CASE OF EL-MASRI v. "THE FORMER YUGOSLAV REPUBLIC OF MACEDONIA"
Hearing: El-Masri v. "the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia" (no. 39630/09) (Grand Chamber hearing, 2012-05-16 00:00:00)
Application no.: 39630/09
Document type: GRANDCHAMBER
Document date: 2012-12-13 00:00:00
ECLI: ECLI:CE:ECHR:2012:1213JUD003963009
Respondent state: MKD
Articles of the Convention: 3;5;5-1;5-4;8;8-1;8-2;13;35;35-1;41
Judges: Dean Spielmann;Elisabeth Steiner;Erik Møse;Françoise Tulkens;Helen Keller;Isabelle Berro-Lefèvre;Josep Casadevall;Julia Laffranque;Karel Jungwiert;Khanlar Hajiyev;Ledi Bianku;Linos-Alexandre Sicilianos;Luis López Guerra;Mirjana Lazarova Trajkovska;Nicolas Bratza;Peer Lorenzen;Vincent A. De Gaetano
Represented by: SKILBECK R. ; GOLDSTON J. ; PAVLI D.
Strasbourg case-law cited: Abuyeva and Others v. Russia, no 27065/05, § 174, 2 December 2010;Aksoy v. Turkey, 18 December 1996, Reports 1996-VI;Al-Moayad v. Germany (dec.), no 35865/03, , 20 January 2007;Al-Skeini and Others v. the United Kingdom [GC], no 55721/07, § 167, ECHR 2011;Angelova v. Bulgaria, no 38361/97, ECHR 2002-IV;Assenov and Others v. Bulgaria, 28 October 1998, Reports of Judgments and Decisions 1998-VIII;Association « 21 December 1989 » and Others v. Romania, nos. 33810/07 and 18817/08, § 135, 24 May 2011;Babar Ahmad and Others v. the United Kingdom (dec.), nos. 24027/07, 11949/08 and 36742/08, 6 July 2010;Bati and Others v. Turkey, nos. 33097/96 and 57834/00, § 136, ECHR 2004-IV;Bitiyeva and X v. Russia, nos. 57953/00 and 37392/03, § 118;Boicenco v. Moldova, no 41088/05, § 123, 11 July 2006;Boyle and Rice v. the United Kingdom, 27 April 1988, § 52, Series A no 131;Çakici v. Turkey [GC], no 23657/94, § 85, ECHR 1999-IV;Campbell and Cosans v. the United Kingdom, 25 February 1982, § 26, Series A no 48;Chahal v. the United Kingdom, 15 November 1996, Reports 1996-V;Chitaïev v. Russia, no 59334/00, § 173, 18 January 2007;Cobzaru v. Romania, no 48254/99, 26 July 2007;Corsacov v. Moldova, no 18944/02, § 68, 4 April 2006;Creanga v. Romania [GC], no 29226/03, 23 February 2012;Cruz Varas and Others v. Sweden, 20 March 1991, Series A no 201;Dedovskiy and Others v. Russia, no 7178/03, § 92, ECHR 2008;Denis Vasilyev v. Russia, no 32704/04, § 157, 17 December 2009;Denisenko and Bogdanchikov v. Russia, no 3811/02, § 83, 12 February 2009;Dennis and Others v. the United Kingdom (dec.), no 76573/01, 2 July 2002;Dikme v. Turkey, no 20869/92, , ECHR 2000-VIII;Dzeladinov and Others v. “the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia”, no 13252/02, 10 April 2008;Egmez v. Cyprus, no 30873/96, § 78, ECHR 2000-XII;Ergi v. Turkey, 28 July 1998, §§ 83-84, Reports 1998-IV;Estamirov and Others v. Russia, no 60272/00, §§ 77 and 120, 12 October 2006;Gäfgen v. Germany [GC], no 22978/05, § 91, ECHR 2010;Georgiy Bykov v. Russia, no 24271/03, 14 October 2010;Gisayev v. Russia, no 14811/04, §§ 152-153, 20 January 2011;Gorgiev v. “the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia”, no 26984/05, § 64, 19 April 2012;Gül v. Turkey, no 22676/93, § 89, 14 December 2000;Hilal v. the United Kingdom, no 45276/99, § 60, ECHR 2001-II;Ilascu and Others v. Moldova and Russia [GC], no 48787/99, ECHR 2004-VII;Ilhan v. Turkey [GC], no 22277/93, § 85, ECHR 2000-VII;Iljina and Saruliene v. Lithuania, no 32293/05, § 47, 15 March 2011;Ireland v. the United Kingdom, 18 January 1978, , Series A no 25;Jabari v. Turkey, no 40035/98, § 50, ECHR 2000-VIII;Jalloh v. Germany [GC], no 54810/00, ECHR 2006-IX;Jasar v. “the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia”, no 69908/01, 15 February 