Sag om, hvorvidt der skal ske udlevering af fænglede til retsforfølgning i Moldova

Retten på Frederiksberg

K E N D E L S E

afsagt den 20. september 2023

Rettens nr. 2681/2023

Politiets nr. 0100-99997-00039-22

Anklagemyndigheden

mod

Fængslede

CPR nr. (Født 1998)

Sagens baggrund og parternes påstande

Denne sag, der er indbragt for Retten på Frederiksberg den 7. marts 2023, drejer sig om, hvorvidt der skal ske udlevering af Fængslede til retsforfølgning i Moldova.

Anklagemyndigheden har nedlagt påstand om, at retten træffer afgørelse om udlevering i medfør af udleveringslovens § 35, stk. 1, subsidiært at retten indhenter yderligere oplysninger i medfør af udleveringslovens § 35, stk. 5.

Fængslede har nedlagt påstand om, at retten træffer afgørelse om, at betingelserne for udlevering efter udleveringslovens § 6, stk. 2 og 3, ikke er opfyldt, jf. herved artikel 3 og artikel 6 i Den Europæiske Menneskerettig-hedskonvention, og har nedlagt subsidiær påstand om, at retten indhenter yderligere oplysninger i medfør af udleveringslovens § 35, stk. 5.

Sagsfremstilling

Ved dom af 29. april 2022 blev Fængslede idømt fængsel i 14 år

ved retten i Soroca, Moldova, for at have forårsaget Persons død.

Af dommen fremgår, at Fængslede ikke var til stede i retten, da han blev dømt. I den engelske oversættelses ordlyd hedder det således:

”Fængslede is announced in search” .

Om det (hoved)forhold, som Fængslede blev fundet skyldig i frem-går bl.a.:

”Fængslede applied a punch in the face to Person, as a result of which the latter fell down, causing him ac-

cording to the forensic expert report […] serious bodily injuries, which caused the person’s death.”

Af dommen fremgår endvidere, at Fængslede var 22 år gammel på gerningstidspunktet og hidtil ustraffet.

Der ses ikke i dommen at være redegjort nærmere for fastsættelsen af straf-fen til netop 14 års fængsel, men der er bl.a. anført følgende generelle be-mærkninger:

“Taking into account the circumstances of the case, that the cri-me committed by Fængslede belongs to the cate-gory of particularly serious crimes, that he did not admit his guilt in committing the crime charged, and taking into account the purpose of the criminal punishment in restoring social equity, correcting the convicted person and preventing him from com-mitting new crimes, the court considers it possible to correct and re-educate the defendant only by isolating him from society, set-ting his punishment within the limits set by the composition of the crime charged.”

Af dommens konklusion fremgår endvidere bl.a.:

“Fængslede is found guilty for the commission of the offence provided for in article 151 paragraph (4) of the Cri-minal Code and is sentenced on the basis of this law to 14 (fourteen) years of imprisonment, to be served in a closed pris-on.”

The term of the sentence also includes Fængsledes detention, remand and house arrest from 05.11.2020 until 31.10.2021.”

Af den engelske oversættelse af artikel 151 i den moldoviske straffelov frem-går bl.a.:

“(1) Intentional severe bodily injury or life-threatening damage to health […] shall be punished by imprisonment for 5 to 10 years […]

(4) The actions set forth in par. (1) or (2) that cause the death of the victim shall be punished by imprisonment for 12 to 15 years.”

Den 5. december 2022 blev Fængslede antruffet af politiet i Køben-havn under en målrettet indsats mod social dumping. Politiet konstaterede, at Fængslede var eftersøgt via Interpol.

Fængslede har herefter været varetægtsfængslet fra den 6. decem-

ber 2022 og til nu.

Ved brev af 29. december 2022 anmodede Justitsministeriet i Moldova om udlevering af Fængslede til strafforfølgning i Moldova, idet dom-men af 29. april 2022 var anket til appelretten i Balti.

Ved brev af 30. december 2022 anmodede Rigsadvokaten Justitsministeriet i Moldova om yderligere oplysninger.

Af udtalelse af 4. januar 2023 fra Justitsministeriet i Moldova fremgår som svar på Rigsadvokatens henvendelse bl.a.:

”In case of a possible extradition of the citizen Fængslede for the purpose of serving the criminal sentence [...] he will be detained mandatorily for a short period in a criminal prosecu-tion dentention facility, in this case the Penitentiary no. 13 - Chi-sinau, where he will be detained until the execution order is reac-hed [...] within 10 days from the date when the judgement beca-me definitive of the law in force [...]

we inform that, given the fact that the Penitentiary no. 13 - Chisi-nau is still overcrowded, the premises identified as state guaran-tees in case of possible extradition from abroad, will ensure ade-quate conditions of detention with respect to a minimum of 4 m2 of detention [...]. In this regard, in the event of Fængsledes possible extradition and placement in Penitentiary no. 13 -Chisinau, he will be detained in one of the identified premises that have been presented as State guarantees, both alone an joint-ly with other detainees, provided that this will not endanger his safety.”

