Samstag, 18. Mai 2013

STANEV Teil 15 : ENFORCEABLE RIGHT TO COMPENSATION !

"III.   ALLEGED   VIOLATION  OF   ARTICLE 5 § 5   OF   THE   CONVENTION     §§   179 - 191

        179.   The applicant submitted  that he had not been entitled to compensation  for the alleged  violations of his rights  under Article 5 §§ 1 and 4 of the Convention.  He relied on Article 5 § 5, which provides :

        " Everyone who has been the victim of arrest or detention in contravention  of the provisions  of this Article  shall  have an enforceable  right  to compensation."

    A.  THE   PARTIES'  SUBMISSIONS    §§  180 - 181

         180.   The   APPLICANT  submitted that the circumstances  in which unlawful detention could give rise to compensation were exhaustivly listed in the State Responsibility for Damage Act 1988 (see §§ 62 - 67 above) and that his own situation was not covered by any of them.  He further complained that there were no legal remedies  by which compensation could be claimed  for a violation of Article 5 § 4.

          181.   The  GOVERNMENT  maintained that the compensation procedure  under the 1988  Act could have been initiated  if the supplicant's placement had been found to have no legal basis. Since the placement had been found to be consistent with domestic law and with his own interests, he had not been able to initiate the procedure in question.

    B.   THE   COURT'S   ASSESSMENT    §§  182 - 191

        182.   The Court reiterates that Article 5 § 5 is complied with where it is possible to apply for compensation in respect of a deprivation of liberty effected in conditions contrary to paragraphs 1, 2, 3 or 4 (see  WASSINK  v. the Netherlands, 27 September 1990, § 38, Series A no. 185-A,  and  HOUTMAN  and  MEEUS  v. Belgium, no. 22.945/07, § 43, 17 March 2009). The right to compensation set forth in paragraph 5 therefore presupposes that a violation of one of the other paragraphs has been established, either by a domestic authority or by the Convention institutions.  In this connection, the effective enjoyment of the right to compensation guaranteed by Article 5 § 5 must be ensured with a sufficient degree of certainty ( see CIULLA  v. Italy, 22 February 1989, § 44, Series A no. 148 ;  SAKIK  and  OTHERS  v. Turkey,  26 November 1997, § 60, Reports  1997 - VII ;  and N.C. v. Italy [GC], no. 24.952/94 , § 49, ECHR  2002 - X).

        183.   Turning to the present case, the Court observes  that, regard being had to its finding of a violation of paragraphs 1 and 4 of Article 5 , paragraph 5 is applicable. It must therefore  ascertain  whether , prior to the present judgement , the applicant had an enforceable right  at domestic level to compensation for damage, or whether he will have such a right following  the adoption of this judgement.

 184.     The Court reiterates in this connection that in order to find a violation of Article 5 § 5 , it has to
  establish  that the finding of a violation  of one of the other paragraphs  of Article 5  could not give rise , either before or after the Court's judgement, to an enforceable claim for compensation  before the domestic courts (see  BROGAN  and Others v. the United Kingdom, 29 November 1988, §§ 66 -67,  Series A no.145-B).

         185.   Having regard to the case-law cited above, the Court considers that it must first be determined  whether the violation of Article 5 §§ 1 and 4  found in the present case could have given rise , before the delivery of this judgement, to an entitlement to compensation before the domestic courts.

         186.   As regards the violation of Article 5 § 1, the Court observes that section 2(1) of the State Responsibility for Damage Act 1988 provides for compensation for damage resulting from a judicial decision  ordering certain types of detention  where the decision has been set aside as having no legal basis ( see paragraph 62 above). However, that was not the case in this instance. It appears from the case file that the Bulgarian judicial authorities have not at any stage  found the measure  to have been unlawful  or otherwise in breach of  Article 5 of the Convention. Moreover, the Government's line of argument has been that the applicant's placement in the home was in accordance with domestic law. The Court therefore concludes that the applicant was unable to claim any compensation under the above - mentioned provision in the absence of an acknowledgment  by the national authorities that the placement was unlawful.

         187.   As to the possibility under section 1 of the same Act of claiming compensation for damage resulting  from unlawful acts by the authorities  ( see § 63 above), the Court observes  that the Government have not produced any domestic decisions indicating that that provision is applicable to cases involving the placement of people with mental disorders in social care homes on the basis of civil - law agreements.

         188.   Furthermore, since no judicial remedy by which to review the lawfulness of the placement was available under Bulgarian law, the applicant could not have invoked State liability as a basis for receiving compensation  for the violation of Article 5 § 4.

          189.   The question then arises whether the judgement in the present case, in which violations of §§ 1 and 4 of Article 5 have been found, will entitle the applicant to claim compensation under Bulgarian law.  The Court observes that it does not appear from the relevant legislation  that any such remedy exists, nor, indeed, have the Government submitted any arguments to prove the contrary.

          190.   It has therefore not been shown the applicant was able to avail himself prior to the Court's judgement in the present case, or will be able to do so after its delivery, of a right to compensation  for the violation of Article 5 §§ 1 and 4.

           191.   THERE   HAS   THEREFORE   BEEN  A   VIOLATION   OF   ARTICLE 5 § 5.

           Soweit  also die 3. einstimmige Verurteilung Bulgariens durch die  GRAND  CHAMBER  in Straßburg  in der  beispielhaften Beschwerdesache  des gegen seinen Willen zwangsverheimten Rusi  STANEV  mit Zuspruch von 15.000 Euro Schadenersatz.  Wie nun schaut die Rechtslage diesbezüglich hierzulande aus: rein theoretisch könnte im Beschwerdefall  WOLFGANG S.  die Haftung des Bundes nach § 24 Heimaufenthaltsgesetz in Anspruch genommen werden

:http://www.ris.bka.gv.at/Dokumente/Bundesnormen/NOR40050338/NOR40050338.pdf

           Es dürfte wohl noch keinen einzigen derartigen  Fall einer konkreten  Amtshaftungsklage gegen den Bund geben wegen  Vernachlässigung seiner verfassungsrechtlich vorgegebenen Aufsichtspflicht  bezüglich den Schutz der persönlichen Freiheit  in Heimen, die von privaten Heimträgern betrieben  und fachbehördlich von den Ländern beaufsichtigt werden. Es bleibt nun abzuwarten, ob dieser Aspekt von der längst überfälligen Rekursentscheidung des Landesgerichtes Salzburg  beurteilt wird oder ob das ganze Problem erneut verschoben wird in eine beliebige Richtung.

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