CEDH · CASELAW;DECISIONS;DECCOMMISSION;ENG — 16 avril 1998

.sDD6737AE { font-size:11pt } .s211D6B00 { margin-top:0pt; margin-bottom:0pt; line-height:normal; widows:0; orphans:0; font-size:8.5pt } .sBB9EE52A { font-family:Arial }                          AS TO THE ADMISSIBILITY OF                           Application No. 26396/95                       by C.T.U.                       against Turkey          The European Commission of Human Rights (Second Chamber) sitting in private on 16 April 1998, the following members being present:              MM     J.-C. GEUS, President                  M.A. NOWICKI                  G. JÖRUNDSSON                  A. GÖZÜBÜYÜK                  J.-C. SOYER                  H. DANELIUS            Mrs    G.H. THUNE            MM     F. MARTINEZ                  I. CABRAL BARRETO                  J. MUCHA                  D. SVÁBY                  P. LORENZEN                  E. BIELIUNAS                  E.A. ALKEMA                  A. ARABADJIEV              Ms     M.-T. SCHOEPFER, Secretary to the Chamber          Having regard to Article 25 of the Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms;        Having regard to the application introduced on 5 December 1990 by C.T.U. against Turkey and registered on 6 February 1995 under file No. 26396/95;        Having regard to the report provided for in Rule 47 of the Rules of Procedure of the Commission;        Having deliberated;        Decides as follows:   THE FACTS        The applicant, born in 1950, is a Turkish citizen and resident in Ankara.        The facts of the present case, as submitted by the applicant, may be summarised as follows.        On 26 February 1982 the applicant was arrested on account of his membership of an association, the Baris Dernegi. He was released on 24 December 1982.        On 14 November 1983 the applicant was arrested again on account of the same charges. On 17 February 1986 he was released. Therefore, he was held in detention for 37 months on two occasions.        On 22 December 1987 the applicant was acquitted by the istanbul Martial Law Court.        On 16 March 1988 the applicant filed a suit at the Ankara Assize Court. He requested that 12,000,000 Turkish liras of pecuniary and 40,000,000 Turkish liras of non-pecuniary damage be granted to him because of his detention for 37 months.        On 26 September 1989 the Ankara Assize Court granted 12,668,004 Turkish liras to the applicant. On 19 January 1990 the Court of Cassation quashed the decision dated 26 September 1989.        On 14 March 1990, following the Court of Cassation's decision, the Ankara Assize Court granted 2,086,768 liras of pecuniary and 5,000,000 liras of non-pecuniary damage to the applicant.        The applicant appealed against the Ankara Assize Court's decision dated 14 March 1990.        On 15 June 1990 the Court of Cassation dismissed the applicant's appeal and upheld the judgment delivered by the Ankara Assize Court.     COMPLAINTS        The applicant complains under Article 5 para. 5 of the Convention that he was held in detention on remand for 37 months and that he was awarded insufficient compensation following his acquittal.     THE LAW        The applicant alleges a violation of Article 5 para. 5 (Art. 5-5) of the Convention as regards the refusal of his request for more compensation.        Article 5 para. 5 (Art. 5-5) of the Convention provides as follows.        "Everyone who has been the victim of arrest or detention in      contravention of the provisions of this Article shall have      an enforceable right to compensation."        The Commission recalls that under Article 5 para. 5 (Art. 5-5) of the Convention the right to compensation for any material or moral damage sustained as a result of a detention is plainly conditioned on a breach of one of the paragraphs of Article 5 (Art. 5). It follows that the Commission cannot consider an applicant's claim exclusively based on Article 5 para. 5 (Art. 5-5) unless a breach of Article 5 paras. 1 to 4 (Art. 5-1, 5-2, 5-3, 5-4) has been established either directly or in substance (No. 7950/77, Dec.   4.3.80, D.R. 19, p. 215).        The Commission notes that the applicant was held in detention for 37 months between 1982 and 1986. However, Turkey has recognised the competence of the Commission to examine applications concerning facts which occurred after 28 January 1987. The Commission is therefore prevented from proceeding directly to an examination of the applicant's complaint based on his detention on remand as it is outside its competence ratione temporis.        The Commission observes that, while the applicant was acquitted on 22 December 1987 and even granted compensation for his detention on 14 March 1990, the Turkish courts did not make any finding of a violation of Article 5 (Art. 5) of the Convention. Moreover, the Commission recalls that the Convention does not guarantee a general right to compensation, for detention of an accused, following his acquittal.        An examination of the facts does not disclose any appearance of a breach of Article 5 paras. 1 to 4 (Art. 5-1, 5-2, 5-3, 5-4) of the Convention. Therefore, Article 5 para. 5 (Art. 5-5) of the Convention is not applicable in the present case.        It follows that the application is outside the competence of the Commission ratione materiae and must accordingly be rejected as being incompatible with the provisions of the Convention, within the meaning of Article 27 para. 2 (Art. 27-2).        For these reasons, the Commission, unanimously,        DECLARES THE APPLICATION INADMISSIBLE.      M.-T. SCHOEPFER                                J.-C. GEUS       Secretary                                    President to the Second Chamber                       of the Second Chamber