CEDH · PRESS;HEARINGS;ENG — 15 janvier 2008

.s800EAC49 { font-size:12pt } .sFE10DC93 { margin-top:0pt; margin-bottom:0pt; text-align:center } .s29100277 { font-family:Arial; font-weight:bold } .s40F41F73 { margin-top:0pt; margin-bottom:0pt; text-align:right } .s32563E28 { margin-top:0pt; margin-bottom:0pt } .sBB9EE52A { font-family:Arial } .s4DDA3AA3 { font-family:Arial; font-weight:bold; font-style:italic } .s7ED160F0 { text-decoration:none } .s3DC36BA9 { font-family:Arial; text-decoration:underline; color:#0069d6 } .sCB9E0544 { margin-top:0pt; margin-bottom:0pt; text-align:left } .s69BE285C { margin-top:0pt; margin-left:85.05pt; margin-bottom:0pt; text-indent:-85.05pt } .s9A223E1B { width:11.03pt; text-indent:0pt; display:inline-block } .s595A57E4 { width:85.05pt; text-indent:0pt; display:inline-block } .s3CED24E9 { width:27.05pt; text-indent:0pt; display:inline-block } .s653E6C45 { font-family:Arial; font-size:6.67pt; vertical-align:super; color:#0069d6 } .sC7EAD8B { font-family:Arial; font-weight:bold; text-decoration:underline } .sA36B60A1 { font-family:Arial; font-style:italic } .sF6A12959 { width:33%; height:1px; text-align:left } .s2EB42ED2 { margin-top:0pt; margin-bottom:0pt; font-size:10pt } EUROPEAN COURT OF HUMAN RIGHTS   019 15.1.2008   Press release issued by the Registrar   CHAMBER HEARING KART v. TURKEY   The European Court of Human Rights is holding a Chamber hearing today Tuesday 15   January 2008 at 9 a.m. , on the admissibility and merits in the case of Kart v. Turkey (application no. 8917/05).   The hearing will be broadcast from 2.30 p.m. on the Court’s Internet site http://www.echr.coe.int .     The applicant   Atilla Kart is a Turkish national who was born in 1954 and lives in Ankara. He is a member of the Grand National Assembly (National Assembly), the Turkish Parliament.   Summary of the facts   The case concerns Mr Kart’s complaint that he could not defend his name in criminal proceedings against him because, as a member of parliament (MP), he was subject to parliamentary immunity.   At the parliamentary elections of 3 November 2002 he was elected to the National Assembly as a member of the People’s Republican Party (CHP).   Prior to his election he practised as a lawyer and, in the course of his professional activities, two sets of criminal proceedings were brought against him, one for insulting a lawyer and the other for insulting a public official.   As an MP he enjoyed parliamentary immunity and, as a result, the criminal proceedings against him were stayed. The file was forwarded to the National Assembly and then to a joint committee which adopted a decision to stay the proceedings until the end of Mr Kart’s parliamentary term.   On 31 January 2005 the applicant lodged an objection against that decision. His case was accordingly forwarded to the general assembly of the National Assembly and, on 16 February 2005, during the general assembly session, the applicant again requested that he be given a fair trial. His objection was rejected.   He was re-elected in the parliamentary elections of 22 July 2007.   Complaints   The applicant complains that his defence rights have been infringed because he has been denied the opportunity to clear his name. He also complains that no remedy is available concerning the refusal by the National Assembly to lift his parliamentary immunity or the decision to stay the criminal proceedings against him until the end of his parliamentary term. He relies on Article 6 (right to a fair trial) of the European Convention on Human Rights.   Procedure   The application was lodged with the European Court of Human Rights on 8 February 2005.   Composition of the Court   The case will be heard by a Chamber composed as follows:   Françoise Tulkens (Belgian), President , András Baka (Hungarian), Riza Türmen (Turkish), Mindia Ugrekhelidze (Georgian), Vladimiro Zagrebelsky (Italian), Danutė Jočienė (Lithuanian), Dragoljub Popović (Serbian), judges , Ireneu Cabral Barreto (Portuguese), Antonella Mularoni (San Marinese), substitute judges , and also Sally Dollé , Section Registrar .   Representatives of the parties   Government :   Münci Özmen , Co-agent ,   Esra Demir , Irfan Neziroğlu , F. Nurel Uğural , Abdullah Demir, Esin Esin , Zeynep Gökşen Acar , Yaprak Renda , Lütfü Savran , Advisers ;   Applicant :   Gülin Egeli , Counsel .   The applicant, Atilla Kart will also attend the hearing.   ***   After the hearing the Court will begin its deliberations, which are held in private. A decision on admissibility, followed if appropriate by a judgment, will be delivered at a later date [1] .   Press contacts Emma Hellyer (telephone: 00 33 (0)3 90 21 42 15) Stéphanie Klein (telephone: 00 33 (0)3 88 41 21 54) Tracey Turner-Tretz (telephone: 00 33 (0)3 88 41 35 30) Paramy Chanthalangsy (telephone: 00 33 (0)3 90 21 54 91)   The European Court of Human Rights was set up in Strasbourg by the Council of Europe Member States in 1959 to deal with alleged violations of the 1950 European Convention on Human Rights. [1] This summary by the Registry does not bind the Court.