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SECOND
SECTION
CASE OF ERASLAN AND OTHERS v. TURKEY
(Application
no. 59653/00)
JUDGMENT
STRASBOURG
6 October
2009
This
judgment will become final in the circumstances set out in Article 44
§ 2 of the Convention. It may be subject to editorial
revision.
In the case of Eraslan and Others
v. Turkey,
The
European Court of Human Rights (Second Section), sitting as a Chamber
composed of:
Françoise Tulkens,
President,
Ireneu Cabral Barreto,
Vladimiro
Zagrebelsky,
Danutė Jočienė,
Dragoljub
Popović,
Nona Tsotsoria,
Işıl
Karakaş, judges,
and Sally
Dollé, Section
Registrar,
Having
deliberated in private on 15 September 2009,
Delivers
the following judgment, which was adopted on that date:
PROCEDURE
- The
case originated in an application (no. 59653/00) against the Republic
of Turkey lodged with the Court under Article 34 of the Convention
for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms (“the
Convention”) by fourteen Turkish nationals (“the
applicants”) on 5 June 2000. The applicants, whose names
are indicated in the appendix, were represented by Mr T. Fırat,
a lawyer practising in İzmir. The Turkish Government (“the
Government”) were represented by their Agent.
- On
2 March 2006 the President of the Second Section decided to give
notice of the application to the Government. It was also decided to
examine the merits of the application at the same time as its
admissibility (Article 29 § 3).
THE FACTS
- On
different dates, the applicants were taken into police custody in
Izmir on suspicion of membership of an illegal organisation. During
their police custody, they were questioned by the police, the public
prosecutor and the investigating judge, without the assistance of a
lawyer. They were subsequently placed in detention pending trial. On
21 November 1994 the public prosecutor at the Izmir State Security
Court initiated criminal proceedings against forty-six accused
persons, including the applicants. On 14 August 1997, the Izmir State
Security Court, composed of three judges including a military judge,
convicted the applicants as charged. On 25 June 1998 the Court of
Cassation quashed the judgment of the State Security Court.
Subsequently, on 2 December 1998, the Izmir State Security Court,
composed of three judges, including a military judge, found the
applicants guilty as charged and sentenced them to different terms of
imprisonment. On 9 December 1999 the Court of Cassation, after
holding a hearing on the merits of the case, dismissed requests to
lodge an appeal made by the applicants. This decision was deposited
with the registry of the Izmir State Security Court on 27 January
2000.
- The
details of the applicants' police custody are indicated below:-
-
Abdülkadir Eraslan between 29 September and10 October 1994
-
Murat Satık between 27 September and10 October 1994
- Ali
Haydar Özdemir between 28 September and 10 October 1994
-
Mehmet Kışanak between 27 September and10 October 1994
-
Kadir Satık between 30 September and10 October 1994
-
Nevzat Sağnıç between 15 and 22 May 1995
-
Nadir Kalkan between 28 July and 5 August 1996
-
Metin Göktepe between 27 September and10 October 1994
-
Mehmet Eraslan between 27 September and 10 October 1994
-
Emsihan Karatay between 28 September and 10 October 1994
-
Neslihan Göktepe between 28 September and10 October 1994
-
Sayime Sefer between 6 and 7 January 1995
-
Mine Neşe Sağnıç between 15 and 22 May 1995
-
Fazilet Ülkü Bozkurt between19 and 22 May 1995
THE LAW
I. ALLEGED VIOLATION OF ARTICLE 6 OF THE CONVENTION
A. As regards the independence and impartiality of the
İzmir State Security Court
- The
applicants complained that they had not received a fair trial by an
independent and impartial tribunal due to the presence of a military
judge on the bench of the Izmir State Security Court which tried and
convicted them.
- The
Court notes that this part of the application is not manifestly
ill-founded within the meaning of Article 35 § 3 of the
Convention. It further notes that it is not inadmissible on any other
grounds. It must therefore be declared admissible.
- The
Government referred to the constitutional amendment of 1999, whereby
military judges sitting on the bench of the State Security Courts
were removed. They further stated that as of 2004, State Security
Courts had been abolished.
- The
Court observes that the applicants were convicted on 2 December 1998,
before the amendments in the national law. It refers to similar cases
in the past in which it has concluded that there was a violation of
Article 6 § 1 of the Convention (see Özel v. Turkey,
no. 42739/98, §§ 33-34, 7 November 2002, and Özdemir
v. Turkey, no. 59659/00, §§ 35-36, 6 February
2003). It finds no particular circumstances
which would require it to depart from this jurisprudence. There has
therefore been a violation of Article 6 § 1 of the Convention in
this respect.
