Judges at the European Court of Human Rights will hold a Grand Chamber hearing in the case Boulois v. Luxembourg on 31 August.
The case concerns the refusal to grant several requests for temporary leave of absence lodged by a detainee and the proceedings by which he complained about those decisions.
The applicant, Thomas Boulois, a French national born in 1972, was sentenced to 15 years’ imprisonment (three of which were suspended) for assault occasioning actual bodily harm, rape and false imprisonment accompanied by acts of torture.
Between 2003 and 2006, he submitted several requests for temporary leave of absence (prison leave), stating, in particular, that he wished to carry out administrative tasks and to take courses to gain qualifications.
His requests were refused. He complained that the proceedings had not been fair and that he had been denied access to a court in respect of the decisions refusing his requests for prison leave.
In its judgment of 14 December 2010, the Chamber of the European Court of Human Rights dealing with the case held, by four votes to three, that there had been a violation of Article 6 § 1 (right to a fair hearing) of the European Convention on Human Rights.
On 11 April 2011 the case was referred to the Grand Chamber at the Luxemburger Government’s request.
