PROCEDURE

The case originated in an application (no. 28877/03) 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, Mr Niyazi Ekici, Mr Şükrü Güntoğar, Mr Bayram Akbulut, Mr Salih Demircan and Mrs Müzeyyen Kalkan (“the applicants”), on 22 May 2003.

The applicants were represented by Mr S. Çınar, a lawyer practising in Diyarbakır. The Turkish Government (“the Government”) were represented by their Agent.

On 3 July 2007, the Court decided to give notice of the application to the Government. It also decided to examine the merits of the application at the same time as its admissibility (Article 29 § 3).

THE FACTS

I. THE CIRCUMSTANCES OF THE CASE

On 5 May 1999 the applicants were laid off by the Diyarbakır Sur municipality, with which they had been employed.

Each of the applicants brought an action in the Diyarbakır Labour Court, claiming outstanding salaries, dismissal indemnities, severance pay and other pecuniary rights.

On 11 November 1999 the court ruled in their favour and ordered the municipality to pay the applicants certain amounts in Turkish liras (TRL), including costs, together with interest running from 15 June 1999.

In the absence of an appeal the judgments became final on 22 November 1999.

In the following months, as they did not receive any payment, the applicants requested the Diyarbakır Governorship to intervene in order to facilitate the enforcement of the court’s judgments. The Governor’s Office informed the applicants that it had requested the municipality to redress their grievances. However, due to lack of funds, the municipality did not make any payment.

At the date of introduction of the present application, the relevant judgment debts were still outstanding. Therefore, friendly settlement agreements were reached between the following applicants and the municipality on the dates indicated:

Müzeyyen Kalkan on 15 March 2005;

Şükrü Güntoğar on 23 January 2006, and

Bayram Akbulut on 11 December 2007.

No settlement was reached in respect of the other applicants. However, the municipality deposited a partial amount in the relevant account at the local enforcement office, which was made available to the remaining applicants. On 21 February 2005 Salih Demircan was paid 822 New Turkish liras (TRY).
NOT_CONFIDENTIAL
check
001-88505_a10_e1
001-88505_a10_em1
CODE
DIRECT
28877/03
NOT_CONFIDENTIAL
insert
001-88505_a10_e2
001-88505_a10_em2
ORG
NO_MASK
Republic of Turkey
NOT_CONFIDENTIAL
check
001-88505_a10_e3
001-88505_a10_em3
DEM
NO_MASK
Turkish
NOT_CONFIDENTIAL
check
001-88505_a10_e4
001-88505_a10_em4
PERSON
DIRECT
Mr Niyazi Ekici
NOT_CONFIDENTIAL
check
001-88505_a10_e5
001-88505_a10_em5
PERSON
QUASI
Mr Şükrü Güntoğar
NOT_CONFIDENTIAL
check
001-88505_a10_e6
001-88505_a10_em6
PERSON
QUASI
Mr Bayram Akbulut
NOT_CONFIDENTIAL
check
001-88505_a10_e7
001-88505_a10_em7
PERSON
QUASI
Mr Salih Demircan
NOT_CONFIDENTIAL
check
001-88505_a10_e8
001-88505_a10_em8
PERSON
QUASI
Mrs Müzeyyen Kalkan
NOT_CONFIDENTIAL
check
001-88505_a10_e9
001-88505_a10_em9
DATETIME
QUASI
22 May 2003
NOT_CONFIDENTIAL
check
001-88505_a10_e10
001-88505_a10_em10
PERSON
QUASI
Mr S. Çınar
NOT_CONFIDENTIAL
correct
001-88505_a10_e11
001-88505_a10_em11
LOC
QUASI
Diyarbakır
NOT_CONFIDENTIAL
check
001-88505_a10_e2
001-88505_a10_em12
ORG
NO_MASK
001-88505_a10_em2
Turkish Government
NOT_CONFIDENTIAL
check
001-88505_a10_e12
001-88505_a10_em13
DATETIME
QUASI
3 July 2007
NOT_CONFIDENTIAL
check
001-88505_a10_e13
001-88505_a10_em14
DATETIME
QUASI
5 May 1999
NOT_CONFIDENTIAL
insert
001-88505_a10_e14
001-88505_a10_em15
ORG
QUASI
Diyarbakır Sur municipality
NOT_CONFIDENTIAL
check
001-88505_a10_e15
001-88505_a10_em16
ORG
QUASI
Diyarbakır Labour Court
NOT_CONFIDENTIAL
check
001-88505_a10_e16
001-88505_a10_em17
DATETIME
QUASI
11 November 1999
NOT_CONFIDENTIAL
insert
001-88505_a10_e14
001-88505_a10_em18
ORG
QUASI
001-88505_a10_em15
the municipality
NOT_CONFIDENTIAL
insert
001-88505_a10_e17
001-88505_a10_em19
MISC
NO_MASK
Turkish liras (TRL)
NOT_CONFIDENTIAL
insert
001-88505_a10_e18
001-88505_a10_em20
DATETIME
QUASI
15 June 1999
NOT_CONFIDENTIAL
check
001-88505_a10_e19
001-88505_a10_em21
DATETIME
QUASI
22 November 1999
NOT_CONFIDENTIAL
insert
001-88505_a10_e20
001-88505_a10_em22
DATETIME
NO_MASK
following months
NOT_CONFIDENTIAL
insert
001-88505_a10_e21
001-88505_a10_em23
ORG
QUASI
Diyarbakır Governorship
NOT_CONFIDENTIAL
check
001-88505_a10_e22
001-88505_a10_em24
ORG
NO_MASK
Governor’s Office
NOT_CONFIDENTIAL
check
001-88505_a10_e14
001-88505_a10_em25
ORG
QUASI
the municipality
NOT_CONFIDENTIAL
check
001-88505_a10_e14
001-88505_a10_em26
ORG
QUASI
the municipality
NOT_CONFIDENTIAL
check
001-88505_a10_e14
001-88505_a10_em27
ORG
QUASI
the municipality
NOT_CONFIDENTIAL
check
001-88505_a10_e8
001-88505_a10_em28
PERSON
QUASI
001-88505_a10_em8
Müzeyyen Kalkan
NOT_CONFIDENTIAL
check
001-88505_a10_e23
001-88505_a10_em29
DATETIME
QUASI
15 March 2005
NOT_CONFIDENTIAL
check
001-88505_a10_e5
001-88505_a10_em30
PERSON
QUASI
001-88505_a10_em5
Şükrü Güntoğar
NOT_CONFIDENTIAL
check
001-88505_a10_e24
001-88505_a10_em31
DATETIME
QUASI
23 January 2006
NOT_CONFIDENTIAL
check
001-88505_a10_e6
001-88505_a10_em32
PERSON
QUASI
001-88505_a10_em6
Bayram Akbulut
NOT_CONFIDENTIAL
check
001-88505_a10_e25
001-88505_a10_em33
DATETIME
QUASI
11 December 2007
NOT_CONFIDENTIAL
check
001-88505_a10_e14
001-88505_a10_em34
ORG
QUASI
the municipality
NOT_CONFIDENTIAL
check
001-88505_a10_e26
001-88505_a10_em35
DATETIME
QUASI
21 February 2005
NOT_CONFIDENTIAL
check
001-88505_a10_e7
001-88505_a10_em36
PERSON
QUASI
001-88505_a10_em7
Salih Demircan
NOT_CONFIDENTIAL
insert
001-88505_a10_e27
001-88505_a10_em37
QUANTITY
QUASI
822 New Turkish liras (TRY)
Niyazi Ekici
TUR
CHAMBER
Task: Annotate the document to anonymise the following person: Niyazi Ekici