Lexploria

FIRST SECTION

CASE OF KAMARÃS AND OTHERS v. HUNGARY

(Application no. 16771/23)

JUDGMENT

STRASBOURG

30 November 2023

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

In the case of KamarÃ¡s and Others v. Hungary,

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

Krzysztof Wojtyczek , President , LÉ™tif HÃ¼seynov, Ivana JeliÄ‡ , judges ,

and Attila TeplÃ¡n, Acting Deputy Section Registrar,

Having deliberated in private on 9 November 2023,

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

PROCEDURE

1. The case originated in an application against Hungary lodged with the Court under Article 34 of the Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms (â€œthe Conventionâ€) on 1 April 2023.

2. The applicants were represented by Mr V. Kodela, a lawyer practising in Budapest.

3. The Hungarian Government (â€œthe Governmentâ€) were given notice of the application.

THE FACTS

4. The list of applicants and the relevant details of the application are set out in the appended table.

5. The applicants complained of the excessive length of civil proceedings.

6. On 28 August 2023 the applicantsâ€™ representative informed the Court that the applicant Ms JÃ³zsefnÃ© EndrÃ©sz had withdrawn her complaints.

THE LAW

7. The Court finds at the outset that the applicant Ms JÃ³zsefnÃ© EndrÃ©sz may be regarded as no longer wishing to pursue the application (Article 37 Â§ 1 (a) of the Convention). Furthermore, in accordance with Article 37 Â§ 1 in fine , the Court finds no special circumstances regarding respect for human rights as defined in the Convention and the Protocols thereto which require the continued examination of the application in her regard.

8. The remaining applicants complained that the length of the civil proceedings in question had been incompatible with the â€œreasonable timeâ€ requirement. They relied on Article 6 Â§ 1 of the Convention, which reads as follows:

Article 6 Â§ 1

â€œIn the determination of his civil rights and obligations ... everyone is entitled to a ... hearing within a reasonable time by [a] ... tribunal ...â€

9. 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, Â§ 43, ECHR 2000-VII).

10. In the leading case of GazsÃ³ v. Hungary, no. 48322/12, 16 July 2015, the Court found a violation of Article 6 of the Convention in relation to the length of judicial proceedings.

11. 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 â€œreasonable timeâ€ requirement.

12. These complaints are therefore admissible and disclose a breach of Article 6 Â§ 1 of the Convention.

13. Article 41 of the Convention provides:

â€œIf the Court finds that there has been a violation of the Convention or the Protocols thereto, and if the internal law of the High Contracting Party concerned allows only partial reparation to be made, the Court shall, if necessary, afford just satisfaction to the injured party.â€

14. Regard being had to the documents in its possession and to its case â€‘ law, the Court considers it reasonable to award the sums indicated in the appended table.

FOR THESE REASONS, THE COURT, UNANIMOUSLY,

(a) that the respondent State is to pay the applicants, within three months, the amount 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 amount 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 30 November 2023, pursuant to Rule 77 Â§Â§ 2 and 3 of the Rules of Court.

Attila TeplÃ¡n Krzysztof Wojtyczek Acting Deputy Registrar President

APPENDIX

Application raising complaints under Article 6 Â§ 1 of the Convention

(excessive length of civil proceedings)

Application no.

Date of introduction

Applicantâ€™s name

Year of birth

Representativeâ€™s name and location

Start of proceedings

End of proceedings

Total length

Levels of jurisdiction

Amount awarded for pecuniary and non-pecuniary damage and costs and expenses per applicant

(in euros) [1]

16771/23

01/04/2023

(194 applicants)

