ELCI AND OTHERS v. TURKEY JUDGMENT
90
not there should be a prosecution (Article 153 of the Code of Criminal
Procedure).
578. In the case of alleged terrorist offences, the Public Prosecutor was
deprived of jurisdiction in favour of a separate system of State Security
Prosecutors and courts established throughout Turkey.
579. If the suspected offender was a civil servant and if the offence was
committed during the performance of his duties, the preliminary
investigation of the case was governed by the Law of 1914 on the
prosecution of civil servants, which restricted the Public Prosecutor's
jurisdiction ratione personae at that stage of the proceedings. In such cases
it was 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 had been taken, it was for the Public Prosecutor to
investigate the case. According to Article 4 (e) of Decree No. 285,
complaints against officers who were subject to the authority of the State of
Emergency Provincial Governor were to be dealt with under the same
procedure.
580. An appeal to the Supreme Administrative Court lay against a
decision of the Council. If a decision not to prosecute was taken, the case
was automatically referred to that court.
581. By virtue of Article 4, paragraph (i), of Legislative Decree No. 285
of 10 July 1987 on the authority of the Governor of a state of emergency
region, the aforementioned 1914 Law also applied to members of the
security forces who came under the Governor's authority.
D. Search and seizure
582. Article 11 of the Law on the State of Emergency and Article 3 of
Decree No. 430 set out the terms and conditions for search and seizure in
the state of emergency region as follows:
“Measures to be taken in cases of violent acts - Article 11
In times of state of emergency declared in accordance with Article 3 § 1 (b) of this
law, the following measures can be taken, in addition to those set out in Article 9, in
order to maintain general security and public order and to prevent the spreading of acts
of violence : ...
c) to conduct a search of persons, their cars and materials and to seize the
incriminating materials to be found which constitute evidence, ...”
“Article 3:- In the provinces which are under the state of emergency ...
d) [The state of emergency Regional Governor], at the request of the security forces
or on his own motion, where delay is deemed prejudicial, can order the conduct of
general searches on roads and in residential neighbourhoods. [He is empowered to