6.  The applicant was born in 1988 and lives in Taraclia. 7.  The facts of the case, as submitted by the parties, may be summarised as follows. 8.  On 13 October 2007 the applicant was arrested on suspicion of murder. On 7 August 2008 he was found guilty as charged by the Străşeni District Court and sentenced to fifteen years’ imprisonment. 9.  That judgment was upheld by the Chişinău Court of Appeal on 22 October 2008 and by the Supreme Court of Justice on 25 February 2009. 10.  On 17 October 2007 the applicant was placed in detention in Prison no. 13 in Chişinău. He was transferred to Codru Psychiatric Hospital on 27 November 2007 and returned to Prison no. 13 on 18 December 2007. He was transferred to Prison no. 5 in Cahul on 18 January 2009. Since 21 January 2009 the applicant has been detained in Prison no. 1 in Taraclia. 11.  The applicant described the conditions of his detention in Prison no. 13 as follows: he had been held in a 12 square metre cell together with up to five other detainees and could only stretch his muscles during a short walk outside his cell; there was no functioning ventilation; the cell was damp and full of parasitic insects; in winter it was cold. The food was insufficient and virtually inedible. 12.  According to the Government, the applicant has been detained in Prison no. 13 in the following cells:
- cell no. 28, measuring 18.5 square metres and designed to accommodate six persons;
- cell no. 39, measuring 13.78 square metres and designed to accommodate six persons;
- cell no. 40, measuring 13.78 square metres and designed to accommodate six persons;
- cell no. 47, measuring 9.1 square metres and designed to accommodate six persons;
- cell no. 48, measuring 12.22 square metres and designed to accommodate eight persons;
- cell no. 19, measuring 34.8 square metres and designed to accommodate fourteen persons.