Tibor LajosnÃ© KAMARÃS

1932SÃ¡ra JuliÃ¡nna ALEXAY

1948Ferenc AMBRUS

1939Ferenc JÃ¡nos ANDA

1958TibornÃ© ANTAL

1955Ferenc NÃ¡ndornÃ© APPELT

1942KÃ¡rolynÃ© BÃLINT

1938JenÅ‘nÃ© BALOGH

1938KÃ¡rolynÃ© BALOGH

1936IstvÃ¡nnÃ© BÃNLAKI

1930Anna Magdolna BARÃ“CSINÃ‰ CSIK

1963Tibor BARTA

1966JÃ¡nos BÃTOVSZKY

1973Piroska BECSKÃ‰NÃ‰ VIZHÃNYÃ“

1955Adrien MÃ¡ria BEDNÃRIKNÃ‰ SZABÃ“

1954SÃ¡muel LÃ¡szlÃ³nÃ© BÃ‰KÃ‰SI

1938LÃ¡szlÃ³nÃ© BENÃK

1936GÃ©zÃ¡nÃ© BENEDEK

1935Ferenc ÃrpÃ¡d BENKÅ

1931IstvÃ¡n BEREGHSZÃSZY

1934Katalin BÃRÃ“

1956Edit BÃ“DI

1990KÃ¡roly BOHANEK

1956JÃ³zsef Ferenc BOROS

1959JÃ¡nosnÃ© BOZSÃ“

1950MiklÃ³s LÃ¡szlÃ³ CSÃ‰PÃNY

1947Zsolt ZoltÃ¡n CSERHALMI

1962ValÃ©ria CSIZMAZIA

1936ZoltÃ¡nnÃ© CSIZY

1938Attila CSONTOS

1976SÃ¡ndor CZEGLÃ‰DI

1953Andor Ferenc DALMADY

1955BÃ©la DÃVID

1900GÃ¡bor JÃ³zsef DIETRICH

1957RichÃ¡rd JÃ¡nos DOBOS

1972ZsuzsÃ¡nna GOMBOS

1945Ã‰va Etelka EGYEDNÃ‰ PETRÃ‰NYI

1941Ferenc EVELI

1938RezsÅ‘nÃ© EZER

1939LÃ¡szlÃ³nÃ© FÃBIÃN

1943IvÃ¡n LÃ¡szlÃ³ FAJNOR

1951SÃ¡ndornÃ© FALKAY

1956MihÃ¡lynÃ© FAZEKAS

1962Ferenc FEHÃ‰RPATAKY

1940TamÃ¡s FEKETE

1977GÃ¡bor FELSZEGHY

1982AndrÃ¡snÃ© FERENCZY

1946LÃ¡szlÃ³ FODOR

1954JÃ³zsefnÃ© FÃ–LDVÃRI

1939Zsuzsanna FÃœLÃ–P

1954PÃ¡l GALYAS

1952JÃ³zsefnÃ© GAZDAG

1943Lajos TamÃ¡s GEREBEN

1951KlÃ¡ra MÃ¡ria GICZI

1944Ãgnes Szilvia GODÃ“

1969Imre GOMBOS

1951LÃ¡szlÃ³nÃ© GONDOS

1937Ãgnes GRÃ–BNÃ‰ KOVÃCS

1946JÃ³zsef GULYÃS

1946KÃ¡roly GYÃNYI

1958Zsuzsanna Szandra GYÅREI

1981JÃ³zsefnÃ© HAJNAL

1947SÃ¡ndor HALASI

1925Ã‰va HALÃSZ

1957GyÃ¶rgynÃ© HALÃSZ

1945JÃ³zsef HARTMANN

1961LÃ¡szlÃ³ HARTMANN

1964LÃ¡szlÃ³ HAVAI

1954TibornÃ© HELMICH

1932FerencnÃ© HERCZEG

1929OttÃ³nÃ© HERCZEGFALVY

1937AndrÃ¡s SÃ¡ndornÃ© HERMANN

1945Ãgota HOCHWART

1944Ferenc HÅNIG

1940JÃ¡nos HORVÃTH

1933JÃ¡nos ILLÃ‰S

1957JÃ³zsef IPACS

1947Ãgnes JANKÃ“

1966Andrea JASZICZKY

1977BÃ©la JORGA

1945ErnÅ‘nÃ© JUHÃSZ

1955Ilona RozÃ¡lia KADLECSIK

1957Attila IstvÃ¡n KÃLNAI

1957GÃ¡bor KERÃ‰NYI

1964JÃ¡nos KÃ‰RI

1942Antal KISS

1930Anna Emese KISSNÃ‰ FÃTRAI

1955Gyula Lajos KOCSIS

1941Marianna KOCSIS TÃ“TH

1956IstvÃ¡nnÃ© KOCZKA

1940Lajos IstvÃ¡n KONCZ

