6.  The applicant was born in 1964 and lives in Liepāja. 7.  On 1 October 1999 the applicant was arrested on suspicion of aggravated robbery. 8.  On 11 April 2002 the Kurzeme Regional Court (Kurzemes apgabaltiesa) convicted the applicant of aggravated robbery and sentenced him to six years and one month’s imprisonment. 9.  On 5 June 2002, on the applicant’s appeal, the Criminal Chamber of the Supreme Court (Augstākās tiesas Krimināllietu lietu palāta) upheld in substance the judgment of the first-instance court. 10.  On 20 September 2002 the Senate of the Supreme Court (Augstākās tiesas Senāts) dismissed the applicant’s appeal on points of law in a preparatory meeting (rīcības sēde). 11.  On 23 August 2004 the Jelgava Court (Jelgavas tiesa) decided to apply a pre-release scheme to the applicant and ordered his release before the end of his sentence. 12.  On 18 May 2000 the applicant’s wife gave birth to their son. 13.  On 16 November 2000 and 20 November 2001 the applicant received two short-term visits from his wife. He also received four short-term visits from his aunt during his pre-trial detention. 14.  The applicant was able to receive long-term visits while serving his sentence, starting from 5 October 2002. Until his release on 23 August 2004 the applicant received six long-term visits from his wife; each of these visits lasted for about sixteen hours. 15.  According to the Government, the applicant first complained about his dental care on 29 June 2000. A prison doctor prescribed pain relieving medication (Ibuprofen) and advised him to consult a dentist. 16.  On 16 August 2000 the applicant complained of toothache to the prison doctor, who prescribed other pain relieving medication (Analgin) and advised him to consult a dentist. 17.  On 18 August 2000 the applicant saw a dentist, who discovered that he had dental caries in one tooth. During his examination, the dentist noted that the applicant had two missing teeth and the remains of twenty-one damaged teeth. All in all, he had eight just healthy teeth. The applicant refused the recommended treatment. 18.  On 10 August 2001 the applicant again complained of toothache to the prison doctor, who prescribed pain relieving medication (Analgin). 19.  On 19 September 2001 the applicant was examined by a psychiatrist, who considered that the applicant’s complaints of headaches were related to his dental cavity problems. The doctor advised him to consult a dentist. 20.  On 25 October 2001 the applicant saw the dentist, who diagnosed him as suffering from periodontal disease (loose teeth). Subsequently, four teeth were extracted. 21.  On 26 November 2001 the applicant lodged a complaint with the General Inspectorate (Ģenerālinspektora birojs), which at the material time was the institution in charge of organising the execution of criminal sentences and the probation system and was supervised by the Ministry of Justice. His complaint was that he had not been receiving appropriate dental care and that he needed dental prosthetics. The applicant’s complaint was transferred to the Prisons Administration (Ieslodzījuma vietu pārvalde) for examination. 22.  On 11 December 2001 the Prisons Administration informed the applicant that, following his requests, a dentist had made several extractions. This service had been free of charge. It had been established that the applicant had eight teeth left. It was presumed that he had not taken appropriate care of his teeth prior to his detention. The applicant was informed that dental prosthetics could be provided only at his own expense and that the Ministry of Finance did not allocate any funds to the Prisons Administration or prisons for this purpose. 23.  On 27 December 2001 the applicant submitted a complaint to the Chancery of the President of Latvia (Latvijas Valsts prezidenta kanceleja) about his dental care. The applicant’s complaint was transferred to the Ministry of Justice and from there to the General Inspectorate for examination, which transferred the complaint to the Prisons Administration. 24.  On 12 February 2002 the Prisons Administration informed the applicant that he had already received an answer on 11 December 2001 as regards his complaint of 26 November 2001. It reiterated that dental prosthetics could not be provided free of charge in prisons.