ECtHR Had Convicted Turkey of ‘Extended Detention’, They Are Arrested Again

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Taken into custody in Gökçeada, Çanakkale, Serpil Cabadan, Hüseyin Durmaz, Zuhal Sürücü and Sinan Koçum have been arrested following a 5-day detention on charge of being member of Communist Labor Party of Turkey/Leninist (TKEP/L).

The European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) convicted Turkey of extended detention periods upon complaints of eight people including Cabadan and Durmaz in 2011, and sentenced Turkey to pay fine.

In their deposition at judgeship, Cabadan and Durmaz said that some of the compensation they received were on them as they were detained.

They demanded that the compensation seized be returned to them but the court didn’t make any decision about this demand.

Reason for arrest: They were previously convicted

Speaking to bianet, their lawyer Erdoğan Akdoğdu said that no evidence was shown to them due to the sealing order.

Gökçeada Criminal Judgeship of Peace Dilara Koçer listed the reasons for arrest as they were previously convicted; they chanted slogans at the courthouse and they went on hunger strike in custody.

“They were asked of their previous detention”

Akdoğdu explained that they couldn’t access to any documents due to the sealing order on the file:

“Records of search and body search weren’t read out to neither the clients nor the lawyers. The file that was opened to prosecution and judgeship was closed to the defense. Their right to fair trial and defense was restricted in this way. The questions posed to my clients are related to their previous detention”.

The ECtHR convicted Turkey of extended detention periods upon complaints of Bülent Alp, Fahri Önder, Serpil Cabadan, Hüseyin Durmaz, Abdulmecit Öztürk, Heval Öztürk, Metin Sarıgül and Metin Karaman, who remained behind bars from 4.5 to 10 years, and sentenced Turkey to pay fine of 91,800 Euros in 2011. (AS/TK)