1941OttÃ³nÃ© KÃ–RMENDI

1944Gabriella KORPÃSNÃ‰ BALCZER

1964Ã‰va Aranka KORVAS

1941PÃ©ternÃ© KOSA

1938Tibor KÅSZEG

1950TamÃ¡s KOSZKA

1954ErzsÃ©bet KOVÃCS

1975ZoltÃ¡n KOVÃCS

1939GyÃ¶rgy KÅVÃRI

1955Ferenc KREISZ

1967FerencnÃ© KREISZ

1940MÃ¡rton Tibor LABUDA

1955KlÃ¡ra LAJTAINÃ‰ SIMON

1968Anna LAKNERFINÃ‰ PÃSZTOR

1942BÃ©la AndrÃ¡snÃ© LÃSZLÃ“

1936LÃ¡szlÃ³ LECZKI

1935JÃ¡nos LEITOLD

1956Anna LÃ‰ZU

1953LÃ¡szlÃ³nÃ© LUKÃCS

1946MiklÃ³s MADACSAY

1944Ilona MAGYAR

1949GyÃ¶rgyi MAGYARY

1953GÃ¡bor MAJOROS

1950GÃ¡bor IstvÃ¡n MÃRTON

1955KÃ¡rolynÃ© MARZSIN

1941SzabolcsnÃ© MELEGH

1941GÃ¡bor MERVEL

1955MÃ³nika MÃ‰SZÃROS

1951JÃ³zsefnÃ© METZ

1943BÃ©lÃ¡nÃ© MIHALÃK

1954LÃ¡szlÃ³ ZoltÃ¡n MITNYIK

1961Csaba GÃ¡bor MOLNÃR

1944LÃ¡szlÃ³ MOLNÃR

1932Ã‰va NAGY

1962SÃ¡ndor MiklÃ³s NAGY

1934MÃ¡ria Margit NAGYNÃ‰ SZAKMÃNY

1935KlÃ¡ra MÃ¡rta Ã“NODI

1956LÃ¡szlÃ³ PALLÃ“S

1941IstvÃ¡n ZoltÃ¡n PAP

1977Lajos PARASZT

1941Ilona PARIZSA

1957Zsuzsanna JolÃ¡n PÃ‰TER-SZABÃ“

1959JÃ¡nos Jakab PETRÃNYI

1940IstvÃ¡n POZSGAI

1936Magdolna Margit RAJNAI

1948IstvÃ¡n REINHARDT

1945Endre PÃ¡l RIVÃ“

1958PÃ¡l SAUER

1954LÃ¡szlÃ³ SOÃ“S

1953JÃ³zsef STUBÃN

1949JÃ¡nos SZABÃ“

1938LÃ¡szlÃ³ SZABÃ“

1951IstvÃ¡n RezsÅ‘ SZALATKAY

1946Judit SZALATKAY

1977RÃ³bert LÃ¡szlÃ³ SZÃNTÃ“

1964Gizella SZENTPÃ‰TERI

1956Rudolf OszkÃ¡r SZERENCSÃ‰S

1934LÃ¡szlÃ³ IstvÃ¡n SZIRÃKI

1962Anna Katalin SZÃ–LLÅSINÃ‰ CSIKÃ“S

1956JenÅ‘ Ferenc SZOMBATH

1935TamÃ¡s IstvÃ¡n SZÃ“RÃD

1955Ferenc Antal TÃ–LGYESI

1934Ã‰va TOMCSÃNYI

1937Ãgnes TÃ–RÃ–K

1952Tivadar TÃ“TH

1950Eszter Margit URBÃNNÃ‰ BEKE

1936TÃ¼nde StefÃ¡nia VAJDÃNÃ‰ IDRÃNYI

1954Gyula VANCZÃK

1957GÃ¡bor VARGA

1963LÃ¡szlÃ³ VARSÃNYI

1934Judit VINKLER

1934ZoltÃ¡n AndrÃ¡s VÃ–LGYESI

1966IstvÃ¡n VONA

1941MÃ¡ria ZELEY

1980Kodela Viktor

Budapest

06/04/2004

pending

More than 19 year(s) and 5 month(s) and 21 day(s) 1 level(s) of jurisdiction

2,000

[1] Plus any tax that may be chargeable to the applicants.

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CASE OF KAMARÁS AND OTHERS v. HUNGARY

CASE OF KAMARÁS AND OTHERS v. HUNGARY

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