EVROPSKI SUD ZA LJUDSKA PRAVA
VELIKO VEĆE
PREDMET ENERILDIZ protiv TURSKE
(Predstavka br. 48939/99)
PRESUDA
Strazbur
30. novembra 2004. godine
U predmetu Enerildiz protiv Turske, Evropski sud za ljudska prava, zasedajući kao Veliko veće u sledećem sastavu:
g. L. VILDHABER (WILDHABER), predsednik,
g. C. L. ROZAKIS,
g. J.-P. KOSTA (COSTA),
g. G. RES (RESS),
ser NIKOLAS BRACA (NICOLAS BRATZA),
gđa E. PALM,
g. L. LUKAIDES (LOUCAIDES),
g. R. TJURMEN (TÜRMEN),
gđa F. TULKENS,
g. K. JUNGVIRT (JUNGWIERT),
gđa M. CACA-NIKOLOVSKA (TSATSA-NIKOLOVSKA)
gđa H. S. GREVE,
g. A. B. BAKA,
g. M. UGREKHELIDZE,
g. A. KOVLER,
g. V. ZAGREBELSKI (ZAGREBELSKY),
gđa A. MULARONI, sudije,
i g. P. J. MAHONI (MAHONEY), sekretar suda,
nakon većanja na zatvorenim sednicama, 7. maja 2003. godine, 16. juna i 15. septembra 2004. godine, izriče sledeću presudu, donetu poslednjeg pomenutog datuma:
POSTUPAK
Predmet je započet predstavkom (br. 48939/99) protiv Republike Turske koju su Sudu u vezi sa članom 34 Evropske konvencije za zaštitu ljudskih prava i osnovnih sloboda (u daljem tekstu: Konvencija) podnela dva turska državljanina, G. Ahmet Nuri Činar (Çýnar) i G. Mašala Enerildiz (Maþallah Öneryýldýz), 18. januara 1999. godine.
Pozivajući se na članove 2, 8 i 13 Konvencije i na član 1 Protokola br. 1, podnosioci predstavke su tvrdili da su državne vlasti odgovorne za smrt njihovih rođaka i za uništenje njihove imovine kao posledice eksplozije metana 28. aprila 1993. godine na istanbulskoj deponiji smeća Imranije (Ümraniye). Podnosioci su takođe tvrdili da upravni postupak koji je obavljen u vezi s njihovim slučajem nije zadovoljio uslove pravičnosti i suđenja bez odlaganja propisanih stavom 1 člana 6 Konvencije.
Predstavka je dodeljena Prvom odeljenju Suda (pravilo 52, st. 1 Poslovnika Suda). U okviru tog odeljenja, veće u sledećem sastavu: gđa E. Palm, predsednica, gđa W. Tomasen (Thomassen), g. Gaukur Jorundson (Jörundsson), g. R. Tjurmen (Türmen), g. C. Birsan (Bîrsan), g. J. Kazadeval (Casadevall), g. R. Maruste, sudije, i g. M. O’bojl (O’Boyle), sekretar odeljenja, odlučilo je 22. maja 2001. godine da razdvoji tužbe g. Činara i g. Enerildiza i proglasilo predstavku prihvatljivom u odnosu na potonjeg (u daljem tekstu: podnosilac predstavke), i to postupajući u svoje ime, u ime svoja tri preživela sina: Husametina (Hüsamettin), Aidina (Aydýn) i Halefa Enerildiza, koji su u vreme događaja bili maloletni, kao i u ime supruge Gilnaz (Gülnaz) Enerildiz, nevenčane žene Sýdýke Zorlu, i ostale dece: Selehatine (Selahattin), Ýdrisa, Mesuta, Fatme, Zejnepe (Zeynep), Remzije (Remziye) i Abdulkerima Enerildiza.
Nakon održavanja rasprave, 18. juna 2002. godine, veće je izreklo presudu u kojoj je s pet glasova za i dva protiv odlučilo da je postojala povreda člana 2 Konvencije, odlučilo jednoglasno da nije bilo potrebno razmatrati žalbe u vezi sa članom 6 stav 1 i članovima 8 i 13 Konvencije, i sa četiri glasa za i tri protiv, da je postojala povreda člana 1 Protokola br. 1. Uz presudu su priložena i delimično izdvojena mišljenja g. Kazadevala, g. Tjurmena i g. Marusta.
Turska (u daljem tekstu: Država) je 12. septembra 2002. godine, u skladu sa članom 43 Konvencije i pravilom 73 tražila da se predmet uputi Velikom veću. Panel sudija Velikog veća je 6. novembra 2002. godine odlučio da prihvati taj zahtev.
Sastav Velikog veća određen u skladu s članom 27 stavovi 2 i 3 Konvencije i pravilom 24 [Poslovnika Suda].
