PROCEDURE

The case originated in an application (no. 18152/11) 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 a Russian national of Chechen origin, Mr Ramazan Erkenov (“the applicant”), on 14 January 2011.

The applicant was represented by Mr A. Yılmaz and Ms S. N. Yılmaz, lawyers practising in Istanbul. The Turkish Government (“the Government”) were represented by their Agent.

On 25 September 2014 the applicant’s complaints under Article 3, Article 5 §§ 1, 2, 4, and 5 and Article 13 of the Convention regarding his detention at the Gaziantep Foreigners’ Removal Centre were communicated to the Government and the remainder of the application was declared inadmissible, pursuant to Rule 54 § 3 of the Rules of Court.

The applicant and the Government each filed observations on the admissibility and merits of the application. The Russian Government, who were informed of their right to intervene under Article 36 of the Convention, did not make use of this right.

THE FACTS

I. THE CIRCUMSTANCES OF THE CASE

The applicant was born in 1972. He was detained at the Gaziantep Foreigners’ Removal Centre (“the Gaziantep Removal Centre”) at the time of the events giving rise to this application. His current address is unknown.

In 2000 the applicant fled to Turkey because he was being searched for by the Russian authorities. It appears that shortly before his escape, he had lost his right leg in a bomb attack that struck a mosque in Chechnya.

Subsequent to his departure from Russia, criminal proceedings were brought against the applicant by the Russian authorities before the Cerkessk City Court on the following charges: (i) participation in an armed insurrection and membership of an armed organisation with the purpose of overthrowing the constitutional order and violating the territorial integrity of the Russian Federation and (ii) possessing firearms and ammunition. It appears that the Cerkessk City Court issued a detention order in respect of the applicant in his absence.

On 24 January 2008 the applicant was taken into police custody in Istanbul in the context of an operation against al-Qaeda. He was subsequently taken to Gaziantep, where he was placed in pre-trial detention at the Gaziantep H-Type Prison upon the order of the Gaziantep Magistrate’s Court.

On an unspecified date criminal proceedings were commenced against the applicant before the Adana Assize Court.

On 28 January 2009 the Adana Assize Court ordered the applicant’s release from the Gaziantep H-Type Prison. There is no further information in the case file as regards the outcome of the criminal proceedings.

Following his release from prison on 28 January 2009, the applicant was placed in detention at the Gaziantep Removal Centre, which is attached to the Gaziantep Security Directorate.

On an unspecified date the Russian authorities requested the extradition of the applicant. On 3 April 2009 the Gaziantep Assize Court refused that request, holding that the offences in question were of a political nature and that under international and national laws, alleged perpetrators of such offences could not be extradited.

On 23 October 2009 the applicant applied to the Gaziantep governor’s office with a request for asylum. On 26 April 2010 the applicant was notified that his request had been rejected.

In the meantime, on 8 April 2010 the applicant submitted a petition to the Ministry of the Interior (“the Ministry”), where he requested to be released and to be granted a residence permit. The applicant’s requests were dismissed by the Ministry. The applicant’s objection to that decision was further dismissed by the Ministry on 10 June 2010.

On 24 July 2010 the applicant was released from the Gaziantep Removal Centre, on the condition that he leave Turkey within fifteen days. It appears that the applicant left Turkey shortly after his release.

