PROCEDURE

The case originated in an application (no. 34400/02) 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 Turkish national, Volkan Şahin (“the applicant”), on 6 August 2002.

The applicant was represented by Mr Ayhan Akyiğit, a lawyer practising in Istanbul. The Turkish Government (“the Government”) were represented by their Agent.

On 6 May 2004 the Court declared the application partly inadmissible and decided to communicate to the Government the complaints concerning the length of the proceedings and the lack of remedies in that respect, as well as the complaint concerning non-communication to the applicant of the submissions of the principal public prosecutor. On 8 September 2006 it decided to rule on the admissibility and merits of the application at the same time, pursuant to Article 29 § 3 of the Convention.

THE FACTS

THE CIRCUMSTANCES OF THE CASE

The applicant was born in 1965 and lives in Antalya.

On 23 March 1993 a certain H.I. lodged a criminal complaint with the Marmaris public prosecutor against the applicant and a certain S.K., accusing them of forging a bond. The prosecutor initiated an investigation and questioned the applicant on 17 May 1993.

Once the preliminary investigation was completed and the necessary evidence was obtained, a prosecutor in Ankara filed an indictment with the Ankara Assize Court (hereinafter “the trial court”) on 21 April 1995 and requested that the applicant and S.K. be punished in accordance with Article 342 § 1 of the Criminal Code for the offence of forgery.

Thirteen hearings were held by the trial court between 1 May 1995 and 12 September 1997 in the absence of the applicant. At each of these hearings the trial court noted the authorities’ failure to locate the applicant’s address. According to the applicant, the reason for his absence from those hearings was that he had not been informed about the trial. On 13 May 1996 the applicant’s co-accused S.K. was acquitted for lack of sufficient evidence. The trial court decided to continue the proceedings against the applicant.

A lawyer representing the applicant attended the 14th hearing on 21 November 1997 but, as the applicant was unable to pay his fees, the lawyer discontinued representing him. On 26 March 1998 the authorities were able to find the applicant and question him. In the course of the questioning the applicant denied the accusations against him. He attended the 18th hearing, held on 28 May 1998.

During the 19th hearing, held on 22 June 1998, the trial court acquitted the applicant for lack of sufficient evidence. On 16 September 1998 the public prosecutor appealed against the acquittal. On 11 November 1999 the Court of Cassation quashed the decision and referred the case to the trial court for a new trial.

On 11 April 2000, during its first hearing in the new trial, the trial court convicted the applicant as charged and sentenced him to one year and eight months’ imprisonment. The applicant appealed.

On 22 October 2001 the Principal Public Prosecutor at the Court of Cassation submitted his written observations to the Court of Cassation. These observations were not communicated to the applicant. On 13 February 2002, after having held a hearing, the Court of Cassation upheld the trial court’s decision.