Pred Velikim većem podnosilac predstavke, koga je zastupala gđa E. Deniz, advokatica iz Istanbula, i kozastupnik Države, gđa D. Akčaj (Akçay), priložile su svoje podneske 7. i 10. marta 2003. godine. Stranke su naknadno Sekretarijatu prosledile dodatna mišljenja i dokumenta kojima su potkrepile svoje stavove.
Javna rasprava održana je u zgradi Suda u Strazburu 7. maja 2003. godine (pravilo 59, st. 3).
Pred Sudom su istupili:
(a) za Državu
gđa D. Akčaj (Akçay), kozastupnica,
g. I. Belet,
gđa G. Acar,
gđa V. SÝrmen,
gđa J. Kalaj (Kalay), savetnici;
(b) za podnosioca predstavke
gđa E. DenÝz, advokatica,
gđa Ş. Ezdemir (ÖzdemÝr), savetnica.
Sudu su se obratile godpođa Deniz i gospođa Akčaj.
ČINJENICE
I. OKOLNOSTI PREDMETA
A. Deponija komunalnog otpada Imranije i oblast u kojoj je živeo podnosilac predstavke
Kada se počelo s korišćenjem deponije, u toj oblasti nije živeo niko, a najbliža naselja su bila udaljena oko tri i po kilometra. Međutim, oko deponije je postepeno nicalo divlje naselje koje je kasnije preraslo u sirotinjsku četvrt Imranije.
Prema službenom planu oblasti Hekimbaši i Kazim Karabekir, koga je sačinila Tehnička služba Mesnog veća Imranije, kuća podnosioca predstavke izgrađena je na uglu ulica Dereboju i Gerze. Taj deo naselja nalazio se odmah pored deponije komunalnog otpada, a od 1978. godine je bio pod kontrolom mesnog gradonačelnika koji je bio podređen mesnom veću.
Deponija Imranije više ne postoji. Mesno veće je dalo da bude nanesen sloj zemlje i da se ugrade odušci. Pored toga, trenutno se radi na pripremi prostornih planova za naselja Hekimbaši i Kazim Karabekir. Mesno veće je na velikom delu bivše deponije zasadilo drveće i izgradilo sportske terene.
B. Koraci koje je preduzelo Mesno veće Imranije
1. 1989. godina
Počevši od 4. decembra te godine, Mesno veće Imranije je otpočelo nanošenje zemlje i otpada na zemljište oko sirotinjske četvrti Imranije u postupku preuređenja lokacije deponije.
Međutim, 15. decembra 1989. godine su M. C. i A. C, građani koji su živeli u naselju Hekimbašý, podneli tužbu protiv mesnog veća Četvrtom odeljenju Okružnog suda u Iskideru da se ustanovi pravo vlasništva nad zemljom. M. C. i A. C. su se žalili na štetu koju su pretrpeli njihovi zasadi i zahtevali prestanak radova. Tužbu su potkrepili podnošenjem dokaza da su od 1977. godine bili obveznici mesnog poreza i poreza na imovinu po poreskom broju 168900. Vlasti su 1983. godine od njih tražile da ispune formular kojim su prijavili zgrade izgrađene bez dozvole kako bi mogli da regulišu vlasništvo nad zgradama i zemljom (vidi dole stav 54). Na njihov zahtev, gradski komunalni vodovod i kanalizacija je 21. avgusta 1989. godine, odredio da se u njihovoj kući ugradi vodomer. Pored toga, računima za električnu energiju je pokazano da su M. C. i A. C. u svojstvu potrošača redovno plaćali iskorišćenu električnu energiju na osnovu očitavanja strujomera koji je ugrađen u tu svrhu.
Okružni sud je 2. maja 1991. godine (predmet br. 1989/1088) presudio u korist M. C. i A. C. i naveo da je postojalo ometanje njihovog korišćenja prava nad ovim zemljištem.
Međutim, Kasacioni sud je ukinuo tu odluku 2. marta 1992. godine; 22. oktobra 1992. godine, Okružni sud je izvršio odluku Kasacionog suda i odbacio tužbe M. C. i A. C.
2. 1991. godina
Zahtev za veštačenjem je zaveden pod brojem 1991/76, a 24. aprila 1991. godine je obrazovana odgovarajuća komisija veštaka koja se sastojala od univerzitetskog profesora ekološkog inženjeringa, katastarskog službenika i medicinskog forenzičara.