Udtalelsen indeholder dernæst en beskrivelse af bl.a. den renovation, som de ”specified spaces" har gennemgået, og det anføres, at ”the tem-perature in the detention areas is on average 19 C - 22 C.”

Herefter gennemgår udtalelsen de forhold, der er i ”Penitentiary no. 3-Leova” , hvortil Fængslede angiveligt vil blive overført, når af-soningen starter.

Dernæst anføres bl.a.:

”With reference to the request of the Danish party for informati-on concerning the situation with regard to the problems of ill-tre-atment, violence an intimidation among detainees described in the CPT report to the Republic of Moldova, we inform you that:

[...] the extradited person will be provided and ensured a reaso-

nable protection against violence and negative influence from be-half of the non-formal leaders. In this regard, the prison staf will take several measures, as follows:

[...]

- ensuring personal security at his/her request or ex officio, ac-cording to the provisions of art. 206 of the Enforcement Code;

- placement in the cell with other detainees is carried out toget-her with the evaluation of the compatibility of the detainees and the reduction of the risks of violence.

- permanent supervision of the behaviour of convicts both during the day and night;

[...]

We also inform you that, in case Fængslede will be de-tained jointly with other detainees, and in the course of detention will be subject to acts of violence by one or more detainees with whom he is detained jointly, the person/persons who comitted the acts of violence will be removed from the cell and placed in other detention facilities.

In case of receipt of a written request from the detainee Fængslede for his removal from the cell where the persons deprived of liberty who committed the acts of violence are held and placement in another cell where he will be detained alone or jointly with other persons deprived of liberty, he will be transfer-red to another cell, according to his request.

[...]

It is important to note that at all stages of the execution of the sentence, the prisoner, Fængslede will be detained in sectors or premises free form the influence of the criminal sub-culture.”

Udtalelsen indeholder herefter en detaljeret beskrivelse af afsoningsforholde-ne m.v. i øvrigt.

Fængslede har fremlagt en udateret udtalelse, vedlagt fotos, fra sin forsvarsadvokat i Moldova, Advokat.

Forklaringer

Fængslede har forklaret, at han som varetægtsfængslet sad i fængsel nr. 11 i Balti i 8 måneder. De var minimum 17 personer i cellen. Der kom he-le tiden nye til. Der var 3 køjesenge ovenpå hinanden. De skulle spise på skift og gå på skift, da der ikke var plads til dem. Maden var uspiselig. De kunne få lov til at gå i bad én gang om ugen. Toilettet var udendørs. Der var pro-blemer med vagterne, ikke så meget med de andre indsatte. Alt blev afvist af vagterne. Der var ikke mulighed for besøg, grundet corona. Ellers kunne man få besøg én gang hver 3. måned.

Han kender godt til fængsel nr. 13 i Chisinau. Det er værre end det, han sad i. Det er hovedfængslet. De fotos, der er i hans moldoviske forsvarsadvokats redegørelse, er sådan, det er. Han ved godt, hvad han i givet fald vil blive sendt til. De gode celler er til rige mennesker eller politibetjente. Han har in-gen forbindelser til at skaffe sig sådanne forhold under varetægtsfængsling el-ler afsoning. Han vil gerne afsone i andre lande, hvis han skal straffes, men ikke i Moldova.

Han mener ikke, at han har mulighed for en retfærdig rettergang i det moldo-viske retssystem. Selve dommeren, der førte sagen, truede ham. Han kunne ikke få lov til at fortælle sin version af sagen. Hans forsvarsadvokat gjorde, hvad han kunne, men alt blev afvist.

Han tror ikke på en retfærdig rettergang i anken. De fem involverede perso-ner i sagen har nogen, der beskytter dem. De ved godt, at han er uskyldig. De har aftalt med højere instanser, højere placerede mennesker, at han skulle have skylden for drabet. Han handlede i selvforsvar. Det får man ikke 14 år for. Men han tror ikke, at det er muligt, at straffen vil blive nedsat ved appel-domstolen. Hans advokat blev afbrudt, når advokaten forsøgte at stille spørgsmål til vidnerne.

Han blev ikke afhørt af politiet, men af en af de pårørende. Den pågældende fortalte politiet, hvad der skulle ske. Ikke omvendt. Herunder, at han skulle tilbageholdes i 72 timer.

Fængsel nr. 3, Leova, har han hørt om. Han ønsker ikke at afsone der. Det har han ikke tillid til. Han er bange for det. Han er bl.a. bange for, at de per-soner, han taler om, har forbindelser. Der er mange, der bliver slået ihjel i fængslerne. Det er ikke muligt at blive ordentligt beskyttet i fængslerne. Han tror ikke, der findes et andet land som Moldova. Andre kan ikke forestille sig, hvor slemt det er.