B. As to the applicants' right to legal assistance
during police custody
- The
applicants alleged that their defence rights had been violated as
they had been denied access to a lawyer during their police custody.
They stated that the restriction on their right to legal assistance
during police custody had breached their right to a fair trial,
particularly having regard to the serious charges brought against
them.
- The
Government maintained, firstly, that one of the applicants, Mr
Abdülkadir Eraslan, had seen his lawyer on 5 October 1994. They
further stated that the applicants had never requested to have the
assistance of a lawyer during their police custody.
- The
Court notes that this part of the application is not manifestly
ill-founded within the meaning of Article 35 § 3 of the
Convention. It further notes that it is not inadmissible on any other
grounds. It must therefore be declared admissible.
- The
Court observes from the documents submitted by the Government that Mr
Abdülkadir Eraslan was indeed able to see his lawyer on 5
October 1994 between 3 and 3.15 p.m. According to the minutes of this
meeting, Mr Eraslan's lawyer asked the applicant about his health and
if he needed anything. The applicant replied that he was well and did
not need anything. The Court refers to its Salduz judgment
([GC], no. 36391/02, §§ 54-55, 27
November 2008), in which it underlined the importance of the
investigation stage for the preparation of the criminal proceedings,
as the evidence obtained during this stage determines the framework
in which the offence charged will be considered at the trial. The
Court further held that in order for the right to a fair trial to
remain sufficiently “practical and effective”, Article 6
§ 1 required, as a rule, access to a lawyer as from the first
questioning of a suspect by the police, unless it were demonstrated
in the particular circumstances of each case that there were
compelling reasons to restrict this right. Having regard to the
foregoing, and bearing in mind that the restriction imposed
concerning access to a lawyer was systematic, pursuant to section 31
of Law no. 3842, and applied to anyone held in police custody in
connection with an offence falling under the jurisdiction of the
State Security Courts, the Court observes that although Mr Eraslan
did meet his lawyer during his police custody, this meeting lasted
for fifteen minutes and was in no way related to the applicant's
defence rights. Furthermore, as regards the Government's contention
that the remaining applicants did not ask to benefit from the
assistance of a lawyer, the Court observes that the restriction
imposed on the applicants' right of access to a lawyer was systematic
and applied to anyone held in police custody in connection with an
offence falling under the jurisdiction of the State Security Courts.
- The
Court observes in this connection that it has already examined the
same grievance in the case of Salduz
(cited above, §§ 56-62),
and found a violation of Article 6 §
3 (c) of the Convention in conjunction with Article 6 § 1. There
are no particular circumstances in the present case which would
require the Court to depart from its findings in the aforementioned
Salduz
judgment. There has therefore been a violation of Article
6 § 3 (c) of the Convention in conjunction with Article 6 §
1.
C. As to the length of the proceedings
- The
applicants complained that the length of the proceedings had not been
compatible with the reasonable-time requirement of Article 6 § 1
of the Convention.
- The
Government stated that the length of the proceedings had not exceeded
a reasonable time.
- The
Court observes that the proceedings in dispute started with the
arrest of the applicants (on different dates between 27 September
1994 and 28 July 1996) and ended on 9 December 1999 with the decision
of the Court of Cassation. The length of the proceedings therefore
ranged from three years and four months to five years and two months,
for two levels of jurisdiction. During that time, the domestic courts
delivered four judicial decisions. The Court also observes that the
criminal proceedings were initiated against forty-six accused
persons, who were all charged with serious offences, and the domestic
courts had to establish the facts in respect of each of the accused.
In the particular circumstances of the case, the Court considers that
the length of the criminal proceedings cannot be regarded as having
exceeded the reasonable-time requirement under Article 6 § 1 of
the Convention.
- It
follows that this part of the application must be rejected for being
manifestly ill-founded within the meaning of Article 35 §§
3 and 4 of the Convention.
II. OTHER ALLEGED VIOLATIONS OF THE CONVENTION
- The
applicants invoked Article 14 of the Convention and stated that the
difference between the procedure in the State Security Courts and the
ordinary criminal courts had constituted discrimination. They further
alleged, under Article 34 of the Convention, that the
non-communication of the final decision of the Court of Cassation to
the parties had hindered the effective exercise of their right to
submit individual applications.
