6.  All the applicants were held in various Russian remand prisons at some point in time. Their individual circumstances are detailed below. 7.  The applicant in case no. 43710/07, Mr Andrey Anatolyevich Fetisov, is a Russian national who was born in 1967. 8.  On 22 August 2006 Mr Fetisov was arrested on suspicion of drug‑trafficking. Following a period of initial detention at the Gukovo town police ward (изолятор временного содержания г. Гуково), on 30 August 2006 he was transferred to remand prison IZ-61/3 of Novocherkassk in the Rostov Region. On various dates between 9 October and 12 December 2006 Mr Fetisov effected further short stays in the Gukovo ward. 9.  On 20 March 2007 Mr Fetisov was found guilty of drug-trafficking at last instance and sentenced to nine years’ imprisonment. On 17 May 2007 he left the remand prison for transfer to a correctional colony. 10.  In prison IZ-61/3, Mr Fetisov stayed the first night in cell 168, one week in cell 181, and subsequently in cells 245 (after 28 September 2006) and 291 (after 12 December 2006). The last two cells measured 19 and 34 square metres, respectively. 11.  The parties disagreed on the number of sleeping places and detainees. According to the Government, cell 245 had four places, and cells 181 and 291 eight places each. Mr Fetisov submitted that all the cells had twice as many places. 12.  In the Government’s submission, cell 245 accommodated “up to four persons”, and cells 181 and 291 – “up to eight persons”. Mr Fetisov asserted that cell 245 housed up to twenty inmates and cell 291 up to twenty-five. 13.  The Government produced in evidence certificates showing the number of beds and detainees, issued by the prison governor on 29 June 2009, and three pages from the prison population register. The extracts show that on 20 September 2006 an eight-person cell 181 accommodated eight inmates, that on 28 September 2006 a four-person cell 245 housed four inmates, and that on 13 December 2006 an eight-person cell 291 held eight detainees. It does not appear that the design capacity was exceeded in any other cells within the prison on those dates. 14.  Mr Fetisov submitted eight written statements from his co-detainees dated 19 October and 7 November 2007. Each of them stated that he had been detained in cell 291 together with Mr Fetisov and that the cell had measured approximately 40 square metres, had been equipped with 16 beds and had actually accommodated 20 to 25 prisoners. There had been no ventilation and frequent interruptions of the water supply. Further to the Court’s request, the Government produced the cell records for those individuals from which it appears that six of them had shared cell 291 with Mr Fetisov from 12 December 2006 until January or February 2007, the seventh inmate from 26 December 2006 to 22 March 2007, and the eighth person from 22 April to 17 May 2007. 15.  The applicant in case no. 6023/08, Mr Valeriy Viktorovich Savinov, is a Russian national who was born in 1957. 16.  On 4 February 2006 Mr Savinov was arrested on a charge of kidnapping and placed in a temporary detention ward in Kazan. On 13 February 2006 he was transferred to remand prison IZ-16/1 of Kazan in the Tatarstan Republic. 17.  In prison IZ-16/1, Mr Savinov stayed in cells 7 (until 12 April 2006), 15 (until 25 September 2006), 5 (until 2 October 2006), 11 (until 9 October 2006), 8 (until 11 February 2007), and 68 (until 20 August 2007). On the latter date he was transferred to a prison in Moscow. On 11 October 2007 Mr Savinov was convicted at last instance and subsequently sent to serve his sentence in a correctional colony. 18.  The cells presented the following characteristics: 19.  The parties disagreed on the number of detainees who had been held together with Mr Savinov. 20.  The Government submitted that “the number of detainees had not exceeded the number of beds”, relying on the certificates issued by the prison governor on 29 June 2009. They also produced four statements by prison warders (two undated and the other two dated 24 June 2009), according to which Mr Savinov had had a personal sleeping place and bed linen, and fourteen statements by detainees, including Mr P. (all dated 24 June 2009) who had been held in cells 5, 7, 8, 11, 15, 67 and 68 during various periods of time in 2008 and 2009. Finally, they enclosed extracts from the prison population register of prison IZ-16/1, covering one day per month in the period from February 2006 to January 2008. The extracts showed that during the respective periods of Mr Savinov’s stay, cell 7 housed 8 to 10 persons, cell 15 – 5 or 6 persons, cells 5 and 11 – 5 persons, cells 8 and 68 – 3 or 4 persons, and that the total prison population had varied but never exceeded 586 persons. 21.  Mr Savinov claimed that the Government had falsified the documents concerning the number of detainees. He prayed in aid an article, entitled The Kazan Jailhouse: the Past and the Present, published in Issue 10, October 2006, of Crime and Punishment, a magazine of the Federal Penitentiary Service. The relevant extracts read as follows:
“Prison no. [IZ-16/]1 with a design capacity of 600 persons currently houses 780 suspects and defendants. Thus, the overcrowding is still significant...
