to "gathering cells" which measured 6.6 square metres. The Government did not provide information on a number of sleeping places in the cells in which the applicant had been kept in facility No. IZ-47/4. They also stressed that no information on the number of inmates in the both facilities was available as the documents had been destroyed. However, according to the Government, the applicant had an individual sleeping place at all times.
35. Citing the information provided by the directors of the facilities, the Government further submitted that the cells received natural light and ventilation through windows which had been glazed. Cells in facility No. IZ-47/1 had one window 1 metre wide and 1.1 metre long. The smaller cells in facility No. IZ-47/4 were equipped with one window and the bigger cells had two windows of the same size of 0.88 square metres. At the inmates' request window glass was removed in summertime and put back in when the temperature outside decreased. The windows were covered by thick bars with "eyelashes", that is, slanted plates approximately two centimetres apart welded to a metal screen. In compliance with the recommendations of the Russian Ministry of Justice issued on 25 November 2002, the latter construction was removed from the windows on an unspecified date in 2003. The cells had ventilation shafts. The heating system in the both detention facilities functioned properly. The cells were equipped with lamps which functioned day and night. Each cell was equipped with a lavatory pan, a sink and a tank with potable water. The pan was placed 1.5 metres from a dining table and was separated from the living area by a partition. Inmates were allowed to take a shower once a week. Each inmate was given at least fifteen minutes to take a shower. The cells were disinfected. The Government, relying on the information provided by the director of the facility, further stated that the applicant was given food "in accordance with the established norms" three times a day. As follows from medical documents presented by the Government, since his placement in detention facility No. IZ-47/4 the applicant gained 21 kilograms, weighing 85 kilograms in December 1999 and 106 kilograms in May 2004. According to the Government, detainees including the applicant were provided with medical assistance. They had regular medical check-ups, including X-ray examinations, blood tests, and so on. In November 1999 the applicant requested medical assistance, complaining of pain in the right elbow. A preliminary diagnosis of osteoarthritis was made. However, further medical examinations and specific tests did not confirm that diagnosis. The Government further insisted that the applicant's allegations that he had contracted skin diseases were false. They supported their submissions with a copy of the applicant's medical record and various medical certificates.
II. Relevant domestic law
A. Conditions of detention
36. Section 22 of the Detention of Suspects Act (Federal Law No. 103-FZ of 15 July 1995) provides that detainees should be given free food sufficient to maintain them in good health according to standards established by the Government of the Russian Federation. Section 23 provides that detainees should be kept in conditions which satisfy sanitary and hygienic requirements. They should be provided with an individual sleeping place and given bedding, tableware and toiletries. Each inmate should have no less than four square metres of personal space in his or her cell.
B. Placement in custody and detention
37. Until 1 July 2002 criminal law matters were governed by the Code of Criminal Procedure of the Russian Soviet Federalist Socialist Republic (Law of 27 October 1960, "the old CCrP"). From 1 July 2002 the old CCrP was replaced by the Code of Criminal Procedure of the Russian Federation (Law No. 174-FZ of
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