ELCI AND OTHERS v. TURKEY JUDGMENT 35 233. Mr Erten told the Public Prosecutor, and subsequently the Investigating Judge, that he had been tortured and that the statements had been signed under duress. He told the Judge that he had resisted pressure from Abdülhakim Güven to act as a courier. The Judge released him. However he was kept blindfolded and returned with his colleagues to the interrogation centre. He was convinced they were going to be killed. Instead they were addressed by an officer who uttered warnings. He was released on 10 December 1993. 234. The Public Prosecutor lodged an ex parte objection to Mr Erten's release. Consequently, he was taken back to court a couple of days later and remanded in custody at the Diyarbakır E-Type prison. He was again presented to the court on 17 February 1994 and released. He told the court that he had been tortured and that the statements which he had signed were false. He denied the charges made against him. 12. Baki Demırham 235. Mr Demırham was born in 1966 and was a practising lawyer in Diyarbakır at the material time. 236. On coming out of the Diyarbakır State Security Court on 16 November 1993, he and Arif Altinkalem were stopped by members of the security forces who they guessed were from the JITEM. On disclosing their identities they were put in a car where they waited while a similar procedure was performed in respect of Mr and Mrs Beştaş. They were taken to the Diyarbakır provincial gendarmerie command, blindfolded. The applicant and Mesut Beştaş were put in cells on the upper floor, where he was held for 26 days (24 days according to official records). 237. He had anticipated his arrest as several of his colleagues had been detained the day before. On the first night he was taken for interrogation. In general he was made aware that the PKK confessor, Abdülhakim Güven, had alleged that he was in league with PKK prisoners, had acted as a courier for them, and had smuggled unlawful materials into prisons, e.g. a flick knife. The applicant denied the allegations. 238. The applicant's brother had been detained in the same prison as Mr Güven. Mr Güven also attended all interviews with clients. The applicant's brother said he had been under pressure to join the PKK and Mr Güven had told the applicant that his brother had not kept his promises. 239. The applicant was confronted, blindfolded, with Mr Güven. He signed certain statements, the contents of which he did not know, because of the psychological pressure brought to bear on him. During interrogation no mention was made of European human rights associations. He had assisted the Diyarbakır Human Rights Association prepare papers for clients. He was unaware of what the European reference could mean. He himself had