Renovation and construction works are in full swing. In January 2005 a new wing with 120 places was put in operation... The conditions are fully compatible with European standards: wooden floors in cells, mirrors above sinks, isolated toilets, radios, TV sets, shower stalls on each floor. This wing... accommodates underage detainees...” (page 51) 22.  Mr Savinov listed the names (five full names and two first names) of the co-detainees, including Mr P., with whom he stayed in cell 68 from 26 November 2007 to 28 January 2008. He submitted that he had shared the bed with Mr P. on the second tier of the bunk beds. Further to the Court’s request for information, the Government submitted cell records in respect of five inmates whose full names were listed. It appears that only three of them had actually shared cell 68 with Mr Savinov. The first names of the remaining two detainees were insufficient for reliable identification. 23.  The applicant in case no. 11248/08, Mr Amangeldy Sebepovich Telyubayev, is a Russian national who was born in 1977. 24.  On 29 May 2002, 19 May and 6 June 2005 the Sol-Iletskiy District Court of the Orenburg Region convicted Mr Telyubayev of various crimes and sentenced him to imprisonment. In 2007 Mr Telyubayev petitioned the Orenburg Regional Court for supervisory review of the judgment of 29 May 2002. In order to take part in the supervisory review hearing on 27 August 2007, he was taken from the correctional colony where he was serving his sentence. Before reaching his destination, Mr Telyubayev transited through several remand prisons. 25.  From 10 to 12 August and then from 12 to 15 September 2007 Mr Telyubayev was accommodated in cell 203 in remand prison IZ-66/1 of Yekaterinburg. The cell measured 33 square metres and was equipped with 16 sleeping places. The cell population varied from 3 to 12 inmates. 26.  From 13 to 17 August and then from 7 to 11 September 2007 Mr Telyubayev was held in cell 116 in remand prison IZ-74/3 of Chelyabinsk. Cell 116 was designed for four inmates and had 16 square metres of floor space. The parties disagreed on the number of detainees in cell 116. According to the Government, there were four persons; Mr Telyubayev maintained that the actual number was as high as ten. 27.  Finally, between 18 August and 6 September 2007, Mr Telyubayev had to stay in cell 59 in remand prison IZ-56/1 of Orenburg. It was 16 square metres in size with eight sleeping places and accommodated three to seven detainees. 28.  The Government submitted certificates issued by the governors of prisons in Yekaterinburg, Chelyabinsk and Orenburg on 25 and 29 June 2009 listing the cells in which Mr Telyubayev had been held, statements by warders of the Yekaterinburg prison who asserted that Mr Telyubayev had been assigned his personal sleeping place, and extracts from the registers for verification of the number of detainees in prisons 66/1 (Yekaterinburg), 74/3 (Chelyabinsk) and 56/1 (Orenburg). 29.  The extracts from the register of prison 74/3 cover the dates from 7 to 11 September 2007 and show that cell 116 had four places and housed as many detainees. Some extracts from the register of prison 66/1 relate to an earlier period of Mr Telyubayev’s stay in 2005 and at that time cell 203 had accommodated on average thirty prisoners. However, the entries relating to various dates in August and September 2007 indicated that the design capacity of cell 203 had not been exceeded and ranged from 3 to 12 inmates. Finally, the extracts of 27 August and 6 September 2007 from the register of prison 56/1 indicated the population of cell 59 as five and six persons, respectively. 30.  The applicant in case no. 27668/08, Mr Rail Kurbanovich Shakurov, is a Russian national who was born in 1970. 31.  On 31 August 2007 Mr Shakurov was taken into custody. On 10 September 2007 he was placed in remand prison IZ-16/1 of Kazan. 32.  In prison IZ-16/1, Mr Shakurov stayed in cells 127 (the first night), 3 (from 11 September to 22 October 2007 and from 14 May to 17 November 2008), 21 (from 22 October 2007 to 14 May 2008), 40 (from 17 November to 31 December 2008 and from 30 January to 16 April 2009), 66 (from 31 December 2008 to 30 January 2009), and 44 (from 16 April 2009 until at least June 2009). 33.  The parties disagreed on the measurements of some cells and on the number of detainees who had been held together with Mr Shakurov. 34.  According to the Government, the cells presented the following characteristics: 35.  The Government indicated that the design capacity of the cells had never been exceeded, relying on the certificates established by the prison governor on 29 June 2009. They also produced four statements by prison warders (dated 24 June and 17 July 2009), according to which Mr Shakurov had had a personal sleeping place and bed linen, and two statements by detainees (dated 24 June 2009) who had been held in cell 66 since April 2009. Finally, they enclosed extracts from the prison population register for prison IZ-16/1, covering several days per month in the period from September 2007 to March 2009. The extracts showed that during the respective periods of Mr Shakurov’s stay, cell 3 housed 7 to 10 persons and cells 21, 40 and 44 housed 4 persons. The Government produced photographs of the cells and the shower room, from which it appears that they were in a good state of repair. In response to the Court’s request for information, they submitted floor plans of the facility, which confirmed the accuracy of the cell surface area as they had given it. 36.  