Prema izveštaju komisije od 7. maja 1991. godine, ova deponija nije ispunjavala tehničke uslove navedene između ostalog u odredbama 24–27, 30 i 38 Pravilnika od 14. marta 1991. godine, i shodno tome je sadržala niz opasnosti koje bi mogle da izazovu veliki rizik za zdravlje stanovnika doline, posebno onih koji žive u sirotinjskim četvrtima: između brda đubreta i kuća na razdaljini od samo 50 metara nije bilo nikakvog zida ili ograde; deponija nije bila opremljena nikakvim sistemima za sakupljanje, reciklažu, spaljivanje ili pretvaranje u kompost, a nisu postojali ni sistemu za drenažu ili prečišćavanje vode koja otiče. Zaključak veštaka je bio da deponija u Imraniju „izlaže ljude, životinje i životnu sredinu svim vrstama rizika“. U izveštaju je naglašena opasnost od širenja oko 20 različitih zaraznih bolesti, kao i sledeće:
„...U svim deponijama smeća stvaraju se gasovi poput metana, ugljen-dioksida i sumporvodonika. Te supstance moraju da se sakupljaju i ... kontrolisano sagorevaju. Međutim, ova deponija nije opremljena takvim sistemom. Ukoliko se metan meša s vazduhom, u određenom odnosu je ta mešavina podložna eksploziji. Na ovoj lokaciji ne postoji nikakav način da se spreči eksplozija metana koji se stvara raspadanjem [otpada]. Neka nam Bog pomogne, jer bi moglo da dođe do veoma velike štete, imajući u vidu blizinu kuća....“
Izveštaj je predstavljen pomenutim većima 27. maja 1991. godine, a 7. juna 1991. je obavešten guverner i zamoljen da o tome obavesti Ministarstvo zdravlja i Kancelariju za ekologiju predsednika Vlade Republike Turske (u daljem tekstu: Kancelarija za ekologiju).
Budući da nijedna stranka nije podnela odgovarajuće dopunske materijale, postupak je prekinut.
„...Izveštaj koji je sačinila komisija veštaka pokazuje da ovo odlagalište otpada krši Zakon o žitotnoj sredini i Pravilnik o kontroli čvrstog otpada pa time predstavlja opasnost po zdravlje ljudi i životinja. Mere određene odredbama 24, 25, 26, 27, 30 i 38 Pravilnika o kontroli čvrstog otpada moraju da budu izvršene na lokaciji deponije... Ja, dakle, zahtevam da se izvrše neophodne mere ... i da naša kancelarija bude obaveštena o ishodu.“
Zastupnik Gradskog veća Istanbula se 3. novembra 1992. godine usprotivio ovom zahtevu. Naglašavajući napore Gradskog veća da održava saobraćajnice do deponije i da se bori protiv širenja bolesti, pasa lutalica i smrada, zastupnik je posebno naveo da je bio raspisan tender za preuređenje lokacije deponije. Što se tiče zahteva da se deponija privremeno zatvori, zastupnik je ukazao na nedostatak dobre vere Mesnog veća Imranije budući da od svog osnivanja 1987. godine nije bilo uradilo ništa da se dekontaminira lokacija.
Gradsko veće Istanbula je zaista raspisalo tender za izgradnju novih objekata koji bi zadovoljavali savremene stadarde. Prvi ugovor za projektovanje dodeljen je američkoj firmi CVH2M Hill International Ltd, a 21. decembra 1992. godine i 17. februara 1993. godine su određene nove lokacije na evropskoj i azijskoj strani moreuza. Planirano je da projektni radovi budu završeni tokom 1993. godine.
C. Nesreća
D. Postupak pokrenut u ovom predmetu
1. Inicijativa Ministarstva unutrašnjih poslova
Odmah nakon nesreće dva službenika gradske policije su počela rad na utvrđivanju činjenica. Pošto su ispitali oštećene, uključujući i podnosioca predstavke, koji je objasnio da je svoju kuću izgradio 1988. godine, policajci su izvestili da je uništeno ukupno 13 straćara. Istog dana, članovi jedinice za krizne situacije koji je formirala kancelarija guvernera Istanbula su posetili mesto nesreće i ustanovili da je klizište izazvala eksplozija metana.
Sledećeg dana, 29. aprila 1993. godine, Ministarstvo unutrašnjih poslova (u daljem tekstu: Ministarstvo) naložilo je Upravnoj istražnoj jedinici (u daljem tekstu: istražna jedinica) da prouči okolnosti nesreće kako bi se ustanovilo da li bi trebalo pokretati postupak protiv dvojice gradonačelnika, g. Sezena (Sözen) i g. Ektema.
2. Krivičnopravna istraga
Dok je trajao upravni postupak, 30. aprila 1993. godine javni tužilac za Iskider (u daljem tekstu: javni tužilac) je posetio mesto nesreće zajedno s komisijom veštaka sastavljenom od tri profesora niskogradnje s tri različita univerziteta. U svetlu prethodnih razmatranja, tužilac je naložio komisiji da odredi kako bi odgovornost za nesreću mogla da se podeli između javnih vlasti i oštećenih.
