7.  On 3 May 1995 the applicant was arrested by police officers from the Anti-Terror branch of the Ankara Police Headquarters. He was accused of being a member of an illegal organisation, the TDKP/GKB (Türk Devrimci Komünist Partisi/Genç Komünistler Birliği – The Turkish Revolutionary Communist Party/Young Communists' Union). 8.  The applicant alleges that he was beaten, hung by his arms, given electric shocks to his body and threatened with death during his interrogation by the police officers. 9.  On 15 May 1995 the applicant was examined by a doctor at the Ankara Forensic Medicine Institute who noted in his report the presence of numerous differently shaped and coloured bruises on his shoulders, on the left upper part of his fist, his back and thigh. The doctor further noted the presence of four ecchymoses on the applicant's outer gluteal. The applicant was also suffering from pain in his chest. The doctor concluded that the applicant would be unfit for work for five days. 10.  On 15 May 1995 the applicant was questioned by the public prosecutor, Ali Rıza Konuralp, at the Ankara State Security Court. During his questioning the applicant denied the allegations against him and stated that he had signed his statement under duress. The applicant also refused to give a detailed statement, saying that he was suffering from trauma resulting from the severe torture to which he was subjected while in police custody. 11.  On the same day the Ankara State Security Court ordered the applicant's detention on remand. 12.  On 21 July 1995 the applicant submitted a written statement to the public prosecutor at the Ankara State Security Court. The statement reads as follows:
“On 3 May 1995 I was arrested by three plain-clothes men. ... They [later] told me that they were police officers. I was handcuffed and blindfolded. Thirty or forty minutes [after my arrest] I was brought to a deserted area. As soon as they took me out of the car they started beating me. At the same time they were asking me if I was a member of the terrorist organisation. ... They were also asking about the names of the other members. When I told them that I was not a member of the organisation they continued hitting and asking me the same questions again. They took off my clothes and beat me with my belt. This [treatment] continued for three hours. ... Afterwards they put a gun to my head and threatened me with death. I repeated that I had nothing to say. They told me that they would take me to Gölbaşı and that I would get lost there. They also told me that they would not kill me immediately because they wanted me first to suffer. It was getting dark. They put me in the car and drove towards a building, which, I understood afterwards, was the Ankara Police Headquarters. I was dragged into a cell. I do not remember what they were saying because I was unconscious. I only remember them hitting me. After a while they took me out of the cell and brought me into a room called “the room with mirrors”. [My wife was there]. ... They told me that they would let us go if I told them the truth. ... After a while they brought me back to the cell. Two days later they came back to my cell with some papers. They wanted me to sign the papers. After having read the papers I told them that I would not sign the papers because those papers contained untrue statements about my wife and me. They again brought me to the room with mirrors. A.K with whom I was working was there. They told me that A.K and I had been involved in illegal activities. They again asked me to sign the papers. When I refused the allegations they again started beating me. After a while they hung me by my arms. I was unconscious and naked. They squeezed my testicles, hosed me with cold water and gave electric shocks. They were giving pauses at regular intervals. During one of those pauses they brought in my wife and told her to sign the documents. They were torturing and beating my wife in front of me. They took me back to my cell after three or four hours. They again took me to the torture room and asked me if I would sign the papers. When I refused to sign the papers they recommenced the same treatment. I lost consciousness. .... They brought my wife back and started beating her. They told me that I would watch them raping her. When they started to take my wife's clothes off I told them that I would sign all the papers and asked them not to harm my wife. I told my wife to sign all the papers as well and I signed all the papers without having read them.” 13.  On 17 October 1995 the applicant lodged a complaint with the Ankara public prosecutor. He stated that he had been subjected to torture while in custody and requested that the police officers who tortured him be identified and brought to justice. 14.  On 11 December 1995 the applicant appeared before the Ankara Public Prosecutor, Mehmet Bozkurt. He reiterated his allegations before the prosecutor. 15.  On 7 May 1996 the Ankara Public Prosecutor, Ramazan Gündüz, issued a decision based on lack of jurisdiction (görevsizlik kararı). The prosecutor decided to transfer the case-file to the office of the Ankara Governor pursuant to Article 15 of Law no. 3713. 16.  On 24 June 1996 the Ankara State Security Court convicted the applicant for his involvement in an armed gang. The court sentenced him to twelve years and six months' imprisonment under Article 168/2 of the Turkish Criminal Code and Article 5 of Law no. 3713. 17.  On 28 June 1996 Ramazan Er, the chief of police (İl Emniyet Müdürü), appointed Superintendent (başkomiser) Hilmi Eser to conduct an investigation against the police officers who allegedly tortured the applicant. 18.  On 12 July 1996 the police officers Hayati Akça, Ali Tosun, Kadri Tuncer and Osman Menteşe gave statements to Mr Eser. They rejected the allegations of torture, stating that they had collected sufficient evidence to charge the applicant without resorting to torture. They also stated that the applicant was injured during the struggle when he was arrested. The police officers concluded that it was probable that the applicant had intentionally injured himself in order to accuse the police officers of ill-treatment. 19.  On 24 July 1996 the applicant gave a statement to Mr Eser. He reiterated his allegations of torture. 20.  On 18 September 1996 Superintendent Hilmi Eser drafted a recommendation report (fezleke) in which it is stated that, in the light of the statements taken and the relevant evidence in the case-file, there existed no evidence to substantiate that the police officers committed the alleged crime. The report further stated:
“The medical report that the complainant relies on is dated 15 May 1995 and refers to the medical examination carried out before he had been brought before the judge. However, in his statement taken in custody the complainant did not say that he had given this statement under duress and pressure. He also did not mention that he had been subjected to ill-treatment. The complainant lodged his complaints seven months after he was detained on remand. This confirms that the complainant lodged these complaints in order to show himself as a member of the organisation and to attract the sympathy of the other members of the organisation in prison. The bruises on the applicant's fists occurred as a result of the handcuffs. The other bruises occurred because the applicant injured himself in order to accuse the police officers.” 21.  Mr Eser concluded that the police officers had performed their duty with diligence and recommended that no prosecution be brought against them. 22.  On 1 October 1996 the Ankara Provincial Administrative Council (İl İdare Kurulu) decided to commit the accused police officers for trial (lüzum-u muhakemelerine). The Council further decided that the proceedings should be initiated before the Ankara Criminal Court of First Instance (Asliye Ceza Mahkemesi) as the matter fell within the jurisdiction of that court. 23.  The police officers appealed. On 24 November 1998 the Supreme Administrative Court (Danıştay) quashed the decision of the Ankara Provincial Administrative Council of 1 October 1996 on the grounds that it was for the competent public prosecutor to initiate proceedings against the accused police officers. The Supreme Administrative Court concluded that the case-file should be transferred to the office of the competent public prosecutor. 24.  On 25 December 1998 the Ankara public prosecutor filed a bill of indictment with the Ankara Assize Court against the four police officers who allegedly tortured the applicant.  These proceedings are apparently still pending.