4.  The applicant was born in 1970 and lives in Kraków, Poland. 5.  On 16 January 1998 the Cracow District Court (Sąd Rejonowy) ordered the applicant's detention on remand, on charges of attempted murder. The court also issued a wanted notice in respect of the applicant. 6.  On 25 February 1998 the applicant was arrested and placed in custody. 7.  On 2 March 1998 the Cracow District Court prolonged the applicant's detention until 25 May 1998. The court referred to the reasonable suspicion that the applicant had committed the offence in question and the need to continue the investigation. 8.  On 19 March 1998 the Cracow Regional Court (Sąd Okręgowy) dismissed the applicant's appeal against this decision. The court referred to the reasons given by the District Court. It also stressed that the applicant's detention had been necessary to secure the proper conduct of the proceedings. 9.  On 21 May and 14 July 1998 the applicant's pre-trial detention was further prolonged. The court found that keeping the applicant in custody was justified by the strong suspicion that he had committed the offence in question and the severe sentence that might be imposed on him. In addition, the court referred to the fact that the applicant had been sought by means of a wanted notice. 10.  The applicant appealed against this decision. He asked the court to consider imposing alternative measures - such as bail or police supervision -to secure the proper conduct of the criminal proceedings. He further claimed that he needed to take care of his disabled parents and his child. 11.  On 13 July 1998 the applicant was indicted before the Cracow Regional Court. 12.  On 30 July 1998 the Cracow Court of Appeal (Sąd Apelacyjny) upheld the first-instance decision. The court referred to the reasons given by the Regional Court. It further stressed that in view of the applicant's going into hiding at the initial stage of the proceedings, it was justified to keep him in custody to secure the proper conduct of the proceedings. 13.  On 27 October 1998 and 16 February 1999 the applicant's detention was again prolonged by the Regional Court. On the latter date, the court found:
“The fact that [the applicant] has been charged with attempted murder is a sufficient ground to impose the most severe preventive measure, that is detention on remand.” 14.  The applicant's detention was further prolonged on 14 May and 16 August 1999. The court relied on the strong probability that the applicant had committed the offence with which he had been charged and the advanced stage of the trial. 15.  On 15 September 1999 the Cracow Court of Appeal dismissed the applicant's appeal against the decision to prolong his detention. 16.  It appears that in 1999 the trial court held in total thirteen hearings. 17.  At the hearing held on 27 December 1999 the Regional Court again prolonged the applicant's detention. 18.  On 10 January 2000 the Cracow Regional Court gave judgment. The applicant was convicted as charged and sentenced to fifteen years' imprisonment. The court also prolonged the applicant's detention. 19.  The applicant lodged an appeal. On 13 April 2000 the Cracow Court of Appeal allowed the appeal, quashed the impugned judgment and remitted the case. 20.  On 27 July 2000 the Regional Court held the first hearing at which it prolonged the applicant's detention. The court referred to the reasons given previously, in particular to the reasonable suspicion that the applicant had committed the offence in question and the severity of the penalty that could be expected. 21.  The applicant's detention was further prolonged on 30 January 2001, and at public hearings held on 29 March, 13 June, 27 September and 13 December 2001. The applicant and his lawyer were present at these hearings. On each occasion the Regional Court repeated the grounds for detention given previously: the reasonable suspicion that the applicant had committed the offence with which he had been charged and the severity of the penalty that could be expected. In addition, it stressed the fact that a wanted notice had had to be issued in order to find the applicant. All these decisions were upheld on appeal by the Cracow Court of Appeal. 22.  The applicant's numerous applications for release were to no avail. 23.  On 6 February 2002 the Cracow Regional Court gave judgment. The applicant was convicted as charged and sentenced to fifteen years' imprisonment. The applicant lodged an appeal against this judgment. 24.  On 19 September 2002 the Cracow Court of Appeal gave judgment. The applicant was convicted of causing bodily harm and his sentence was reduced to five years' imprisonment. 25.  On 19 December 2002 the Cracow Regional Court imposed a cumulative sentence (wyrok łączny). 26.  On 23 December 2002 the applicant was released from detention. 27.  The applicant submitted that the conditions of his detention on remand were inhuman and degrading. In particular, he maintained that he had not been provided with vegetarian food. 28.  It appears that during the period of the applicant's detention on remand, he changed detention centres on several occasions. In the first five centres in which he had been kept he had been either provided with a vegetarian diet, or he had been allowed to prepare his own vegetarian meals. In February 2002 the applicant was transported to Tarnów Prison were he stayed until his release in December 2002. The prison authorities refused to provide the applicant with a vegetarian diet, or to allow him to prepare his own meals on the grounds of technical difficulties and safety regulations. The applicant's numerous complaints were dismissed by the prison administration. All these decisions were further upheld by the Tarnów Regional Penitentiary Court (Sąd Okręgowy Wydział Penitencjarny).