5.  The applicant was born in 1972 and lives in Žabnica. 6.  On 14 November 1997 the Ministry of the Interior, Kranj Criminal Police Unit (Ministrstvo za notranje zadeve - Urad kriminalistične službe Kranj) issued a decision on detention of the applicant. He was arrested on the same day. 7.  On 16 November 1997 the applicant was brought before the investigating judge for questioning. On the same day the investigating judge remanded the applicant in custody. 8.  On 17 November 1997 the Public Prosecutor’s Office sent a request to open a criminal investigation against the applicant and six others. 9.  On 27 November 1997 the investigating judge issued a decision on the opening of a criminal investigation. 10.  On 11 May 1998, after the investigation had been terminated, an indictment was lodged against the applicant. He was charged with six criminal offences connected with unlawful manufacture of and trade in narcotic drugs (heroin). The indictment was lodged against six other accomplices for some twenty criminal offences of the same kind. The case concerned an organised network of drug traffickers. 11.  On 6 October 1998 the Kranj District Court (Okrožno sodišče v Kranju) held the first hearing. 12.  Between 6 October 1998 and 15 March 2000 the Kranj District Court held sixty-nine hearings and heard forty-eight witnesses. It inspected numerous video cassettes, read reports on secret surveillance, listened to wiretaps and examined documents sent from Spain, the United Kingdom, Hungary, Austria, Bulgaria and Romania. 13.  In the meantime, on 30 December 1999, the applicant was placed under house arrest. 14.  At the last hearing, on 15 March 2000, the first-instance judgment was issued. The applicant was sentenced to fifteen years’ imprisonment. The judgment was served on the applicant on 11 April 2000. 15.  On 21 April 2000 the applicant lodged an appeal with the Ljubljana Higher Court (Višje sodišče v Ljubljani). So did the other parties in the criminal proceedings and the State Attorney’s Office. 16.  On 30 November 2000 the Ljubljana Higher Court mainly upheld the first-instance judgment and remitted the remainder for re-examination. In addition, the applicant’s sentence was mitigated to fourteen years’ imprisonment. 17.  On 3 December 2000 the Kranj District Court issued an arrest warrant in respect of the applicant. It appeared that he had fled the country while he was being kept under house arrest. 18.  On 3 January 2001 the second-instance judgment was served on the applicant’s attorney. 19.  On 31 March 2001 the applicant’s attorney lodged a request for protection of legality (zahteva za varstvo zakonitosti) with the Supreme Court (Vrhovno sodišče). 20.  On 25 May 2001 the Supreme Court received the case file. 21.  On 5 June 2002 the Kranj District Court issued a decision on termination of the proceedings in respect of the applicant concerning the remitted part of the case, following the withdrawal of the indictment. 22.  As it transpires from the case file, on an unknown date the applicant lodged a request for the reopening of the proceedings. On 5 August 2004 the Kranj District Court rejected his request on procedural grounds. 23.  On 10 December 2002 the police brought the applicant to the Dob pri Mirni prison, where he was supposed to serve his sentence. The applicant had returned to Slovenia (on an unspecified date) and turned himself in to the authorities. 24.  On 21 December 2004 the Supreme Court issued a judgment rejecting the applicant’s request for protection of legality. 25.  On 7 January 2005 the judgment was served on the applicant. 26.  On 1 March 2005 the applicant lodged a constitutional complaint. 27.  On 3 August 2005 the Ljubljana Higher Court rejected his appeal against the rejected request for the reopening of the proceedings (see paragraph 22 above). 28.  On 5 May 2006 the Constitutional Court (Ustavno sodišče) rejected the constitutional complaint as unfounded. The decision was served on the applicant on 11 May 2006. 29.  On 17 November 2006 the applicant lodged a request for extraordinary mitigation of sentence (zahteva za izredno omilitev kazni). 30.  On 21 June 2007 the Supreme Court granted the request and mitigated his sentence to thirteen years and eight months. 31.  On 13 December 2007 the applicant’s attorney lodged the second request for the reopening of the proceedings with the Kranj District Court. On 26 February 2008 the first-instance court received a request for the reopening of the proceedings lodged by the applicant. 32.  On 16 September 2008 the requests for reopening were rejected. He appealed. 33.  On 12 March 2009 the Ljubljana Higher Court upheld the appeal and remitted the case for re-examination. 34.  On 16 July 2009 the Kranj District Court rejected his request on procedural grounds. Following an appeal the case has been pending before the appeal court as of 13 October 2009; the Court has not received any up‑dates on the matter.