Avenue de l'Europe
Trufin v. Romania 
| 2009
It is an injustice. My brother was killed, but the perpetrators are still at large.
Tatiana Trufin, quoted by Botosani News
A man was found unconscious on the outskirts of the city of Botoşani. His wallet was found nearby, and there were blood stains all around him. A medical examination found that he had suffered a blow to the head with a hard object, and multiple blows to other parts of his body.
Despite evidence of an attack, the police initially found that the man had died after falling. For almost twelve years, very little was done to investigate what had really happened.
The European court found that the evidence strongly indicated the death had been suspicious. Despite this, the investigation into the incident had been totally insufficient and incapable of finding out who had been responsible.
From 2009 onwards, regulations were adopted to improve the effectiveness of criminal investigations into lethal offences.
Legislative changes already underway at the time of the European court's judgment were influenced by its findings. A new Code of Criminal Procedure entered into force in 2014, with numerous provisions designed to improve the effectiveness of criminal investigations. In particular, criminal investigators can be stripped of their powers if they fail to follow a prosecutor’s orders. Autopsies were also made mandatory in cases of violent death or suspicion of violent death.
Gregor Šilih was 20 when he died in hospital. His parents believed that medical negligence was to blame. They launched legal action to find out the truth. Thirteen years later their claim had still not been resolved. The European court ruled that the authorities had failed to take effective steps to discover the truth. The case led to reforms to stop the same thing from happening again.
Elisaveta Talpis’s husband physically abused her for years. She complained to the police, but they took no action for months. One night Elisaveta’s husband attacked her with a knife, wounding her and killing her son when he tried to intervene. The European court condemned the police’s inaction, leading to reforms to address domestic violence in Italy.
Dana Kontrová repeatedly warned the police that her husband was violent and unstable. One day the police failed to take action after being told the man was threatening his family with a shotgun. Two days later he murdered his children before committing suicide. The European court ruled that the authorities had failed in their duty to protect the children, violating the right to life.
Romania
Slovenia
Italy
Slovak Republic