Hans forældre er i Italien og kommer aldrig til at vende tilbage til Moldova. Det skyldes hans sag. Hans mor har været nødt til at skifte telefonnummer, da hun flere gange har modtaget trusler over telefonen i anledning af sagen.

De ustabile politiske forhold i Moldova vil indvirke negativt på afsoningsfor-holdene også. De er tæt på krigen i Ukraine. Han kan ikke se en fremtid, hvis

han skal afsone 14 år i Moldova.

Han ville være indstillet på at afsone i Rumænien, hvis muligt. Rumænien er også hans land.

Han ønsker at tilføje, at han kom til Danmark for at søge retfærdighed og for at opnå beskyttelse fra dem, der vil slå ham ihjel i Moldova. Han kan godt forstå, hvis de ting, han siger, lyder utrolige, men forholdene er helt anderle-des i Moldova, end de er her.

Hans forsvarer fik kun en times varsel til retsmødet ved appeldomstolen, så hun ikke kunne deltage. Det gjorde de med vilje. Han har ikke nogen rettig-heder. Han nægtede at tage en anden advokat end sin forsvarsadvokat, men fik at vide, at han ikke havde nogen rettigheder.

Det har været svært for ham at bevise, at han er uskyldig.

Rettens begrundelse og resultat

Spørgsmålet om, hvorvidt der skal indhentes yderligere oplysninger i sagen

Retten bemærker indledningsvis, at anklagemyndigheden af egen drift kunne og burde have indhentet nye oplysninger i sagen på nuværende tidspunkt, hvor Fængslede har været varetægtsfængslet i over 9 måneder, hvis anklagemyndigheden var af den opfattelse, at de foreliggende oplysninger gav anledning til reel tvivl, herunder oplysningerne om de generelle forhold i Moldovas fængselsvæsen i almindelighed og i fængsel nr. 13 i Chisinau i sær-deleshed, samt i øvrigt oplysningerne om de konkrete forhold, som angiveligt vil gøre sig gældende for udleverede personer i moldoviske fængsler.

Anklagemyndigheden har i øvrigt heller ikke af egen drift indhentet og for-holdt sig til de nyeste rapporter fra henholdsvis Amnesty International, U.S. Department of State og The European Committee for the Prevention of Tor-ture and inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment (CPT).

Disse rapporter, der gennemgås nærmere nedenfor, sammenholdt i øvrigt og-så med øvrige tidligere rapporter m.v. og de seneste domme fra Den Euro-pæiske Menneskerettighedsdomstol vedrørende fængselsforholdene i Moldo-va, og specifikt fængsel nr. 13 i Chisinau (herunder f.eks. dommen af 26. maj 2020 i sagen I.E. v. The Republic of Moldova og dommen af 17. januar 2023 i sagen Machina v. The Republic of Moldova), efterlader imidlertid ingen ri-melig tvivl om, at Moldova, der er et af de fattigste lande i Europa, igennem en meget lang årrække ikke har været i stand til at opbygge et fængselssy-stem, hvor der ikke er reel fare for, at de indsattes rettigheder efter (bl.a.) Den Europæiske Menneskerettighedskonventions artikel 3 krænkes på daglig basis.

Retten finder allerede på den baggrund ikke grundlag for at antage, at ind-hentelse af yderligere oplysninger fra Justitsministeriet i Moldova vil ændre på den vurdering, som retten skal foretage af, om udleveringslovens § 6, stk. 2, er til hinder for udlevering af Fængslede med den virkning, at han umiddelbart placeres i fængsel nr. 13 i Chisinau, eller i øvrigt for den vurde-ring, som retten skal foretage efter udleveringslovens § 6, stk. 3.

Spørgsmålet om, hvorvidt udlevering vil være i strid med udleveringslovens § 6, stk. 2 (Den Europæiske Menneskerettighedskonventions artikel 3)

I “Amnesty International Report 2022/23 THE STATE OF THE WORLD’S HUMAN RIGHTS” , s. 254, er om Moldova bl.a. anført:

“No visible progress was made in reducing instances of torture and other ill-treatment in detention.”

Af rapportens s. 255 fremgår endvidere:

“No visible progress was made in addressing institutional causes of torture and other ill-treatment in detention. Overcrowding, unsanitary and otherwise inadequate detention conditions and poor health provision remained common in adult, juvenile and mixed penitentiary institutions.”

Af “U.S. Department of State 2022 Country Reports on Human Rights Practices: Moldova” fremgår på s. 5 bl.a.:

“Prison and Detention Center Conditions

Conditions in most prisons and detention centers remained harsh, due to overcrowding, poor sanitation, lack of privacy, insuffici-ent or no access to outdoor exercise, and a lack of facilities for persons with disabilities. In a June statement on the International Day in Support of Victims of Torture, several human rights orga-nizations, including Amnesty International Moldova, Promo-Lex, and the Legal Resources Center, stated that detention conditions in the country, particularly at Penitentiary No. 13 in Chisinau, did not meet minimum standards to prevent and combat torture and inhuman or degrading treatment.”