In Mr Shakurov’s submission, cells 66 and 44 measured only 4.8 sq. m. He produced hand-written lists of individuals who were detained in the same cell with him. The lists contained their full names, dates of birth and their signatures. The lists show that: 37.  Further to the Court’s request, the Government submitted cell records for the individuals named in Mr Shakurov’s lists. It can be seen from the records that as many as eight or ten persons whom Mr Shakurov had listed as his co-detainees in cell 3 had actually been held in other cells. 38.  On 18 April 2011 Mr Shakurov complained to the Court that the prison authorities had opened and stamped the Court’s letter of 14 February 2011. He enclosed a copy of the letter bearing the prison stamp dated 1 March 2011. In his view, tampering with his correspondence amounted to a violation of his right of individual petition under Article 34 of the Convention. 39.  In a letter of 23 June 2011 sent in response to the Court’s request for comments, the Government acknowledged that the Court’s letter of 14 February 2011 had been opened in prison IZ-16/1. They pointed out that an inquiry had identified the officials responsible for the opening and enclosed the order of the acting prison governor of 6 June 2011. The order shows that the letter was opened and stamped by Major A.Kh., the head of the correspondence unit, who thus breached the requirements of the Federal Penitentiary Service’s circular letter of 17 December 2010 in the part concerning the timely delivery of the Court’s letters to detainees in closed envelopes. The acting prison governor issued a disciplinary warning to Lieutenant-Colonel R.Kh., his deputy for human resources. In respect of Major A.Kh., it was decided “to maintain the warning that had been previously imposed by an order of 25 October 2010”. 40.  The applicant in case no. 31242/08, Mr Anatoliy Ivanovich Korobeynikov, is a Russian national who was born in 1953. 41.  On 29 November 2006 Mr Korobeynikov was placed in remand prison IZ-48/1 of Lipetsk. On 20 November 2007 he was convicted at last instance and was transferred, ten days later, to a correctional colony in the Lipetsk Region. 42.  In prison IZ-48/1, Mr Korobeynikov stayed in cell 4 (from 29 November to 7 December 2006), cell 161 (from 7 to 12 December 2006), cell 190 (from 12 December 2006 to 18 January 2007), cell 157 (from 18 January to 31 May 2007), cell 144 (from 31 May to 19 June 2007), cell 141 (from 19 to 27 June 2007), and cell 176 (from 27 June to 30 November 2007). 43.  According to the Government, the cells presented the following characteristics: 44.  The applicant gave the same number of sleeping places but claimed that the cells had been much smaller. Thus, in his submission, cell 4 measured only 20 sq. m, cell 157 – 9 sq. m, and cells 144, 141 and 176 – approximately 10 sq. m. 45.  The parties agreed that the number of detainees did not exceed the number of sleeping places. In support of their submissions, the Government produced certificates issued by the prison governor on 22 June 2009. Subsequently, the Government also submitted floor plans of the facility, which corroborated their indications of the cell surface areas. 46.  The applicant in case no. 52133/08, Mr Khamil Kamil oglu Balammedov, is a stateless person who was born in 1962 in the Azerbaijan SSR. 47.  On 17 January 2007 Mr Balammedov was taken into custody and placed in remand prison IZ-47/6 of St Petersburg. On 3 April 2008 he was convicted at last instance and subsequently transferred to a correctional colony in the Yamalo-Nenets Region. 48.  In prison IZ-47/6, Mr Balammedov stayed in cell 1/2 (from 21 February to 4 July 2007), cell 3/11 (from 4 to 30 July 2007), cell 1/3 (from 30 July to 16 January 2008), cell 403 (from 16 January to 19 April 2008), and cell 419 (from 19 April to 17 May 2008). 49.  According to the Government, the cells presented the following characteristics: 50.  Mr Balammedov claimed that cell 1/3 actually measured 25 by 7 metres, that is 175 square metres, and accommodated 140 to 160 inmates who had slept in turns. He pointed out that, judging from the number of detainees in the prison (1,342) and the sanitary norm of 4 square metres per inmate, the total prison surface should have been no less than 5,368 square metres; however, the cleaning contracts submitted by the Government referred to a much smaller area of 1,500 square metres. 51.  Further to the Court’s request for information, the Government produced floor plans of the facility, which corroborated their indications of the cell surface. 52.  The Government submitted certificates issued by the prison governor on 25 June 2009, and undated statements by prison warders who stated that Mr Balammedov had at all times had a personal sleeping place and that the cell population had been as follows: 53.  The Government also produced five pages from the prison population register for prison IZ-74/6, covering dates in March, August, September and November 2007. The extracts indicated that cells 1/2 and 1/3 accommodated no more than 97 inmates. Mr Balammedov replied that the extracts covered the dates when the overcrowding had been the least severe. 54.  Cells 1/2 and 1/3 featured separate toilet rooms equipped with four and five pans and four and five sinks, respectively. In cells 3/11, 403 and 419 the toilet pan was separated from the living area by a brick partition 1.2 metres high. 55.  The exercise yards of the first wing (cells 1/2 and 1/3) measured 700 sq. m and were equipped with benches, pavilions and sheds. Those in the third wing (cell 3/11) ranged from 30 to 60 sq. m in size, and those in the fourth wing (cells 409 and 419) from 8 to 20 sq. m.