PROCEDURE

The case originated in applications (nos. 29360/95 and 29361/95) against the Republic of Turkey lodged with the European Commission of Human Rights (“the Commission”) under former Article 25 of the Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms (“the Convention”) by two Turkish nationals, Mrs Gülşen Ketenoğlu and Mr Halil Yasin Ketenoğlu (“the applicants”), on 15 May 1995.

The applicants were represented by Mr Mehmet Aydın, a lawyer practising in Antalya (Turkey). The Turkish Government did not designate an Agent for the purposes of the proceedings before the Court.

The applicants alleged, in particular, that the criminal proceedings brought against them had not been concluded within a “reasonable time” and that their right to a fair hearing had been breached on account of their conviction by the Ankara Martial Law Court which lacked independence and impartiality.

The applications were transmitted to the Court on 1 November 1998, when Protocol No. 11 to the Convention came into force (Article 5 § 2 of Protocol No. 11).

The applications were allocated to the First Section of the Court (Rule 52 § 1 of the Rules of Court). Within that Section, the Chamber that would consider the case (Article 27 § 1 of the Convention) was constituted as provided in Rule 26 § 1 of the Rules of Court. Mr Rıza Türmen, the judge elected in respect of Turkey, withdrew from sitting in the case (Rule 28). The Government accordingly appointed Mr Feyyaz Gölcüklü to sit as an ad hoc judge, in his place (Article 27 § 2 of the Convention and Rule 29 § 1).

By a decision of 11 January 2001, the Chamber decided to join the applications and declared them admissible.

The applicants and the Government each filed observations on the merits (Rule 59 § 1).

THE FACTS

I. THE CIRCUMSTANCES OF THE CASE

A. Arrest and detention of the applicants

The applicants, a married couple, Halil Yasin and Gülşen Ketenoğlu were arrested by police officers from the Ankara Security Directorate on 7 and 13 November respectively. They were suspected of membership of an illegal organisation, the Dev-Yol (Revolutionary Way).

By decisions of 30 January and 6 February 1981 the Ankara Martial Law Court (sıkıyönetim mahkemesi) remanded the applicants in custody.

B. Trial in the Ankara Martial Law Court

On 26 February 1982 the Military Public Prosecutor filed a bill of indictment with the Martial Law Court against the applicants and 721 other defendants. The public prosecutor accused the applicants of membership of an illegal armed organisation, namely the Dev-Yol, whose object was to undermine the constitutional order and replace it with a Marxist-Leninist regime. He further charged the applicants with having been involved in a number of crimes such as the killing of several individuals, bomb attacks and robberies. The prosecution sought the death penalty under Article 146 § 1 of the Turkish Criminal Code.

By the orders of 11 November and 17 December 1985 the applicants were released pending trial by the Ankara Martial Law Court.

In May 1989 the applicants both fled the country and settled in Germany.

In a judgment of 19 July 1989 the Martial Law Court, composed of two civilian judges, two military judges and an army officer, found the applicants guilty as charged and sentenced Mrs Ketenoğlu to five years and 6 months’ imprisonment and Mr Ketenoğlu to 16 years’ imprisonment for offences under Article 168 §§ 1 and 2 of the Criminal Code. The judgment was pronounced in the aplicants’ absence.

C. Proceedings on appeal

The applicant lodged an appeal with the Military Court of Cassation (askeri yargıtay).

Following promulgation of the Law of 27 December 1993, which abolished the jurisdiction of the martial law courts, the Court of Cassation (yargıtay) acquired jurisdiction over the case and the file was transmitted to it.