Af “COMMUNICATION FROM THE COMMISSION TO THE EUROPE-AN PARLIAMENT, THE EUROPEAN COUNCIL AND THE COUNCIL – Commission Opinion on the Republic of Moldova’s application for mem-bership of the European Union” af 17. juni 2022 fremgår på s. 9 bl.a.:

“More needs to be done concerning the right to fair trial and the adequate investigation and prosecutions of acts of ill treatment.

People deprived of their liberty do not enjoy all the fundamental legal safeguards from the outset of their detention. The inadequa-te investigation of alleged cases of ill-treatment leads to a senti-ment of impunity. Conditions in places of detention and pre-trial detention remain below international standards, notably due to overcrowding of prison facilities, lack of effective medical servi-ce or use of lengthy solitary confinement as a disciplinary measu-re.”

Af “Report to the Moldovan Government on the ad hoc visit to the Republic of Moldova carried out by the European Committee for the Prevention of Torture and Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment (CPT) from 5 to 13 December 2022” fremgår bl.a.:

(s. 3) “[…] it is regrettable that many key recommendations re-peatedly made by the CPT in previous visit reports remain u-nimplemented. This concerns in particular recommendations rela-ted to the phenomenon of informal prisoner hierarchy and the re-sulting inter-prisoner violence and intimidation, to the poor mate-rial conditions for the majority of persons held in prison, the poor regime of activities offered to incarcerated persons and the low staffing levels in prisons insufficient to effectively control the establishments. […]

the findings of the visit showed that the problem of inter-prisoner violence remains largely unaddressed and prisons still generally fail to ensure a safe environment for incarcerated persons. Once again, a high number of persons held in prison described to the delegation the overall atmosphere of intimidation and violence created by the informal prison leaders and their close circles. The documentation examined by the delegation again registered numerous cases of persons held in prison who were found with injuries indicative of inter-prisoner violence. Due to the atmosphere of fear and the lack of trust in the staff’s ability to guarantee safety, persons found by staff with injuries refused to provide a plausible explanation as to the origin of their injuries. Moreover, although all cases of inmates bearing injuries were registered and reported to the prosecutor’s office, in none of the cases was an investigation initiated.

[…]

Once again, the delegation received many complaints of frequent verbal abuse, systematic demeaning behaviour by other persons held in prison and threats of physical violence. As already stres-sed in previous visit reports, the CPT considers that their situati-on could be considered to constitute a continuing violation of

Article 3 of the European Convention on Human Rights.”

(s. 4) “Material conditions in the establishments visited in general were poor, many cells/dormitories being dilapidated, dirty and poorly equipped. Although the prison system operated below its official capacity, the delegation again observed overcrowding in a number of cells and dormitories at Chisinau and Cricova Pris-ons.

[…]

Further, the delegation observed a strikingly uneven distribution of prisoners within the establishments visited, a situation closely linked with the phenomenon of informal prisoner hierarchy; cer-tain privileged prisoners were dwelling in spacious rooms or even small flats consisting of several rooms, with abundant equipment. The CPT recommends, inter alia, that prisoners be fairly distri-buted in cells/dormitories and be provided at least 4 m2 of living space per person, and that all cells/dormitories be kept in adequa-te state of repair and hygiene and be suitably equipped.

[...]

The situation was even more problematic for adult remand prisoners at Chisinau Prison who continued to be locked up in their cells for up to 23 hours per day, without being offered any out-of-cell activities, apart from one or, at best, two hours of dai-ly outdoor exercise”

(s. 5) “Ever since its first visit to Moldova in 1998, inter-prisoner violence and intimidation in prisons has been a matter of grave concern to the CPT. Most recently, during the January/February 2020 visit, the CPT found that this issue remained as serious as ever among the adult male inmate population and was, as in the past, largely linked to the well-established informal hierarchies amongst prisoners in the country’s prison system.”

(s. 6) “As was already stated in the reports on the 2015, 2018 and 2020 visits […] the CPT once again calls upon the Moldo-van authorities to take decisive action to address the long-stan-ding recommendations made by the Committee. ”

(s. 8) “Although the prison system as a whole and most prison

establishments operated below their official capacity (the most notable exception being Prison no. 13 in Chisinau (see paragraph 15)), the delegation again observed overcrowding in a number of cells and dormitories in the prisons visited, in particular at Chisi-

nau and Cricova Prisons. This was at least partially caused by a strikingly uneven distribution of prisoners within the estab-lishments, a situation closely linked with the phenomenon of in-formal prisoner hierarchy […]”

(s. 10) “Chisinau Prison has been visited by the CPT several ti-mes in the past, most recently during the 2020 visit. The detenti-on area consists of three interconnected blocks accommodating men and a separate block for women. At the time of the visit, this remand prison was accommodating 816 persons: 632 held on re-mand (including 29 women and 15 male juveniles) and 184 sen-tenced (including two women who worked in the establishment and eight who have been temporarily transferred therein).

