society following their release.

COMPLAINT

The applicant complains under Article 3 of the Convention about the inhuman and degrading conditions of detention in the M ă rgineni and Craiova Penitentiaries, as described above.

QUESTION TO THE PARTIES

Had the applicant been subjected, in breach of Article 3 of the Convention, to inhuman or degrading treatment in the Mă rgineni and Craiova Penitentiaries ?

The Government are invited to provide information on the applicant ’ s detention conditions in the M ă rgineni and Craiova Penitentiaries , in particular in connection with the material conditions of the cell s where the applicant had been detained, namely the size of th e cells, the number of beds, the number of persons being detained in th e same cell with the applicant and the sanitary installations available , as well as the conditions of hygiene.

The Government are also invited to provide information regarding the quantity and quality of the food provided to the applicant.