On 27 December 1995 the Court of Cassation quashed the applicants’ conviction. It held, under Article 102 of the Turkish Criminal Code, that the criminal proceedings against Mrs Ketenoğlu should be discontinued since the prosecution was time‑barred. The court however considered that Mr Ketenoğlu should have been convicted for offences under Article 146 § 1 of the Turkish Criminal Code. It therefore referred the case to the 6th Chamber of the Ankara Assize Court where the criminal proceedings against Mr Ketenoğlu are still pending.
NOT_CONFIDENTIAL
check
001-59677_a6_e1
001-59677_a6_em1
CODE
DIRECT
29360/95
NOT_CONFIDENTIAL
check
001-59677_a6_e2
001-59677_a6_em2
CODE
QUASI
29361/95
NOT_CONFIDENTIAL
check
001-59677_a6_e3
001-59677_a6_em3
ORG
NO_MASK
001-59677_a6_em11
Republic of Turkey
NOT_CONFIDENTIAL
check
001-59677_a6_e4
001-59677_a6_em4
DEM
QUASI
Turkish
NOT_CONFIDENTIAL
check
001-59677_a6_e5
001-59677_a6_em5
PERSON
DIRECT
Mrs Gülşen Ketenoğlu
NOT_CONFIDENTIAL
check
001-59677_a6_e6
001-59677_a6_em6
PERSON
DIRECT
001-59677_a6_em17 001-59677_a6_em41
Mr Halil Yasin Ketenoğlu
NOT_CONFIDENTIAL
check
001-59677_a6_e7
001-59677_a6_em7
DATETIME
QUASI
15 May 1995
NOT_CONFIDENTIAL
check
001-59677_a6_e8
001-59677_a6_em8
PERSON
QUASI
Mr Mehmet Aydın
NOT_CONFIDENTIAL
check
001-59677_a6_e9
001-59677_a6_em9
LOC
NO_MASK
Antalya
NOT_CONFIDENTIAL
correct
001-59677_a6_e10
001-59677_a6_em10
LOC
NO_MASK
Turkey
NOT_CONFIDENTIAL
check
001-59677_a6_e3
001-59677_a6_em11
ORG
NO_MASK
Turkish Government
NOT_CONFIDENTIAL
check
001-59677_a6_e11
001-59677_a6_em12
ORG
NO_MASK
Ankara Martial Law Court
NOT_CONFIDENTIAL
check
001-59677_a6_e12
001-59677_a6_em13
PERSON
NO_MASK
Mr Rıza Türmen
NOT_CONFIDENTIAL
check
001-59677_a6_e10
001-59677_a6_em14
LOC
NO_MASK
Turkey
NOT_CONFIDENTIAL
check
001-59677_a6_e13
001-59677_a6_em15
PERSON
NO_MASK
Mr Feyyaz Gölcüklü
NOT_CONFIDENTIAL
check
001-59677_a6_e14
001-59677_a6_em16
DATETIME
QUASI
11 January 2001
NOT_CONFIDENTIAL
check
001-59677_a6_e6
001-59677_a6_em17
PERSON
DIRECT
Halil Yasin
NOT_CONFIDENTIAL
check
001-59677_a6_e5
001-59677_a6_em18
PERSON
DIRECT
001-59677_a6_em5
Gülşen Ketenoğlu
NOT_CONFIDENTIAL
check
001-59677_a6_e15
001-59677_a6_em19
ORG
NO_MASK
Ankara Security Directorate
NOT_CONFIDENTIAL
check
001-59677_a6_e16
001-59677_a6_em20
DATETIME
QUASI
7 and 13 November
NOT_CONFIDENTIAL
check
001-59677_a6_e17
001-59677_a6_em21
ORG
QUASI
Dev-Yol
NOT_CONFIDENTIAL
insert
001-59677_a6_e17
001-59677_a6_em22
ORG
QUASI
001-59677_a6_em21
Revolutionary Way
NOT_CONFIDENTIAL
insert
001-59677_a6_e18
001-59677_a6_em23
DATETIME
QUASI
30 January and 6 February 1981
NOT_CONFIDENTIAL
check
001-59677_a6_e11
001-59677_a6_em24
ORG
NO_MASK
Ankara Martial Law Court