[...]

In the past, the official capacity of the establishment (based on the requirement of 4 m2 of living space per person) had been 570 places and would have been exceeded by more than 40% at the time of the visit. However, it was re-calculated to 818 places, ba-sed on a decreased norm for living space of 3 m2. This decreased norm only applied at Chisinau Prison.

After the visit, the Moldovan authorities informed the CPT that the official capacity of the establishment has again decreased to 570 places. This, however, was not accompanied by a decrease in the prison population and the establishment was accommoda-ting 843 persons as of 27 March 2023, thus remaining the most overcrowded prison in the country [ …].”

(s. 12) “As already observed during previous visits, the delegati-on noted in the establishments visited during the 2022 visit that persons who refused to submit to the informal prisoner hierarchy and abide by its rules were segregated, upon their request, under Section 206 of the Enforcement Code. In the past, the Moldovan authorities presented this possibility as a measure to protect pris-oners from threats and violence.

However, [...], this measure, as implemented at the time of the visit, cannot be regarded as an efficient solution and the findings of the visit clearly show that inter-prisoner violence and intimida-tion among the male adult prison population remains largely u-naddressed, prisons still generally fail to ensure a safe environ-ment for incarcerated persons and several recommendations ma-de by the CPT have not been implemented.”

(s. 15) “At Chisinau Prison, despite the assurances provided to

the delegation by the management that persons accused or con-victed of sex offences (who are typically regarded as “humiliated”) were accommodated in dedicated cells and were separated from the general prison population, detailed examinati-on of the lists of persons held in the establishment clearly showed that these persons were in fact not grouped together but accom-modated one or two per cell, in amongst the general prison po-pulation, regardless of their specific vulnerability, and were thus exposed to a particularly high risk of being assaulted and exploi-ted by other persons held in the same cells.”

(s. 16) “Moreover, informal prison leaders apparently became ea-sily aware of requests for protection which were lodged with staff, swiftly gained access to persons requesting this measure and tried to pressure them to withdraw their requests.

[...]

Furthermore, it is a matter of particular concern that in all three establishments visited, segregated persons were subjected to very impoverished regimes for prolonged periods of time (that is, for months and, in a number of cases, years on end) – they were locked up in their cells for 22 or 23 hours per day, with nothing to do except read and, for some of them, watch TV. These per-sons were thus de facto punished for requesting protection from the informal prisoner hierarchy.”

(s. 17) “At Chisinau Prison, eight to nine members of custodial staff were in a 24-hour shift every day and were reinforced from Monday to Friday between 08:00 and 17:00 by 50 to 60 staff members who were deployed in detention areas. Most strikingly, at Cricova Prison, only five members of custodial staff were de-ployed in detention areas at any given time and worked in a 24-hour shift. It therefore continued to be the case that staff were not in a position to have effective control over the situation in the establishments visited and could neither be aware of, nor effecti-vely intervene in instances of inter-prisoner violence.”

(s. 20) “The CPT noted the continuing efforts to carry out main-tenance works at Chisinau Prison and to improve material condi-tions. According to the management, repairs had been done in approximately 120 to 130 (of 170) cells. This concerned in parti-cular increasing the size of cell windows, partitioning of in-cell sanitary annexes, provision of new beds and whitewashing the walls, most notably in the cells accommodating women. Further, between 2020 and 2021, the medical unit and the kitchen for per-sons held in prison were refurbished and two cells in the vicinity

of the medical unit were adapted for persons with physical disa-bilities.

Despite these efforts, material conditions in the establishment re-mained poor, many cells still being dilapidated, dirty and poorly ventilated. The equipment in the cells was usually limited to beds and a table but there were normally no chairs, the storage space was insufficient and there were no call bells. In several multiple-occupancy cells, the in-cell sanitary facilities were in a poor state of repair and hygiene and were only partially partitioned. Several complaints were heard about infestation with insects and rats.

Moreover, many cells were overcrowded, providing only betwe-en 2 and 3 m2 (and sometimes less than 2 m2 ) of living space per person. The situation in a number of other cells would be equally problematic if all available beds therein were occupied.

Particular reference should be made to several cells located in the basement of Block 2. In addition to displaying most of the afore-mentioned deficiencies, these cells were very narrow (approximately 1.7 m between opposite walls) and had virtually no access to natural light. During the 2020 visit, the CPT had re-quested that these cells either be enlarged, with a view to ensu-ring that there is a distance of at least two metres between the opposite walls, or withdrawn from service. Although these cells were not occupied at the time of the 2022 visit, it became clear that they had been used until shortly prior to the visit and were also accommodating persons segregated under Section 206 of the Enforcement Code. Pending the entry into service of the new prison (see paragraph 12), the CPT once again recommends that the Moldovan authorities pursue their efforts to improve material conditions of detention in the current premises of Prison no. 13 in Chisinau.”

