PROCEDURE

The case originated in an application (no. 11022/05) 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, Mr Hikmet Yılmaz (“the applicant”), on 28 February 2005.

The applicant was represented by Mr R Jespers, a lawyer practising in Antwerp. The Turkish Government (“the Government”) were represented by their Agent.

On 20 September 2011 the application was declared partly inadmissible and the complaints concerning the lack of legal assistance to the applicant during his police custody and his right to a fair trial were communicated to the Government. It was also decided to rule on the admissibility and merits of the application at the same time (Article 29 § 1).

THE FACTS

I. THE CIRCUMSTANCES OF THE CASE

The applicant was born in 1962 and lives in Belgium.

On 26 June 2002 the applicant was arrested at the Istanbul Atatürk Airport on suspicion of membership of the PKK (the Kurdistan Workers’ Party), an illegal organisation.

On 27 June 2002 the applicant was interrogated at the Anti-Terrorism Branch of the Istanbul Security Directorate, in the absence of a lawyer. According to a form explaining arrested persons’ rights which the applicant signed, he was informed of the charges against him and of his right to remain silent. In his statement, the applicant admitted his involvement in the PKK. He explained that he had moved to Italy for financial reasons and that while he was in Milan he had met with a certain A.T., who had helped him in finding a job and obtaining a residence permit. The applicant stated that while he was living in Milan, he had distributed leaflets on behalf of the PKK and organised information meetings about the illegal organisation.

On 28 June 2002 the applicant was questioned by the public prosecutor at the Istanbul State Security Court in the absence of a lawyer and he repeated the statement he had made to the police. Later on the same day, the applicant was further questioned by the investigating judge at the Istanbul State Security Court, still in the absence of a lawyer. The applicant admitted to his activities in the illegal organisation and largely repeated his statement to the police. At the end of the questioning, the judge ordered his pre-trial detention. The applicant was then allowed to have access to a lawyer.

On 3 July 2002 the public prosecutor at the Istanbul State Security Court filed an indictment with that court, accusing the applicant of membership of the PKK, an offence under Article 168 § 2 of the former Criminal Code (Law no. 765) and Section 5 of the Prevention of Terrorism Act (Law no. 3713).

In his defence submissions, the applicant denied the charges against him and argued that his police statement had been taken under duress. He also stated that he had still been under the influence of the pressure exerted on him by the police during his questioning by the public prosecutor and the investigating judge respectively. The applicant further called a witness to attest to his innocence.

On 13 November 2002 the Istanbul State Security Court ordered the applicant’s release from pre-trial detention.

On 5 November 2003 the Istanbul State Security Court found the applicant guilty as charged and sentenced him to twelve years and six months’ imprisonment. In convicting the applicant, the court took into consideration the self-incriminating statements he had made before the police, the public prosecutor and the investigating judge respectively. The court further relied on a classified information note submitted by the Ministry of the Interior regarding the applicant’s activities within the PKK. It also took into account the police statement of another accused, namely A.T., who had been convicted of being a member of the PKK in 2001 by the Diyarbakır State Security Court. In this statement, A.T. had given a detailed account of the applicant’s activities in the PKK.

The applicant appealed. In his appeal petition, he denied being involved in the activities of the PKK and claimed that he was innocent.

On 8 July 2004 the Court of Cassation, after holding a hearing, upheld the judgment of the first-instance court. The decision, which was pronounced on 14 July 2004, was deposited with the registry of the first-instance court on 31 August 2004.