Facts
The applicant, S., was convicted on June 1, 1994 by the Cantonal Tribunal of Valais to 10 and a half years of imprisonment for robbery, theft, attempted and failed theft, and extortion. His appeals against this judgment were rejected by the Federal Tribunal on November 17, 1994.
S. subsequently filed a request for revision, citing a violation of the principle of celerity guaranteed by the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR). The European Commission of Human Rights indeed found that the criminal proceedings had taken too long while the applicant was in pre-trial detention, in violation of Articles 5 and 6 of the ECHR. The Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe subsequently set an indemnity of 10,000 Swiss francs as compensation for this violation.
S. then requested the revision of the judgments rendered by the Federal Tribunal, seeking a reduction of his sentence in addition to the indemnity.
Considerations
The Federal Tribunal rejects the request for revision insofar as it is admissible. It considers that the compensation set by the Committee of Ministers, namely the publication of the report of the European Commission, its transmission to the authorities concerned, and the payment of an indemnity of 10,000 francs, constitutes a satisfactory remedy for the violation of the principle of celerity.
According to the Federal Tribunal, revision can only intervene in a subsidiary manner, when compensation cannot be obtained by other means.…