(s. 22) “certain privileged prisoners were dwelling in spacious ro-oms or even small flats consisting of several rooms. Some of them were equipped with large double beds, sofas and armchairs, lockers, mirrors, kitchenettes with multi-drawer fridges, coffee machines and microwave ovens, large flat screen televisions, vi-deo game consoles, stereo systems with floor standing speakers, private sports equipment, washing machines and private sanitary facilities containing a sitting toilet, a shower and a hot-water boi-ler. They were decorated with carpets on the floor and paintings on the walls and contained large fish tanks.

[...]

The CPT recommends that the Moldovan authorities take steps to ensure that all persons held in prison are treated equally and benefit from similar material conditions.

[...]

Persons held in the three prisons visited were neither provided with personal hygiene items (with the exception, in some cases, of a small piece of a soap), nor with cleaning products to keep their cells/dormitories and sanitary facilities in a reasonable state of hygiene. The CPT reiterates its recommendation that steps be taken in the prisons visited (and, as appropriate, in other prisons in Moldova) to ensure that incarcerated persons are provided free of charge with adequate quantities of essential personal hygi-ene products (including sanitary towels for women) and cleaning products.”

(s. 23) “[…] at the time of the visit, the programme of regime activities offered to many prisoners remained impoverished.

This concerns in particular the situation of adult remand priso-ners at Chisinau Prison. Despite the recommendations repeatedly made in previous visit reports, the vast majority of these persons continued to be locked up in their cells for up to 23 hours per day, without being offered any out-of-cell activities, apart from one or, at best, two hours of daily outdoor exercise, taken in small and dilapidated yards.” (s. 23)

Indholdet af de seneste rapporter og tidligere rapporter, samt praksis fra Den Europæiske Menneskerettighedsdomtol, viser således entydigt, at de igen-nem en meget lang årrække stærkt kritisable forhold i Moldovas fængselsvæ-sen, der ikke lever op til kravene i Den Europæiske Menneskerettighedskon-ventions artikel 3, ikke ændrer sig til det bedre.

Der må i denne forbindelse lægges betydelig vægt på, at den seneste CPT-rapport er baseret på et uanmeldt ad hoc-besøg, og at det i rapporten gentag-ne gange påpeges, at tidligere løfter om forbedringer af forholdene ikke er blevet honoreret.

Herefter – og i øvrigt i betragtning af det i CPT-rapporten anførte om den korrupte og retsstridige forskelsbehandling (jf. herved bl.a. Den Europæiske Menneskerettighedskonventions artikel 14 og Den Europæiske Menneskeret-tighedsdomstols dom af 13. december 2011 i sagen Laduna v. Slovakia) af indsatte i de moldoviske fængsler, alt efter disses økonomiske forhold eller personlige forbindelser – finder retten ikke, at oplysningerne fra Justitsmini-steriet i Moldova kan lægges til grund og udgøre en tilstrækkelig garanti for, at Fængsledes rettigheder efter Den Europæiske Menneskerettig-

hedskonventions artikel 3 og artikel 3, og eventuelt artikel 8, sammenholdt med artikel 14, vil være sikret ved hans varetægtfængsling og eventuel siden-hen afsoning i Moldova.

Retten finder det således ikke på den anførte baggrund plausibelt, at Fængslede gennem en længerevarig varetægtsfængsling, henholdsvis afso-ning, i op til mere end 12 år, vil være garanteret en bedre behandling, end den generelle norm og den behandling, han ellers ville have fået, blot fordi han har unddraget sig retsforfølgning i Moldova ved at flygte til Danmark og herefter er blevet udleveret.

Baseret på det i øvrigt oplyste om Moldovas rets- og fængselsvæsen finder retten således at kunne se bort fra, at fanger, der tidligere er flygtet fra straf-forfølgning eller afsoning i Moldova til et andet sted i Europa, skulle være garanteret en særlig lempelig behandling i overensstemmelse med Den Euro-pæiske Menneskerettighedskonventions artikel 3, som "belønning" for deres unddragelse.

Noget sådant er da heller ikke beskrevet i den seneste CPT-rapport, hvoref-ter de eneste fanger, der nyder særlige privilegier, er økonomisk stærke fan-ger med forbindelserne i orden.