According to the information in the case file, the applicant met with his lawyer a total of nine times between 3 March 2009 and 27 July 2010 during his detention at the Gaziantep Removal Centre.
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insert
001-166486_a6_e1
001-166486_a6_em1
CODE
DIRECT
18152/11
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correct
001-166486_a6_e2
001-166486_a6_em2
ORG
QUASI
Republic of Turkey
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check
001-166486_a6_e3
001-166486_a6_em3
DEM
QUASI
Russian
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001-166486_a6_e4
001-166486_a6_em4
DEM
QUASI
Chechen
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001-166486_a6_e5
001-166486_a6_em5
PERSON
DIRECT
Mr Ramazan Erkenov
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001-166486_a6_e6
001-166486_a6_em6
DATETIME
QUASI
14 January 2011
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001-166486_a6_e7
001-166486_a6_em7
PERSON
QUASI
Mr A. Yılmaz
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001-166486_a6_e8
001-166486_a6_em8
PERSON
QUASI
Ms S. N. Yılmaz
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001-166486_a6_e9
001-166486_a6_em9
LOC
QUASI
Istanbul
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001-166486_a6_e2
001-166486_a6_em10
ORG
QUASI
001-166486_a6_em2
Turkish Government
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001-166486_a6_e10
001-166486_a6_em11
DATETIME
QUASI
25 September 2014
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correct
001-166486_a6_e11
001-166486_a6_em12
ORG
QUASI
Gaziantep Foreigners’ Removal Centre
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check
001-166486_a6_e12
001-166486_a6_em13
ORG
QUASI
Russian Government
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001-166486_a6_e13
001-166486_a6_em14
DATETIME
QUASI
1972
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001-166486_a6_e11
001-166486_a6_em15
ORG
QUASI
Gaziantep Foreigners’ Removal Centre
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001-166486_a6_e14
001-166486_a6_em16
ORG
QUASI
“the Gaziantep Removal Centre”
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001-166486_a6_e15
001-166486_a6_em17
DATETIME
QUASI
2000
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001-166486_a6_e16
001-166486_a6_em18
LOC
QUASI
Turkey
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correct
001-166486_a6_e3
001-166486_a6_em19
ORG
QUASI
Russian
HEALTH
insert
001-166486_a6_e17
001-166486_a6_em20
MISC
QUASI
lost his right leg
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001-166486_a6_e18
001-166486_a6_em21
LOC
QUASI
Chechnya
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001-166486_a6_e19
001-166486_a6_em22
LOC
QUASI
Russia
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001-166486_a6_e3
001-166486_a6_em23
ORG
QUASI
Russian
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001-166486_a6_e20
001-166486_a6_em24
ORG
QUASI
Cerkessk City Court
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001-166486_a6_e21
001-166486_a6_em25
ORG
QUASI
Russian Federation
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001-166486_a6_e20
001-166486_a6_em26
ORG
QUASI
Cerkessk City Court
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001-166486_a6_e22
001-166486_a6_em27
DATETIME
QUASI
24 January 2008
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001-166486_a6_e9
001-166486_a6_em28
LOC
QUASI
Istanbul
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001-166486_a6_e23
001-166486_a6_em29
ORG
QUASI
al-Qaeda
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correct
001-166486_a6_e24
001-166486_a6_em30
LOC
QUASI
Gaziantep
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001-166486_a6_e25
001-166486_a6_em31
ORG
QUASI
Gaziantep H-Type Prison
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001-166486_a6_e26
001-166486_a6_em32
ORG
QUASI
Gaziantep Magistrate’s Court
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001-166486_a6_e27
001-166486_a6_em33
ORG
QUASI
Adana Assize Court
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001-166486_a6_e28
001-166486_a6_em34
DATETIME
QUASI
28 January 2009
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001-166486_a6_e27
001-166486_a6_em35
ORG
QUASI
Adana Assize Court
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001-166486_a6_e25
001-166486_a6_em36
ORG
QUASI
Gaziantep H-Type Prison
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001-166486_a6_e28
001-166486_a6_em37
DATETIME
QUASI
28 January 2009
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correct
001-166486_a6_e29
001-166486_a6_em38
ORG
QUASI
Gaziantep Removal Centre
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001-166486_a6_e30
001-166486_a6_em39
ORG
QUASI
Gaziantep Security Directorate
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001-166486_a6_e3
001-166486_a6_em40
ORG
QUASI
Russian
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001-166486_a6_e31
001-166486_a6_em41
DATETIME
QUASI
3 April 2009
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001-166486_a6_e32
001-166486_a6_em42
ORG
QUASI
Gaziantep Assize Court
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001-166486_a6_e33
001-166486_a6_em43
DATETIME
QUASI
23 October 2009
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001-166486_a6_e24
001-166486_a6_em44
LOC
QUASI
Gaziantep
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001-166486_a6_e34
001-166486_a6_em45
DATETIME
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26 April 2010
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001-166486_a6_e35
001-166486_a6_em46
DATETIME
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8 April 2010
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001-166486_a6_e36
001-166486_a6_em47
ORG
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Ministry of the Interior
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001-166486_a6_em48
ORG
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001-166486_a6_em47
Ministry
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Ministry
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001-166486_a6_em50
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10 June 2010
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001-166486_a6_e38
001-166486_a6_em51
DATETIME
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24 July 2010
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001-166486_a6_e29
001-166486_a6_em52
ORG
QUASI
Gaziantep Removal Centre
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001-166486_a6_e16
001-166486_a6_em53
LOC
QUASI
Turkey
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001-166486_a6_e39
001-166486_a6_em54
DATETIME
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fifteen days
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001-166486_a6_e16
001-166486_a6_em55
LOC
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Turkey
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001-166486_a6_e40
001-166486_a6_em56
DATETIME
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between 3 March 2009 and 27 July 2010
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001-166486_a6_e29
001-166486_a6_em57
ORG
QUASI
Gaziantep Removal Centre
Ramazan Erkenov
TUR
CHAMBER
Task: Annotate the document to anonymise the following person: Ramazan Erkenov