NOT_CONFIDENTIAL
correct
001-59677_a6_e11
001-59677_a6_em25
ORG
NO_MASK
001-59677_a6_em24
sıkıyönetim mahkemesi
NOT_CONFIDENTIAL
check
001-59677_a6_e11
001-59677_a6_em26
ORG
NO_MASK
Ankara Martial Law Court
NOT_CONFIDENTIAL
check
001-59677_a6_e19
001-59677_a6_em27
DATETIME
QUASI
26 February 1982
NOT_CONFIDENTIAL
check
001-59677_a6_e20
001-59677_a6_em28
ORG
NO_MASK
Military Public Prosecutor
NOT_CONFIDENTIAL
check
001-59677_a6_e11
001-59677_a6_em29
ORG
NO_MASK
001-59677_a6_em26
Martial Law Court
NOT_CONFIDENTIAL
insert
001-59677_a6_e21
001-59677_a6_em30
QUANTITY
QUASI
721
NOT_CONFIDENTIAL
correct
001-59677_a6_e17
001-59677_a6_em31
ORG
QUASI
001-59677_a6_em21
Dev-Yol
POLITICS
insert
001-59677_a6_e22
001-59677_a6_em32
MISC
QUASI
Marxist-Leninist regime
NOT_CONFIDENTIAL
insert
001-59677_a6_e23
001-59677_a6_em33
DATETIME
QUASI
11 November and 17 December 1985
NOT_CONFIDENTIAL
check
001-59677_a6_e11
001-59677_a6_em34
ORG
NO_MASK
Ankara Martial Law Court
NOT_CONFIDENTIAL
check
001-59677_a6_e24
001-59677_a6_em35
DATETIME
QUASI
May 1989
NOT_CONFIDENTIAL
check
001-59677_a6_e25
001-59677_a6_em36
LOC
QUASI
Germany
NOT_CONFIDENTIAL
check
001-59677_a6_e26
001-59677_a6_em37
DATETIME
QUASI
19 July 1989
NOT_CONFIDENTIAL
check
001-59677_a6_e11
001-59677_a6_em38
ORG
NO_MASK
Martial Law Court
NOT_CONFIDENTIAL
check
001-59677_a6_e5
001-59677_a6_em39
PERSON
DIRECT
001-59677_a6_em5
Mrs Ketenoğlu
NOT_CONFIDENTIAL
insert
001-59677_a6_e27
001-59677_a6_em40
DATETIME
QUASI
five years and 6 months
NOT_CONFIDENTIAL
check
001-59677_a6_e28
001-59677_a6_em41
PERSON
DIRECT
Mr Ketenoğlu
NOT_CONFIDENTIAL
check
001-59677_a6_e29
001-59677_a6_em42
DATETIME
QUASI
16 years’
NOT_CONFIDENTIAL
check
001-59677_a6_e30
001-59677_a6_em43
ORG
NO_MASK
Military Court of Cassation
NOT_CONFIDENTIAL
insert
001-59677_a6_e30
001-59677_a6_em44
ORG
NO_MASK
001-59677_a6_em43
askeri yargıtay
NOT_CONFIDENTIAL
check
001-59677_a6_e31
001-59677_a6_em45
DATETIME
QUASI
27 December 1993
NOT_CONFIDENTIAL
check
001-59677_a6_e30
001-59677_a6_em46
ORG
NO_MASK
001-59677_a6_em43
Court of Cassation
NOT_CONFIDENTIAL
check
001-59677_a6_e32
001-59677_a6_em47
DATETIME
QUASI
27 December 1995
NOT_CONFIDENTIAL
check
001-59677_a6_e30
001-59677_a6_em48
ORG
NO_MASK
Court of Cassation
NOT_CONFIDENTIAL
check
001-59677_a6_e5
001-59677_a6_em49
PERSON
DIRECT
Mrs Ketenoğlu
NOT_CONFIDENTIAL
check
001-59677_a6_e28
001-59677_a6_em50
PERSON
DIRECT
Mr Ketenoğlu
NOT_CONFIDENTIAL
insert
001-59677_a6_e33
001-59677_a6_em51
ORG
NO_MASK
6th Chamber of the Ankara Assize Court
NOT_CONFIDENTIAL
check
001-59677_a6_e28
001-59677_a6_em52
PERSON
DIRECT
Mr Ketenoğlu
Gülşen Ketenoğlu
TUR
CHAMBER
Task: Annotate the document to anonymise the following person: Gülşen Ketenoğlu