PROCEDURE

The case originated in an application (no. 48983/99) 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 five Turkish nationals, Mürvet Fidan, Murat Fidan, Hikmet Fidan, Zehra Fidan and Elif Özbilge (“the applicants”).

The applicants were represented by Mr Refik Timuçin Bektaş, a lawyer practising in Ankara.

On 26 October 2004 the Court declared the application partly inadmissible and decided to communicate the following complaints to the respondent Government: • the national authorities' delay in paying additional compensation for expropriation and damage sustained by the applicants as a result of the low interest rate applied to State debts, despite the high inflation in Turkey; • the length of the proceedings and the exceptional situation which was favourable to the State as a result of the difference between the rate of interest payable on unpaid debts owed to the State and the rate of interest on debts owed by the State at the material time; and • the fact that the latter were not subject to enforcement procedures, unlike the former.

In a letter of 28 October 2004, the Court informed the parties that, in accordance with Article 29 §§ 1 and 3 of the Convention, it would decide on both the admissibility and merits of the application.

THE FACTS

I. THE CIRCUMSTANCES OF THE CASE

All of the applicants live in Baskil, Turkey.

On 19 July 1993 each of them brought separate actions before the Baskil Civil Court against the National Water Board. They alleged that their plots of land were illegally seized by the administration for a dam construction without any payment, and requested compensation.

On 18 November 1993 the court ruled that the cases should be characterised as compensation claims arising from de facto expropriations rather than claims for illegal seizures. The court established that a committee of experts had assessed the value of the expropriated land in advance and that the authorities had paid the resulting amounts to the owners registered in the local land registry. The court ordered the administration to pay the applicants an amount of increased compensation, plus interest at the statutory rate, starting from 1986 when the land was submerged in the waters of the dam.

On 6 October 1994 the Court of Cassation quashed these judgments, holding that the cases could not be characterised as compensation claims arising from expropriation. Upon the applicants' request, however, the Court of Cassation reversed its decision and held, on 10 March 1995, that the cases could in fact be characterised as compensation claims arising from expropriation. It proceeded to quash the judgments of the first-instance court only in respect of the date from which the statutory rate of interest began to run.

By decisions of 21 December 1995 and 25 January 1986, the Baskil Civil Court ordered the administration to pay the applicants a certain amount of compensation, plus interest running from 1986, despite the earlier rulings of the Court of Cassation regarding the starting date from which interest was to be calculated.

On 20 November 1996 the Plenary Court of Cassation quashed the judgments of the Baskil Civil Court. The same court rejected the applicants' rectification request on 2 May 1997.

On 9 October 1997 the Baskil Civil Court ordered the administration to pay the applicants 315,650,000, 297,439,800, 265,571,250, 404,680,000 and 708,190,000 Turkish liras (TRL) respectively, plus interest at the statutory rate running from 19 August 1993, the date on which the land was transferred to the National Water Board.

On 17 March 1998 the Court of Cassation upheld these judgments. On 2 April 1998 the Court of Cassation's rulings were served on the applicants.

