6.  The applicant was born in 1971 and lives in Timişoara. 7.  On 11 October 2011 the Timiş County Court sentenced him to 4 years and 6 months’ imprisonment for robbery. 8.  The applicant has been detained in Timişoara Prison since 3 September 2009 until the present (except for the period between 11 and 18 February 2010, when he was hospitalised in the medical unit of Rahova Prison).
Conditions of detention 9.  The conditions of the applicant’s detention are in dispute between the parties. 10.  The applicant complained mainly of overcrowding and unsatisfactory sanitary conditions. He complained of the following. 11.  The cell occupied by him was 4-5 metres in length, 3.2 in width and 3 metres high and he shared it with eight other detainees, one of whom was suffering from syphilis. 12.  The temperature in the cell was not adequate because the window was broken; in winter the detainees covered it with a blanket. 13.  Sanitary conditions were very poor and the cell was full of parasites. 14.  The installations in the bathroom were defective. 15.  The prison had no place specially designed for eating, and the detainees were forced to eat in their cells, where there was no other furniture than the beds. 16.  The applicant alleged that before they were transported to the courts they were forced to leave the cell and strip naked. In addition, before being transported to the court they were all kept in a small room (3.5 metres in length and 4 metres high) for at least one hour. 17.  He also contended that the detainees were not allowed to take a walk every day, there were no educational, cultural or sports activities available, and they were simply left in their cells all the time with no occupation. 18.  The Government submitted in their observations that, in general, the conditions in Timişoara Prison were adequate. 19.  They further submitted that the applicant had spent most of the relevant time in cell no. 85, where non-smoking inmates were held. The cell had a length of 6.2 m, a width of 3.4 m and a height of 3 m. It was fitted with 9 beds and throughout the period when the applicant was held there the number of inmates never exceeded the number of beds. According to the information provided by the national authorities, currently there are 7 inmates held in cell no. 85. 20.  The cell was fitted with a window which was 150 cm long and 177 cm high, providing good ventilation, thermal isolation and natural lighting. 21.  Moreover, the cell was equipped with a television set, adequate furniture, electricity and sanitary facilities. 22.  The penitentiary had its own electricity and heating. 23.  Each cell had a sanitary annex fitted with toilet, sink and shower. Cold water was supplied constantly and warm water was supplied every day in accordance with a schedule set up by the prison’s manager. 24.  As regards the hygiene conditions, according to the same information, the Timişoara Penitentiary has contract with a specialised company and consequently there were periodical insect and rodent control visits. The last one had been carried out in 2010. 25.  The inmates’ clothes were cleaned at the prison’s laundry. In 2010 each inmate had been provided with two bed sheets and one cotton blanket. 26.  The applicant’s allegation that he had to share the cell with persons suffering from syphilis or other contagious disease was denied by the prison administration. 27.  As regards the daily walk and the educational, cultural and sports activities available, according to the Government the penitentiary had two yards for sports activities: the first for fitness and ping‑pong and the second for the daily walk and mini-football. 28.  As to the transportation conditions, the Government submitted that a personal search was required by the Safety Rules for Places of Detention in specific cases, including when prisoners were bring transported to and from the courts. The search was carried out by an officer of the same gender, using special screens for privacy. When the number of detainees exceeded 22, they were transported to the court by bus. 29.  The applicant lodged several complaints concerning the poor conditions of his detention with the Parliament, Ministry of Justice and the Ombudsman. He did not made such complaints with the judge responsible for the execution of the prison sentences on the basis of Law no. 275/2006.