Euro court sentences Turkey to pay compensation in phone-tapping case

STRASBOURG

The European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) has ordered Turkey to pay compensation to Turkish citizen İrfan Güzel, who was convicted of arms trafficking, for violation his right to effective remedy. 

The ECHR also ruled that the suspect’s right to respect for private and family life was not violated during the collecting of evidence. 

“The Court held that its judgment constituted sufficient just satisfaction for the non-pecuniary damage sustained by Güzel,” the ruling stated. 

Güzel, from the southeastern province of Mardin, was charged with involvement in international arms trafficking and aiding and abetting the outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) on Feb. 8, 2008, based on telephone conversations and weapons and ammunition seized.

Güzel was sentenced to 12 years and six months in jail for aiding and abetting a “terrorist organization,” but later applied to court saying his telephone had been tapped in the absence of any prior judicial decision. 

Applying to the ECHR, he also said the conditions laid down in the Code of Criminal Procedure for implementing such measures had not been met and added that he was afforted no right to effective remedy to contest the non-compliance with those rules.