- The
Court finds nothing whatsoever in the case file which might disclose
any appearance of a violation of these provisions. It follows that
this part of the application is manifestly-ill founded and must be
rejected, pursuant to Article 35 §§ 3 and 4 of the
Convention.
III. APPLICATION OF ARTICLE 41 OF THE CONVENTION
- Without
indicating a specific amount, the applicants requested an award of
pecuniary compensation. In respect of non-pecuniary compensation,
they further requested 70,000 euros (EUR) for Mr Nadir Kalkan, EUR
50,000 for Mr Abdülkadir Eraslan, EUR 40,000 for Mr Murat Satık
and EUR 20,000 each for the remaining applicants. They further
requested EUR 10,000 in respect of costs and expenses, without
submitting any documents.
- The
Government contested the claims.
- The
Court does not discern any causal link between the violation found
and the pecuniary damage alleged; it therefore rejects this claim.
However, the Court considers that the applicants must have suffered
certain non-pecuniary damage which cannot be sufficiently compensated
by the finding of a violation alone. Ruling on an equitable basis, it
awards them EUR 1,000 each under that head.
- The
Court further considers that the most appropriate form of redress
would be the retrial of the applicants in accordance with the
requirements of Article 6 § 1 of the Convention, should
they so request (see, mutatis mutandis, Gençel v.
Turkey, no. 53431/99, § 27, 23 October 2003, and Salduz,
cited above, § 72).
- In respect of costs and expenses, according
to the Court's case-law, an applicant is entitled to the
reimbursement of costs and expenses only in so far as it has been
shown that these have been actually and necessarily incurred and are
reasonable as to quantum. In the present case, the applicants have
not substantiated their contention that they actually incurred the
costs claimed. Accordingly, no award shall be made under this head.
- Finally,
the Court further finds it appropriate that the default interest
should be based on the marginal lending rate of the European Central
Bank, to which should be added three percentage points.
FOR THESE REASONS, THE COURT UNANIMOUSLY
- Declares the complaints concerning the
independence and impartiality of the Izmir State Security Court and
the lack of legal assistance to the applicants during their police
custody admissible and the remainder of the application inadmissible;
- Holds that has been a violation of Article 6 §
1 of the Convention regarding the independence and impartiality of
the Izmir State Security Court;
- Holds that there has been a violation of Article
6 § 3 (c) of the Convention in conjunction with Article 6
§ 1, on account of the lack of legal assistance to the
applicants while they were in police custody;
4. Holds
(a) that
the respondent State is to pay, within three months from the date on
which the judgment becomes final in accordance with Article 44 §
2 of the Convention, EUR 1,000 (one thousand euros) to each of the
applicants in respect of non-pecuniary damage, to be converted into
Turkish liras at the rate applicable at the date of settlement and
free of any taxes or charges that may be payable;
(b) that
from the expiry of the above-mentioned three months until settlement
simple interest shall be payable on the above amounts at a rate equal
to the marginal lending rate of the European Central Bank during the
default period plus three percentage points;
- Dismisses the remainder of the applicants' claim for
just satisfaction.
Done in English, and notified in writing on 6 October 2009, pursuant
to Rule 77 §§ 2 and 3 of the Rules of Court.
Sally Dollé Françoise Tulkens
Registrar President
APPENDIX
LIST
OF APPLICANTS
- Mr
Abdülkadir Eraslan, born in 1966, detained in Bursa Prison.
- Mr
Murat Satık, born in 1962, resides in Istanbul.
- Mr
Ali Haydar Özdemir, born in 1973, resides in Izmir.
- Mr
Mehmet Kışanak, born in 1962, resides in Izmir.
- Mr
Kadir Satık, born in 1966, resides in Istanbul.
- Ms
Sayime Sefer, born in 1971, resides in Izmir.
- Mr
Nevzat Sağnıç, born in 1956, resides in Izmir.
- Ms
Mine Neşe Sağnıç, born in 1957, resides in
Izmir.
- Mr
Nadir Kalkan, born in 1957, detained in Bursa Prison.
-
Mr Metin Göktepe, born in 1966, resides in Izmir.
-
Ms Neslihan Göktepe, born in 1973, resides in Izmir.
-
Mr Mehmet Eraslan, born in 1952, resides in Izmir.
-
Mr Emsihan Karatay, born in 1969, resides in Izmir
-
Ms Fazilet Ülkü Bozkurt, born in 1971, resides in Izmir.