2007;Kadirova and Others v. Russia, no 5432/07, 27 March 2012;Khadzhialiyev and Others v. Russia, no 3013/04, § 106, 6 November 2008;Khashiyev and Akayeva v. Russia, nos. 57942/00 and 57945/00, § 183, 24 February 2005;Krastanov v. Bulgaria, no 50222/99, § 53, 30 September 2004;Kroon and Others v. the Netherlands, 27 October 1994, § 31, Series A no 297-C;Labita v. Italy [GC], no 26772/95, ECHR 2000-IV;M.C. v. Bulgaria, no 39272/98, § 149, ECHR 2003-XII;Mahmut Kaya v. Turkey, no 22535/93, § 115, ECHR 2000-III;Mamatkoulov and Askarov v. Turkey [GC], nos. 46827/99 and 46951/99, ECHR 2005-I;McKerr v. the United Kingdom, (dec.), no 28883/95, 4 April 2000;Medova v. Russia, no 25385/04, § 123, 15 January 2009;Mehmet Emin Yüksel v. Turkey, no 40154/98, § 37, 20 July 2004;Membres de la Congrégation des témoins de Jéhovah de Gldani and Others v. Georgia, no 71156/01, §§ 124-125, 3 May 2007;Musayev and Others v. Russia, nos. 57941/00, 58699/00 and 60403/00, § 175, 26 July 2007;Öcalan v. Turkey [GC], no 46221/99, ECHR 2005-IV;Ognyanova and Choban v. Bulgaria, no 46317/99, § 107, 23 February 2006;Ogur v. Turkey [GC], no 21594/93, ECHR 1999-III;Olsson v. Sweden (no 1), 24 March 1988, § 59, Series A no 130;Orhan v. Turkey, no 25656/94, 18 June 2002;Othman (Abu Qatada) v. the United Kingdom, no 8139/09, § 233, 17 January 2012;Paul and Audrey Edwards v. the United Kingdom (dec.), no 46477/99, 4 June 2001;Pretty v. the United Kingdom, no 2346/02, §§ 61 and 65, ECHR 2002-III;Quinn v. France, 22 March 1995, § 42, Series A no 311;Raninen v. Finland, 16 December 1997, § 63, Reports 1997-VIII;Rantsev v. Cyprus and Russia, no 25965/04, § 207, ECHR 2010;Ribitsch v. Austria, 4 December 1995, Series A no 336;Rupa v. Romania (no 1), no 58478/00, § 97, 16 December 2008;Saadi v. Italy [GC], no 37201/06, ECHR 2008;Sabri Günes v. Turkey [GC], no 27396/06, §§ 39-40, 29 June 2012;Salman v. Turkey [GC], no 21986/93, § 100, ECHR 2000-VII;Selmouni v. France [GC], no 25803/94, § 95, ECHR 1999-V;Soering v. the United Kingdom, 7 July 1989, Series A no 161;Storck v. Germany, no 61603/00, §§ 100-101, ECHR 2005-V;Süheyla Aydin v. Turkey, no 25660/94, § 208, 24 May 2005;Sulejmanov v. “the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia”, no 69875/01, 24 April 2008;Tanis and Others v. Turkey, no 65899/01, § 160, ECHR 2005-VIII;Tanrikulu v. Turkey [GC], no 23763/94, § 104, ECHR 1999-IV;Trajkoski v. “the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia”, no 13191/02, 7 February 2008;Varnava and Others v. Turkey [GC], nos. 16064/90, 16065/90, 16066/90, 16068/90, 16069/90, 16070/90, 16071/90, 16072/90 and 16073/90, ECHR 2009;Vilvarajah and Others v. the United Kingdom, 30 October 1991, Series A no 215;Walker v. the United Kingdom (dec.), no 34979/97, ECHR 2000-I;Wieser v. Austria, no 2293/03, § 40, 22 February 2007;Yusupova and Zaurbekov v. Russia, no 22057/02, § 52, 9 October 2008;Z and Others v. the United Kingdom [GC], no 29392/95, ECHR 2001-V;Zontul v. Greece, no 12294/07, § 89, 17 January 2012
External sources: The 2006 Marty report;The 2007 Marty report;Report of the UN Special Rapporteur on the Promotion and Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms while Countering Terrorism, A/HRC/10/3, 4 February 2009;Council of Europe, Guidelines of the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe on eradicating impunity for serious human rights violations, 30 March 2011;European Commission for Democracy through Law (Venice Commission), Opinion on the international legal obligations of Council of Europe Member States in respect of secret detention facilities and inter-state