Zlate and Others v. Romania

FOURTH SECTION

Application no. 49346/21 Benone ZLATE against Romania and 21 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 deliberated, decides as follows:

The 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).

Having 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 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

Date of the applicant’s last letter to the Court

Date of sending Government’s observations to the applicant

Time-limit for submission of the response by the applicant

Date of the Court’s registered letter

Date of receipt of the registered letter

49346/21

28/10/2021

Benone ZLATE

1968

Vasilica Rusu

Bogheștii de Sus

27/04/2022

26/03/2025

07/05/2025

13/11/2025

Received by the applicant on 03/12/2025

21538/22

22/03/2023

Valentin-Georgian ENCEA

1994

04/05/2023

18/03/2025

29/04/2025

06/06/2025

Returned on 11/07/2025 by the Romanian post as the recipient had moved

36040/22

25/11/2022

Irinel-Marian BERBECE

1981

08/01/2025

03/03/2025

14/04/2025

02/06/2025

Returned on 25/09/2025 by the Romanian post as recipient unknown

36091/22

16/08/2022

Marius-Andrei MACHEDON

1991

25/03/2025

02/05/2025

13/06/2025

22/07/2025

Received by the applicant’s father on 04/08/2025

38614/22

04/10/2022

Nicolae-Marcel DUMITRU

1981

27/02/2024

02/05/2025

13/06/2025

22/07/2025

Received by the applicant on 05/08/2025

39539/22

31/10/2022

Sergiu-Aurelian TAMAŞ

1988

06/11/2023

02/05/2025

13/06/2025

22/07/2025

Received on 04/08/2025, illegible signature

40228/22

13/09/2022

Dănuţ HREŞCU

1965

28/10/2022

02/05/2025

13/06/2025

22/07/2025

Returned on 06/10/2025 by the Romanian Post as the recipient had moved

40431/22

12/08/2022

Ioan GHERGHIN

1974

Ionuţ-Iulian Gherghin

Daia Romana

29/11/2022

02/05/2025

13/06/2025

22/07/2025

Received on 05/08/2025, illegible signature

45101/22

04/11/2022

Albert-Florian BALINT

1987

09/11/2022

25/04/2025

06/06/2025

29/07/2025

Received by prison staff on 11/08/2025

45122/22

12/10/2022

Aurel SZABÓ

1978

01/12/2022

18/03/2025

29/04/2025

06/06/2025

Received by prison staff on 20/06/2025

46647/22

15/11/2022

Sorin MAXIM

1975

25/07/2024

02/05/2025

13/06/2025

22/07/2025

Received by prison staff on 06/08/2025

46984/22

01/02/2023

Dorian MARCOVICI

1973

27/04/2023

18/06/2025

30/07/2025

19/12/2025

Received by the applicant on 31/12/2025

48509/22

16/12/2022

Săndel-Silviu MOCANU

1980

03/01/2023

25/04/2025

06/06/2025

29/07/2025

Returned on 28/08/2025 by the Romanian post as recipient unknown

48781/22

11/11/2022

Timotei IONILĂ

1996

21/11/2022

25/04/2025

06/06/2025

29/07/2025

Returned on 28/08/2025 by the Romanian post as the recipient had moved

49075/22

07/10/2022

Romeo BARBU

1987

17/11/2022

18/06/2025

30/07/2025

19/12/2025

Returned on 29/01/2026 by the Romanian Post as the recipient had moved

49130/22

07/11/2022

Adrian-Vasile DEZMIREAN

1982

13/12/2022

18/03/2025

29/04/2025

06/06/2025

Received by prisons staff on 23/06/2025

49335/22

15/11/2022

Ionel CIOCÎRLAN

1980

03/11/2023

02/05/2025

13/06/2025

22/07/2025

Received by prison staff on 11/08/2025

52162/22

07/12/2022

Ioan AVRAM

1975

31/01/2023

18/06/2025

30/07/2025

19/12/2025

Received by prison staff on 14/01/2026 and forwarded to the prison where the applicant had been transferred

52563/22

14/12/2022

Aurel-Alexandru COŞERGAR

1983

20/02/2023

02/05/2025

13/06/2025

22/07/2025

Returned on 15/09/2025 by the Romanian Post as unclaimed

52592/22

12/12/2022

Vasia-Nelu BERESCU

1991

02/01/2023

18/03/2025

29/04/2025

06/06/2025

Received by prison staff on 18/06/2025

53253/22

26/01/2023

Valentin RADU

1996

01/02/2023

03/03/2025

14/04/2025

02/06/2025

Returned on 22/08/2025 by the Bucharest-Rahova Prison after unsuccessful attempt to forward the letter to the applicant’s address after his release

53272/22

13/12/2022

Resan BOLKVADZE

1985

14/03/2023

02/05/2025

13/06/2025

22/07/2025

Returned on 25/09/2025 by the Georgian post as unclaimed