Det er derimod understreget i rapporten (s. 3), at:

“The cooperation received by the delegation throughout the vi-sit, both from the national authorities and staff in the estab-lishments visited, was excellent. However, the principle of coo-peration is not limited to facilitating the work of a visiting dele-gation but also requires that decisive action is taken to ensure that recommendations made by the Committee are effectively implemented in practice. Although the CPT noted progress in certain areas, it is regrettable that many key recommendations repeatedly made by the CPT in previous visit reports remain u-nimplemented. This concerns in particular recommendations re-lated to the phenomenon of informal prisoner hierarchy and the resulting inter-prisoner violence and intimidation, to the poor material conditions for the majority of persons held in prison, the poor regime of activities offered to incarcerated persons and the low staffing levels in prisons insufficient to effectively cont-rol the establishments.”

På baggrund af indholdet af rapporten og de tidligere rapporter m.v. og dom-mene over Moldova fra Den Europæiske Menneskerettighedsdomstol kan spørgsmålet om, hvorvidt der er reel fare for, at Fængslede vil blive udsat for umenneskelig eller nedværdigende behandling i strid med Den Eu-ropæiske Menneskerettighedskonventions artikel 3 i øvrigt på ingen måde re-duceres til et spørgsmål om de kvadratmeter, eller mangel på samme, han vil

blive tildelt i hele eller væsentlige dele af den - langvarige - periode, han måt-te sidde varetægtsfængslet eller være under afsoning.

Retten finder dog anledning til særligt at fremhæve om dette spørgsmål, at det fremgår af den seneste CPT-rapport, at der pr. den 27. marts 2023 sad 843 personer i fængsel nr. 13 i Chisinau, men at fængslet kun har officiel ka-pacitet til 570 personer, og at 818 personer er det maksimale antal, der kan være i fængslet, hvis der skal være et “living space of 3 m2.”

Det fremgår endvidere af rapporten, at personer, som ønsker at blive adskilt fra øvrige fanger for at beskytte sig selv mod de massive problemer med vold og overgreb fra andre indsatte, er blevet placeret (i hvert fald indtil for nylig) i celler med en størrelse på omkring 2,89 m2 i kælderen i fængselsblok 2 i fængsels nr. 13 i Chisinau uden adgang til naturligt lys.

Udtalelsen af 4. januar 2023 fra Justitsministeriet indeholder i øvrigt ingen som helst form for tilbagevisning af den kritik af situationen i de moldoviske fængsler, som bl.a. CPT er fremkommet med i årevis. Der ligger herefter en direkte, henholdsvis en indirekte, erkendelse i rapporten af, at det er korrekt, at der er massive problemer med overbelægning og vold og overgreb i fængslerne i almindelighed og i fængsel nr. 13 i Chisinau i særdeleshed.

Udtalelsens forsikringer om, at personalet i fængslerne vil gribe ind overfor volden og overgrebene, harmonerer ikke med de i de uafhængige rapporter gennem mange år beskrevne problemer, herunder den seneste CPT-rapport og dennes beskrivelse af massiv underbemanding af personale i fængslerne, hvilket leder CPT til konklusionen:

“It therefore continued to be the case that staff were not in a

position to have effective control over the situation in the estab-lishments visited and could neither be aware of, nor effectively intervene in instances of inter-prisoner violence.”

På denne baggrund og efter en samlet vurdering, er der - uanset det af Ju-stitsministeriet i Moldova oplyste - ingen rimelig tvivl om, at riskoen for en krænkelse af Fængsledes rettigheder efter Den Europæiske Men-neskerettighedskonventions artikel 3 er helt reel, hvis han udleveres til straf-forfølgning og dermed varetægtsfængsling og formentlig også yderligere af-soning sidenhen i Moldova.

Spørgsmålet om, hvorvidt udlevering vil være i strid med udleveringslovens § 6, stk. 3 (Den Europæiske Menneskerettighedskonventions artikel 6)

Af “U.S. Department of State 2022 Country Reports on Human Rights Practices: Moldova” fremgår bl.a.:

(s. 10 f.) “While the law provides for an independent judiciary,

judicial independence remained a problem due to problems stem-ming from corruption and selective justice, in which the law was not applied equally to all and was often selectively enforced for politically motivated reasons.

Selective justice remained a problem and lawyers complained of instances in which their clients’ rights to a fair trial were denied. [...]

Media and judicial reform activists noted that it was common for judges to indefinitely postpone hearings for wealthy or well-con-nected defendants. This practice was believed to be connected to personal corruption of the judges.

[...]

Although the law presumes the innocence of defendants in crimi-nal cases, judges’ remarks occasionally jeopardized the presump-tion of innocence.

Af “COMMUNICATION FROM THE COMMISSION TO THE EUROPE-AN PARLIAMENT, THE EUROPEAN COUNCIL AND THE COUNCIL – Commission Opinion on the Republic of Moldova’s application for mem-bership of the European Union” af 17. juni 2022 fremgår bl.a.:

(s. 7) “The full functional independence of the Prosecution Servi-ce needs to be strengthened, as well as the efficiency of the Ge-neral Prosecutors Office. Decisions affecting management and le-adership of the Moldovan Prosecution Service are at times politi-cally motivated, such as the removal, (temporary) replacement and arrest of the Anti-corruption Prosecutor in 2021.”