On 9 December 1998 the administration paid TRL 934,027,000 to Ms Mürvet Fidan, 884,579,000 TRL to Mr Murat Fidan, TRL 790,746,000 to Mr Hikmet Fidan, TRL 1,190,092,000 to Ms Zehra Fidan and TRL 2,041,230,000 to Ms Elif Özbilge.
NOT_CONFIDENTIAL
check
001-76989_a6_e1
001-76989_a6_em1
CODE
DIRECT
48983/99
NOT_CONFIDENTIAL
insert
001-76989_a6_e2
001-76989_a6_em2
ORG
NO_MASK
Republic of Turkey
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001-76989_a6_e3
001-76989_a6_em3
DEM
QUASI
Turkish
NOT_CONFIDENTIAL
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001-76989_a6_e4
001-76989_a6_em4
PERSON
DIRECT
Mürvet Fidan
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check
001-76989_a6_e5
001-76989_a6_em5
PERSON
QUASI
Murat Fidan
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check
001-76989_a6_e6
001-76989_a6_em6
PERSON
QUASI
Hikmet Fidan
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001-76989_a6_e7
001-76989_a6_em7
PERSON
QUASI
Zehra Fidan
NOT_CONFIDENTIAL
check
001-76989_a6_e8
001-76989_a6_em8
PERSON
QUASI
001-76989_a6_em57
Elif Özbilge
NOT_CONFIDENTIAL
insert
001-76989_a6_e9
001-76989_a6_em9
PERSON
QUASI
Mr Refik Timuçin Bektaş
NOT_CONFIDENTIAL
check
001-76989_a6_e10
001-76989_a6_em10
LOC
NO_MASK
Ankara
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001-76989_a6_e11
001-76989_a6_em11
DATETIME
QUASI
26 October 2004
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001-76989_a6_e12
001-76989_a6_em12
LOC
NO_MASK
Turkey
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001-76989_a6_e13
001-76989_a6_em13
DATETIME
QUASI
28 October 2004
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001-76989_a6_e14
001-76989_a6_em14
LOC
QUASI
Baskil, Turkey
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001-76989_a6_e15
001-76989_a6_em15
DATETIME
QUASI
19 July 1993
NOT_CONFIDENTIAL
check
001-76989_a6_e16
001-76989_a6_em16
ORG
NO_MASK
Baskil Civil Court
NOT_CONFIDENTIAL
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001-76989_a6_e17
001-76989_a6_em17
ORG
QUASI
National Water Board
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001-76989_a6_e18
001-76989_a6_em18
DATETIME
QUASI
18 November 1993
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001-76989_a6_e19
001-76989_a6_em19
DATETIME
QUASI
1986
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001-76989_a6_e20
001-76989_a6_em20
DATETIME
QUASI
6 October 1994
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001-76989_a6_e21
001-76989_a6_em21
ORG
NO_MASK
Court of Cassation
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001-76989_a6_e21
001-76989_a6_em22
ORG
NO_MASK
Court of Cassation
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check
001-76989_a6_e22
001-76989_a6_em23
DATETIME
QUASI
10 March 1995
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001-76989_a6_e23
001-76989_a6_em24
DATETIME
QUASI
21 December 1995
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001-76989_a6_e24
001-76989_a6_em25
DATETIME
QUASI
25 January 1986
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001-76989_a6_e16
001-76989_a6_em26
ORG
NO_MASK
Baskil Civil Court
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001-76989_a6_e19
001-76989_a6_em27
DATETIME
QUASI
1986
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001-76989_a6_e21
001-76989_a6_em28
ORG
NO_MASK
Court of Cassation
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001-76989_a6_e25
001-76989_a6_em29
DATETIME
QUASI
20 November 1996
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check
001-76989_a6_e26
001-76989_a6_em30
ORG
NO_MASK
Plenary Court of Cassation
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001-76989_a6_e16
001-76989_a6_em31
ORG
NO_MASK
Baskil Civil Court
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001-76989_a6_e27
001-76989_a6_em32
DATETIME
QUASI
2 May 1997
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001-76989_a6_e28
001-76989_a6_em33
DATETIME
QUASI
9 October 1997
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001-76989_a6_e16
001-76989_a6_em34
ORG
NO_MASK
Baskil Civil Court
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correct
001-76989_a6_e29
001-76989_a6_em35
QUANTITY
QUASI
315,650,000
NOT_CONFIDENTIAL
correct
001-76989_a6_e30
001-76989_a6_em36
QUANTITY
QUASI
297,439,800
NOT_CONFIDENTIAL
correct
001-76989_a6_e31
001-76989_a6_em37
QUANTITY
QUASI
265,571,250
NOT_CONFIDENTIAL
correct
001-76989_a6_e32
001-76989_a6_em38
QUANTITY
QUASI
404,680,000
NOT_CONFIDENTIAL
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001-76989_a6_e33
001-76989_a6_em39
QUANTITY
QUASI
708,190,000 Turkish liras (TRL)
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001-76989_a6_e34
001-76989_a6_em40
DATETIME
QUASI
19 August 1993
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001-76989_a6_e17
001-76989_a6_em41
ORG
QUASI
National Water Board
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001-76989_a6_e35
001-76989_a6_em42
DATETIME
QUASI
17 March 1998
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001-76989_a6_e21
001-76989_a6_em43
ORG
NO_MASK
Court of Cassation
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001-76989_a6_e36
001-76989_a6_em44
DATETIME
QUASI
2 April 1998
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001-76989_a6_e37
001-76989_a6_em45
ORG
NO_MASK
Court of Cassation's
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001-76989_a6_e38
001-76989_a6_em46
DATETIME
QUASI
9 December 1998
NOT_CONFIDENTIAL
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001-76989_a6_e38
001-76989_a6_em47
PERSON
QUASI
9 December 1998
NOT_CONFIDENTIAL
insert
001-76989_a6_e39
001-76989_a6_em48
QUANTITY
QUASI
TRL 934,027,000
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001-76989_a6_e4
001-76989_a6_em49
PERSON
DIRECT
001-76989_a6_em4
Ms Mürvet Fidan
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001-76989_a6_e40
001-76989_a6_em50
QUANTITY
QUASI
884,579,000 TRL
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001-76989_a6_e5
001-76989_a6_em51
PERSON
DIRECT
001-76989_a6_em5
Mr Murat Fidan
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001-76989_a6_e41
001-76989_a6_em52
QUANTITY
QUASI
TRL 790,746,000
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001-76989_a6_e6
001-76989_a6_em53
PERSON
QUASI
001-76989_a6_em6
Mr Hikmet Fidan
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insert
001-76989_a6_e42
001-76989_a6_em54
QUANTITY
QUASI
TRL 1,190,092,000
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001-76989_a6_e7
001-76989_a6_em55
PERSON
QUASI
001-76989_a6_em7
Ms Zehra Fidan
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insert
001-76989_a6_e43
001-76989_a6_em56
QUANTITY
QUASI
TRL 2,041,230,000
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001-76989_a6_e8
001-76989_a6_em57
PERSON
QUASI
Ms Elif Özbilge
Mürvet Fidan
TUR
CHAMBER
Task: Annotate the document to anonymise the following person: Mürvet Fidan