ELCI AND OTHERS v. TURKEY JUDGMENT
49
someone in the listening room, but the interrogator was alone with the
detainee. The interrogator would make notes of the interrogation, on the
basis of which questions would be put again in an interview room and a
statement typed up.
341. The interrogator would sit at a table with the detainee sitting
opposite him, on whom spotlights were trained. The closed circuit television
system permitted relevant video recordings to be made, which in the present
case were handed to the prosecutor's office of the State Security Court. A
hidden microphone hung above the person being interrogated.
342. A prisoner called Abdülhakim Güven, the political representative in
prison, was interviewed over a few days and made a statement about PKK
activities. The statement (more than 100 pages) was handed to the Chief
Public Prosecutor at the State Security Court who then gave instructions to
apprehend and interrogate certain people.
343. Some of the applicants immediately accepted having acted
unlawfully. Others refused to sign statements.
344. Mr Yedekçi had not participated in the confrontation sessions
between the applicants and Mr Güven which had taken place in the
interview room. This room was not connected to the closed circuit
television system and, therefore, the confrontations were not recorded on
video. Mr Hüseyin Gaziankep had signed the confrontation documents in
the present case.
345. None of the applicants were blindfolded during interrogations. Nor
did any of them allege having been exposed to ill-treatment or threats during
interrogation.
346. The interrogator would conduct the interview session when a
statement would be typed up following the individual's responses. There
was normal lighting in that room and blindfolds were not used. The
interrogator had no fear of being identified. That was his job.
347. Murat Kirikçi conducted the applicants' interrogation. The
statement procedure did not necessarily occur on the same day as the
interrogation, but was based on the interrogator's notes.
348. Mr Yedekçi did not recall the exact reason why Arif Altinkalem
was detained on 16 November 1993, the same day as Mr Güven's
incriminating statement, even though Mr Altinkalem's name had not
featured in that statement.
349. People were usually told when they were apprehended why they
were being detained and it had to be recorded in the apprehension report.
Although there was no specific mention in any of the applicants'
apprehension reports, they must have been informed orally.
350. If people were unaware of the reason for their detention, his staff
would tell them.
351. The detention area had two floors, with 20 cells, later reduced to 10
after the CPT's intervention. Each cell had metal doors with slits in the