İLHAN v. TURKEY JUDGMENT
10
of civil servants, which restricts the public prosecutor's jurisdiction ratione
personae at that stage of the proceedings. In such cases it is for the relevant
local administrative council (for the district or province, depending on the
suspect's status) to conduct the preliminary investigation and, consequently,
to decide whether to prosecute. Once a decision to prosecute has been taken,
it is for the public prosecutor to investigate the case.
An appeal to the Supreme Administrative Court lies against a decision of
the council. If a decision not to prosecute is taken, the case is automatically
referred to that court.
39. By virtue of Article 4, paragraph (i), of Decree no. 285 of 10 July
1987 on the authority of the governor of a state of emergency region, the
1914 Law (see paragraph 38 above) also applies to members of the security
forces who come under the governor's authority.
40. If the suspect is a member of the armed forces, the applicable law is
determined by the nature of the offence. Thus, if it is a “military offence”
under the Military Criminal Code (Law no. 1632), the criminal proceedings
are in principle conducted in accordance with Law no. 353 on the
establishment of courts martial and their rules of procedure. Where a
member of the armed forces has been accused of an ordinary offence, it is
normally the provisions of the Code of Criminal Procedure which apply (see
Article 145 § 1 of the Constitution and sections 9 to 14 of Law no. 353).
The Military Criminal Code makes it a military offence for a member of
the armed forces to endanger a person's life by disobeying an order
(Article 89). In such cases civilian complainants may lodge their complaints
with the authorities referred to in the Code of Criminal Procedure (see
paragraph 36 above) or with the offender's superior.
B. Civil and administrative liability arising out of criminal offences
41. Under section 13 of Law no. 2577 on administrative procedure,
anyone who sustains damage as a result of an act by the authorities may,
within one year after the alleged act was committed, claim compensation
from them. If the claim is rejected in whole or in part or if no reply is
received within sixty days, the victim may bring administrative proceedings.
42. Article 125 §§ 1 and 7 of the Constitution provides:
“All acts or decisions of the authorities are subject to judicial review ...
...
The authorities shall be liable to make reparation for all damage caused by their acts
or measures.”
That provision establishes the State's strict liability, which comes into
play if it is shown that in the circumstances of a particular case the State has
failed in its obligation to maintain public order, ensure public safety or