transport of prisoners (no. 363/2005, 17 March 2006);Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, Resolution 1433 on lawfulness of detentions by the United States in Guantánamo Bay, adopted on 26 April 2005;Statement of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights on detention of Taliban and Al-Qaeda prisoners at the US Base in Guantánamo Bay, Cuba, 16 January 2002;Amnesty International, Memorandum to the US Government on the rights of people in US custody in Afghanistan and Guantánamo Bay, April 2002;Human Rights Watch, “United States, Presumption of Guilt: Human Rights Abuses of Post-September 11 Detainees”, Vol. 14, No. 4 (G), August 2002;Human Rights Watch, “United States: Reports of Torture of Al-Qaeda Suspects”, 26 December 2002;International Helsinki Federation for Human Rights, “Anti-terrorism Measures, Security and Human Rights: Developments in Europe, Central Asia and North America in the Aftermath of September 11”, Report, April 2003;Amnesty International Report 2003 - United States of America, 28 May 2003;Amnesty International, “Unlawful detention of six men from Bosnia-Herzegovina in Guantánamo Bay”, 29 May 2003;Amnesty International, “United States of America, The threat of a bad example: Undermining international standards as ‘war on terror’ detentions continue”, 18 August 2003;Amnesty International, “Incommunicado detention/Fear of ill-treatment”, 20 August 2003;International Committee of the Red Cross, United States: ICRC President urges progress on detention-related issues, news release 04/03, 16 January 2004;Court of Appeal of England and Wales (Civil Division), Abbasi and Another v. Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs and Secretary of State for the Home Department, Case No: C/2002/0617A;0617B, 6 November 2002;United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit, Falen Gherebi v. George Walker Bush;Donald H. Rumsfeld, D.C. No. CV-03-01267-AHM, 18 December 2003;UN Committee against Torture, Agiza v. Sweden, Communication No 233/2003, UN Doc. CAT/C/34/D/233/2003 (2005);UN Human Rights Committee, Alzery v. Sweden, UN Doc. CCPR/C/88/D/1416/2005 (2006);Article 36 § 1 (b) of the Vienna Convention on Consular Relations;International Convention for the Protection of All Persons from Enforced Disappearance;Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, Resolution 1463 on enforced disappearances;United Nations Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment

n°
Conclusion: Preliminary objection dismissed (Article 35-1 - Six-month period);Remainder inadmissible;Violation of Article 3 - Prohibition of torture (Article 3 - Effective investigation) (Procedural aspect);Violation of Article 3 - Prohibition of torture (Article 3 - Degrading treatment;Inhuman treatment) (Substantive aspect);Violation of Article 3 - Prohibition of torture (Article 3 - Torture) (Substantive aspect);Violation of Article 3 - Prohibition of torture (Article 3 - Extradition) (the United States of America);Violation of Article 5 - Right to liberty and security (Article 5-1 - Lawful arrest or detention;Article 5-4 - Review of lawfulness of detention);Violation of Article 5 - Right to liberty and security (Article 5-1 - Deprivation of liberty);Violation of Article 5 - Right to liberty and security (Article 5-1 - Deprivation of liberty);Violation of Article 8 - Right to respect for private and family life (Article 8-1 - Respect for family life;Respect for private life);Violation of Article 13 - Right to an effective remedy (Article 13 - Effective remedy);Non-pecuniary damage - award
Separate opinion: TRUE