CEDH · PRESS;HEARINGS;ENG — 3 mars 1999

.s800EAC49 { font-size:12pt } .sFE10DC93 { margin-top:0pt; margin-bottom:0pt; text-align:center } .s29100277 { font-family:Arial; font-weight:bold } .sA1D3DA2E { margin-top:0pt; margin-bottom:0pt; text-align:justify } .s94935B0F { width:389.85pt; display:inline-block } .sBB9EE52A { font-family:Arial } .s23A41E03 { width:36pt; display:inline-block } .sA36B60A1 { font-family:Arial; font-style:italic } .s98A7B623 { margin-top:0pt; margin-bottom:0pt; text-align:justify; page-break-inside:avoid; page-break-after:avoid } .s4DDA3AA3 { font-family:Arial; font-weight:bold; font-style:italic } .s7ED160F0 { text-decoration:none } .s33165EBA { font-family:Arial; font-size:8pt; vertical-align:super; color:#0069d6 } .s32563E28 { margin-top:0pt; margin-bottom:0pt } .sD35C6159 { width:1.54pt; display:inline-block } .sF9A986A5 { width:12.2pt; display:inline-block } .s85016119 { margin-top:0pt; margin-bottom:0pt; text-align:justify; font-size:11pt } .s423DAEC7 { margin-top:0pt; margin-bottom:0pt; text-align:justify; page-break-after:avoid; font-size:11pt } .sF6A12959 { width:33%; height:1px; text-align:left } .s2EB42ED2 { margin-top:0pt; margin-bottom:0pt; font-size:10pt } .s653E6C45 { font-family:Arial; font-size:6.67pt; vertical-align:super; color:#0069d6 } EUROPEAN COURT OF HUMAN RIGHTS     123   3.3.1999   Press release issued by the Registrar   HEARING IN THE CASE OF SÜREK and ÖZDEMIR v. TURKEY   Wednesday, 3 March 1999 at 9 a.m.     The applicants     The case concerns an application (application no.   23927/94) brought by Kamil Tekin Sürek and Yücil Özdemir, both Turkish nationals. Mr Sürek, who was born in 1957 and lives in Istanbul, was at the time of the events giving rise to the application the publisher of a weekly review Haberde Yorumda Gerçek (The Truth of News and Comments). Mr Özdemir, who was born in 1968 and now lives in Duisburg, Germany, was the review’s editor-in-chief.   Summary of the facts     On 31 May 1992 the first applicant’s review carried an interview with a leader of the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK). On 7 June 1992 the review published the second part of the interview as well as a joint declaration by four left-wing organisations calling, among other things, for an end to state terrorism against the Kurdish people. Both applicants were charged with disseminating propaganda against the indivisibility of the State contrary to sections 6 and 8 of the Anti-Terror Law 1991. On 27 May 1993 the Istanbul State Security Court found the applicants guilty as charged. Both applicants were fined and the second applicant also received a six-month prison sentence. The Court of Cassation dismissed their appeal on 4 November 1993.   Complaints     The applicants complain that their conviction and sentence breached their rights to freedom of expression guaranteed under Article 10 of the European Convention on Human Rights and that they were denied their right to a fair trial before an independent and impartial tribunal in breach of Article 6 § 1.   Procedure     The applications were lodged with the European Commission of Human Rights on 25   February (the first applicant) and 4 May (the second applicant) 1994. Having found the applications admissible, the Commission adopted a report on 13 January 1998 in which it expressed the opinion that there had been a violation of Article 10 (seventeen votes to fifteen); that there had been a violation of Article 6 § 1 (thirty-one votes to one); and that no separate issue arose in respect of the second applicant’s complaint under Article 18 (unanimously). It referred the case to the Court on 27 April 1998.   Composition of the Court     Under the transitional provisions of Protocol No. 11 to the Convention, the case was transmitted to the Grand Chamber of the new European Court of Human Rights on the entry into force of the Protocol, on 1 November 1998. It will be heard by the Grand Chamber composed as follows:   Luzius Wildhaber   (Swiss), President , Elisabeth Palm   (Swedish), Antonio Pastor Ridruejo   (Spanish), Giovanni Bonello   (Maltese), Jerzy Makarczyk   (Polish), Pranas Kūris   (Lithuanian), Jean-Paul Costa   (French), Françoise Tulkens   (Belgian), Viera Strážnická   (Slovakian), Marc Fischbach   (Luxemburger), Volodymyr Butkevych   (Ukrainian), Josep Casadevall   (Andorran), Hanne Sophie Greve   (Norwegian), András Baka   (Hungarian), Rait Maruste   (Estonian), Snejana Botoucharova   (Bulgarian), Judges , Feyyaz Gölcüklü   (Turkish), ad hoc Judge , Kristaq Traja   (Albanian), Lucius Caflisch   (Swiss) [1] , Willi Fuhrmann   (Austrian), Substitute Judges ;   and also Paul Mahoney and Maud de Boer-Buquicchio , Deputy Registrars .   Representatives of the parties   Government:   Durmuş Tezcan , Agent , and Deniz Akçay , Co-Agent ,   Bilal Çalışkan , Gülhan Akyüz , Alev Günyakti , Fırat Polat , Ayşen Emüler , Işık Batmaz Keremoğlu , Basri Yildiz , and Yaşar Özbek , Advisers ;   Applicants:   Semih Mutlu , of the Istanbul Bar, C counsel .     The applicants, Kamil Tekin Sürek and Yücil Özdemir , will also be present.     After the hearing the Court will begin its deliberations, which are held in private. Judgment will be delivered at a later date.     Subject to his duty of discretion, the Registrar is responsible under the Rules of Court for replying to requests for information concerning the work of the Court, and in particular to enquiries from the press.   Registry of the European Court of Human Rights F – 67075 Strasbourg Cedex Contact: Roderick Liddell Telephone: (0)3 88 41 24 92; fax: (0)3 88 41 27 91 [1] Judge in respect of Liechtenstein.