4.  The applicant was born in 1968 and lives in Lublin, Poland. 5.  On 5 September 1999 the applicant was arrested on charges of illegal possession of weapons. 6.  On 7 September 1999 the Lublin District Court (Sąd Rejonowy) ordered that the applicant be detained on remand until 5 December 1999. The court considered that existence of strong evidence against him and the gravity of the charges justified his detention. It also found that the circumstances of the case had not been fully investigated and there was the risk that the applicant would attempt to obstruct the proceedings. 7.  The Lublin Regional Court (Sąd Okregowy) upheld the first-instance decision on 14 October 1999. 8.  On 30 November 1999 the Lublin Regional Court prolonged the applicant’s detention until 5 March 2000. It considered that the original grounds given for keeping him in custody were still valid and referred to the complexity of the case. 9.  On 1 March 2000 the Lublin Court of Appeal extended the applicant’s detention until 5 June 2000. The court considered that the applicant was suspected of having committed several serious offences (procurement, obstructing the course of criminal proceedings, illegal possession of weapons; he was also a member of an organised crime gang) and there was substantial evidence against him. Since he had attempted to threaten witnesses, his detention was necessary to ensure the proper course of the proceedings. 10.  The applicant’s detention was subsequently prolonged by the Lublin Regional Court on 31 May 2000. 11.  On 31 August 2000 the Supreme Court (Sąd Najwyższy) extended the applicant’s detention until 5 December 2000. It found that the reasons previously given for holding him in custody were still valid. 12.  During the course of the investigation, the applicant lodged several unsuccessful appeals against prolongation of his detention with the Lublin Regional Court and the Supreme Court. 13.  On 27 December 2000 the Lublin Regional Prosecutor (Prokurator Okręgowy) filed a bill of indictment against the applicant and seven other co-defendants with the Lublin Regional Court. He charged him with procurement, obstructing the course of criminal proceedings, illegal possession of weapons and participation in an organised crime gang. 14.  The Lublin Regional Court prolonged the applicant’s detention on 28 December 2000 and on 12 June 2001. 15.  The Lublin Court of Appeal dismissed the applicant’s application for release on 30 January 2001. 16.  The trial started on 14 September 2001. The Regional Court held 16 hearings. 17.  The applicant’s detention was subsequently prolonged 3 times by the Court of Appeal, at the Regional Court’s request: on 11 July 2001 and 21 November 2001, 13 February and 22 May 2002 for the same reasons as before. 18.  His appeals against those decisions were dismissed. 19.  On 27 June 2002 the Lublin Regional Court convicted the applicant as charged and sentenced him to 8 years’ imprisonment. 20.  During the proceedings before the appellate court the applicant remained in custody. 21.  On 25 February 2003 the Lublin Court of Appeal quashed the first-instance judgment and remitted the case. 22.  On 18 March 2003 the Lublin Regional Court ordered that the applicant remain in custody until 18 June 2003. The Court of Appeal upheld that decision on 9 April 2003. It found that the applicant’s detention was justified by the severity of the anticipated sentence. 23.  The applicant’s detention was subsequently prolonged by the Regional Court on 17 June and 9 September 2003. 24.  On 14 November 2003 the Regional Court extended the applicant’s detention until 31 January 2004. 25.  On 3 December 2003 the Lublin Court of Appeal quashed that decision and released the applicant from detention on bail of PLN 40,000 (approx. EUR 10,000). The court considered that the applicant had been detained for a very long period and that the interests of the trial did not justify keeping him in detention. 26.  The applicant was released from custody on 5 December 2003. 27.  On 30 December 2004 the Lublin Regional Court convicted the applicant as charged and sentenced him to 6 years’ imprisonment. 28.  Following the applicant’s appeal, the proceedings are pending before an appellate court.