PROCEDURE

The case originated in four applications (nos. 46506/99, 46569/99, 46570/99 and 46939/99) 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 four Turkish nationals, Mr Kerem Durmaz, Mr Ulaş Işık, Mr Taci Sabri Unutmaz and Mr Hasan Sezal (“the applicants”), on 8 December 1998.

The applicants were represented by Ms S. Ceylan, a lawyer practising in Ankara. The Turkish Government (“the Government”) did not designate an Agent for the purpose of the proceedings before the Court.

On 4 September 2001 the Court decided to join the applications, declared them partly inadmissible and decided to communicate the complaints concerning the applicants’ right to a fair hearing by an independent and impartial tribunal to the Government. On 7 November 2002 the Court further decided, under Article 29 § 3 of the Convention, to examine the merits of the applications at the same time as their admissibility.

THE FACTS

I. THE CIRCUMSTANCES OF THE CASE

The applicants were born in 1980, 1977, 1979 and 1979 respectively.

On 27 and 28 April 1998 respectively the applicants were taken into police custody by police officers from the Anti-Terrorism Department of the Ankara Security Directorate.

On 7 May 1996 the applicants were brought before the public prosecutor at the Ankara State Security Court and subsequently before the investigating judge. After taking their statements, the investigating judge ordered that the applicants be placed in detention on remand.

In an indictment dated 23 May 1996, the public prosecutor at the Ankara State Security Court initiated criminal proceedings against the applicants and accused them of being members of an illegal armed organisation, namely the TIKP (the Revolutionary Communists’ Union of Turkey). The applicants were further accused of carrying out activities on behalf of the TIKB, such as taking part in demonstrations on 1 May and 8 March (Women’s Day) during which they had chanted slogans and distributed TIKB leaflets. The public prosecutor asked the court to convict the applicants pursuant to Article 168 § 2 of the Criminal Code.

On 9 October 1996 the Ankara State Security Court, composed of two civilian judges and a military judge, held that there was insufficient evidence to conclude that the applicants were members of the TIKP, but found them guilty under Article 169 of the Criminal Code for aiding and abetting an illegal organisation. The first, second and third applicants were sentenced to two years and six months’ imprisonment, while the second applicant was sentenced to three years and nine months’ imprisonment.

The applicants appealed. The chief public prosecutor at the Court of Cassation submitted his opinion on the merits of the appeal on 24 December 1997. This opinion was not served on the applicants, but read out during the hearing which took place on 18 March 1998.

On 20 May 1998 the Court of Cassation, upholding the Ankara State Security Court’s reasoning and assessment of evidence, dismissed the applicants’ request for appeal. The decision was pronounced on 10 June 1998.

The applicants’ request for rectification was further rejected on 30 June 1998.
NOT_CONFIDENTIAL
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001-67087_a10_e1
001-67087_a10_em1
CODE
DIRECT
46506/99
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001-67087_a10_e2
001-67087_a10_em2
CODE
DIRECT
46569/99
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001-67087_a10_e3
001-67087_a10_em3
CODE
DIRECT
46570/99
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001-67087_a10_e4
001-67087_a10_em4
CODE
DIRECT
46939/99
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001-67087_a10_e5
001-67087_a10_em5
ORG
NO_MASK
Republic of Turkey
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001-67087_a10_e6
001-67087_a10_em6
DEM
NO_MASK
Turkish
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001-67087_a10_e7
001-67087_a10_em7
PERSON
DIRECT
Mr Kerem Durmaz
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001-67087_a10_e8
001-67087_a10_em8
PERSON
QUASI
Mr Ulaş Işık
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001-67087_a10_e9
001-67087_a10_em9
PERSON
QUASI
Mr Taci Sabri Unutmaz
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001-67087_a10_e10
001-67087_a10_em10
PERSON
QUASI
Mr Hasan Sezal
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001-67087_a10_e11
001-67087_a10_em11
DATETIME
QUASI
8 December 1998
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001-67087_a10_e12
001-67087_a10_em12
PERSON
QUASI
Ms S. Ceylan
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001-67087_a10_e13
001-67087_a10_em13
LOC
QUASI
Ankara
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001-67087_a10_e5
001-67087_a10_em14
ORG
NO_MASK
001-67087_a10_em5
Turkish Government
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001-67087_a10_e14
001-67087_a10_em15
DATETIME
QUASI
4 September 2001
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001-67087_a10_e15
001-67087_a10_em16
DATETIME
QUASI
7 November 2002
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001-67087_a10_e16
001-67087_a10_em17
DATETIME
QUASI
1980
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001-67087_a10_e17
001-67087_a10_em18
DATETIME
QUASI
1977
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001-67087_a10_e18
001-67087_a10_em19
DATETIME
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1979
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001-67087_a10_e18
001-67087_a10_em20
DATETIME
QUASI
1979
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001-67087_a10_e19
001-67087_a10_em21
DATETIME
QUASI
27 and 28 April 1998
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001-67087_a10_e20
001-67087_a10_em22
ORG
NO_MASK
Anti-Terrorism Department
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001-67087_a10_e21
001-67087_a10_em23
ORG
QUASI
Ankara Security Directorate
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001-67087_a10_e22
001-67087_a10_em24
DATETIME
QUASI
7 May 1996
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001-67087_a10_e23
001-67087_a10_em25
ORG
QUASI
Ankara State Security Court
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001-67087_a10_e24
001-67087_a10_em26
DATETIME
QUASI
23 May 1996
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001-67087_a10_e23
001-67087_a10_em27
ORG
QUASI
Ankara State Security Court
POLITICS
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001-67087_a10_e25
001-67087_a10_em28
ORG
QUASI
TIKP (the Revolutionary Communists’ Union of Turkey)
POLITICS
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001-67087_a10_e26
001-67087_a10_em29
ORG
QUASI
TIKB
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001-67087_a10_e27
001-67087_a10_em30
DATETIME
NO_MASK
1 May
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001-67087_a10_e28
001-67087_a10_em31
DATETIME
NO_MASK
8 March (Women’s Day)
POLITICS
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001-67087_a10_e26
001-67087_a10_em32
ORG
QUASI
TIKB
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001-67087_a10_e29
001-67087_a10_em33
DATETIME
QUASI
9 October 1996
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001-67087_a10_e23
001-67087_a10_em34
ORG
QUASI
Ankara State Security Court
POLITICS
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001-67087_a10_e25
001-67087_a10_em35
ORG
QUASI
001-67087_a10_em28
TIKP
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001-67087_a10_e30
001-67087_a10_em36
DATETIME
QUASI
two years and six months’
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001-67087_a10_e31
001-67087_a10_em37
DATETIME
QUASI
three years and nine months
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001-67087_a10_e32
001-67087_a10_em38
ORG
NO_MASK
Court of Cassation
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001-67087_a10_e33
001-67087_a10_em39
DATETIME
QUASI
24 December 1997
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001-67087_a10_e34
001-67087_a10_em40
DATETIME
QUASI
18 March 1998
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001-67087_a10_e35
001-67087_a10_em41
DATETIME
QUASI
20 May 1998
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001-67087_a10_e32
001-67087_a10_em42
ORG
NO_MASK
Court of Cassation
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001-67087_a10_e36
001-67087_a10_em43
ORG
QUASI
Ankara State Security Court’s
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001-67087_a10_e37
001-67087_a10_em44
DATETIME
QUASI
10 June 1998
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001-67087_a10_e38
001-67087_a10_em45
DATETIME
QUASI
30 June 1998
Kerem Durmaz
TUR
CHAMBER
Task: Annotate the document to anonymise the following person: Kerem Durmaz