(s. 9) “More needs to be done concerning the right to fair trial

[…]”

I forhold til behandlingen af straffesagen mod Fængslede har hans moldoviske advokat i det fremlagte notat anført en række oplysninger om processen, ligesom Fængslede under hovedforhandlingen er frem-kommet med oplysninger om, at han ikke har fået en retfærdig rettergang.

Dette giver ikke i sig selv retten mulighed for at vurdere rigtigheden af oplys-ningerne og betydningen heraf i givet fald.

Retten finder dog anledning til at bemærke, at Fængslede, der var 22 år gammel på gerningstidspunktet, og hidtil ustraffet, er idømt en straf på 14 års fængsel for at tildele en anden person et knytnæveslag i ansigtet, der ikke i sig selv medførte alvorlige skader, men hvorved den pågældende faldt

og slog hovedet mod jorden, og derved pådrog sig de skader, der resulterede i, at den pågældende senere afgik ved døden.

Dette kan i sig selv rejse spørgsmål i forhold til, om Fængslede har fået en retfærdig rettergang, da han efter dommens indhold ikke synes at ha-ve haft det fornødne forsæt til alvorlig legemsbeskadigelse, endsige dødens indtræden, der efter den citerede bestemmelse fra den moldoviske straffelov ellers synes at være en betingelse for at bringe den bestemmelse, og den skærpede strafferamme, som Fængslede er dømt efter, i anvendelse.

Det kan endvidere også rejse et spørgsmål i forhold til om Fængslede har fået en retfærdig rettergang, at det synes at fremgå af dommens præ-misser, at der ved fastsættelsen af straffen er lagt vægt på, at Fængslede ikke har ønsket at tilstå den forbrydelse, han var tiltalt for.

Efter Den Europæiske Menneskerettighedsdomstols praksis på området og dommen refereret i U 2014.423 H er kriteriet for, hvornår udlevering ikke kan ske som følge af Den Europæiske Menneskerettighedskonventions arti-kel 6, imidlertid formuleret som et krav om, at ”the fugitive has suffered or risks suffering a flagrant denial of a fair trial in the requesting country” , og som sagen er forelagt for retten, finder retten ikke fuldt tilstrækkeligt grund-lag for at fastslå, at Fængslede ”has suffered or risks suffering a flagrant denial of a fair trial” i Moldova.

Retten bemærker herved, at eventuelle tilsidesættelser af Den Europæiske Menneskerettighedskonventions artikel 6 i underinstansen ikke i sig selv si-ger noget om, hvorvidt sådanne krænkelser vil blive gentaget – eller derimod udbedret – i ankeinstansen.

Retten finder imidlertid, at de ovenfor nævnte generelle oplysninger om Mol-dovas retssystem og de ovenfor nævnte konkrete forhold ved dommen af 29. april 2022 fra retten i Soroca samlet set også taler imod udlevering, da disse omstændigheder dog understøtter, at risikoen for, at udleveringen vil være i strid med Danmarks internationale forpligtelser, er reel.

Retten finder herefter, og efter det i øvrigt anførte ovenfor, herunder om at udlevering vil være i strid med udleveringslovens § 6, stk. 2, ikke anledning til at indhente supplerende oplysninger i medfør af udleveringslovens 35, stk. 5, med henblik på en vurdering af, hvorvidt der alligevel måtte være grundlag for at statuere, at udlevering tillige vil være i strid med udleveringslovens § 6, stk. 3.

Konklusion

Udlevering af Fængslede til Moldova må antages at indebære en re-el risiko for tilsidesættelse af Danmarks internationale forpligtelser, og vil herunder med sikkerhed indebære en reel risiko for tilsidesættelse af Den Eu-

ropæiske Menneskerettighedskonventions artikel 3.

Da udlevering af Fængslede herefter vil være i strid med udleve-ringslovens § 6, stk. 2, idet der er fare for, at Fængslede efter udle-veringen vil blive udsat for tortur eller anden umenneskelig eller nedværdi-gende behandling eller straf, tages anmodningen om udlevering ikke til følge.

Thi bestemmes:

Anmodningen om udlevering af Fængslede til strafforfølgning i Moldova tages ikke til følge.

Retten bemærker, at fristen for at kære rettens afgørelse er 3 dage, jf. udleve-ringslovens § 35, stk. 6, og at det af udleveringslovens § 38, stk. 1, følger, at udlevering ikke kan ske før rettens - i dette tilfælde i givet fald landsrettens -beslutning herom er endelig.

Retten bemærker endvidere, at fristen for varetægtsfængslingen af Fængslede nu er udløbet, og at grundlaget for varetægtsfængslingen, jf. udleveringslovens § 32, stk. 2, jf. retsplejelovens § 762, stk. 1, nr. 1, som føl-ge af rettens kendelse er bortfaldet.

Dommer