European Court of Human Rights: Italy sentenced again for inhuman and degrading treatment in relation to prison conditions

In the judgment delivered on 11th February 2014 in relation to the Contrada case (n. 2)(n. 7509/08), the European Court of Human Rights has found that Italy violated again article 3 of the European Convention of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms, specifically in relation to the detention of people affected by acute disease.

The applicant, a former police officer sentenced to a period of imprisonment for complicity with an organized criminal group, has resorted to the European Court for the fact that, although his health conditions were clearly incompatible with the custodial sentence, he was forced to stay in prison for nearly a year before being given the possibility to serve his time through house arrest.

Considering the stay in prison of the applicant in conflict with the prohibition of inhuman and degrading treatment, the European Court has sentenced Italy for the violation of article 3 of the Convention and established an adequate compensation.

On the contrary, the complaint dealing with an alleged violation of article 6 of the Convention in the same case (Contrada vs. Italy) has been rejected.