Podnosilac predstavke je 6. maja 1993. godine podneo krivičnu prijavu u mesnoj stanici policije. U njoj je naveo: „Ukoliko su vlasti bile te koje su svojim nesavesnim postupanjem izazvale smrt mojih partnerki i dece, podnosim krivičnu prijavu protiv dotičnog ili dotičnih organa.“ Prijava podnosioca predstavke je priložena istražnom dosijeu (br. 1993/6102), koji je javni tužilac već bio samostalno otvorio.
Javni tužilac je 14. maja 1993. godine saslušao nekoliko svedoka i žrtava nesreće. Stručna komisija je 18. maja 1993. godine podnela izveštaj koji je tražio javni tužilac. Komisija je u izveštaju navela, kao prvo, da za to područje nije postojao prostorni plan u razmeri 1:5.000, da urbanistički plan u razmeri 1:1.000 nije bio odobren, i da se većina stambenih jedinica koje su bile zatrpane nalazila izvan područja obuhvaćenog urbanističkim planom, na najdaljoj ivici lokacije deponije. Veštaci su potvrdili da se klizište – koje se dogodilo na zemljištu koje je već bilo nestabilno – moglo objasniti kako rastućim pritiskom gasa unutar deponije tako i eksplozijom tog gasa. Ukazujući na obaveze i dužnosti javnih vlasti u skladu s odgovarajućim propisima, veštaci su zaključili da bi odgovornost za nesreću trebalo podeliti na sledeći način:
„(i) 2/8 odgovornosti pripada Gradskom veću grada Istanbula, zbog propusta da se deluje kako bi se predupredili tehnički problemi koji su već postojali kada je deponija otvorena 1970. godine i postajali sve gori protokom vremena, ili da ukaže mesnim većima na alternativnu lokaciju za deponovanje smeća, na šta je bila obavezno Zakonom br. 3030;
(ii) 2/8 odgovornosti pripada Mesnom veću Imranije zbog realizacije prostornog plana a propuštanja, protivno Pravilnika o kontrolisanju čvrstog otpada (br. 20814), da se obezbedi nenaseljena tampon-zona u širini od 1.000 metara, kao i zbog dopuštanja nezakonite stambene gradnje u dotičnoj oblasti i propuštanja da se spreči ta gradnja, uprkos stručnom izveštaju od 7. maja 1991. godine;
(iii) 2/8 odgovornosti pripada stanovnicima sirotinjskog naselja zbog toga što su ugrozili članove svojih porodica time što su se naselili blizu brda smeća;
(iv) 1/8 odgovornosti pripada Ministarstvu životne sredine zbog propusta da se obezbedi adekvatno nadgledanje deponije u skladu s Pravilnikom o kontrolisanju čvrstog otpada (br. 20814);
(v) 1/8 odgovornosti pripada državi zbog omogućavanja širenja ove vrste naselja višestrukim amnestiranjem nezakonite stambene gradnje i davanjem prava vlasništva nad imovinom stanarima.“
Što se tiče moguće odgovornosti stanara sirotinjskog naselja – uključujući i podnosioca predstavke – koji ne samo da su bili oštećeni, već i okrivljeni prema članu 455 stav 2 Krivičnog zakonika, javni tužilac je izneo mišljenje da kako predmet stoji nije bilo moguće razdvojiti njihove tužbe, imajući u vidu delove 10 i 15 pomenutog zakona.
Kada je 27. maja 1993. godine istražno odeljenje završilo prethodnu istragu, dosije javnog tužioca je prosleđen u Ministarstvo.
3. Ishod upravne istrage u vezi s relevantnim organima
Uzimajući u obzir zaključke sopstvene istrage, istražno odeljenje je 27. maja 1993. godine zatražilo od Ministarstva ovlašćenje da pokrene krivičnu istragu protiv dva gradonačelnika upletena u predmet.
Dan nakon podnošenja tog zahteva, Mesno veće Imranije je izdalo sledeće saopštenje za medije:
„Jedina deponija otpada na azijskoj strani nalazila se usred naše četvrti Imranije kao objekat tihe strave. Taj objekat je prekinuo svoje ćutanje i izazvao smrt. Mi smo to znali i očekivali. Naše mesno veće već četiri godine lupa na sva moguća vrata i zahteva da se deponija ukloni. U Gradskom veću grada Istanbula smo naišli na nezainteresovanost. Gradske vlasti su odustale od rada na dekontaminaciji ... nakon što su svečano položile dve lopate betona. Vladi i ministarstvima su činjenice bile poznate, ali ni oni nisu bili pretereno zaintersovani. Stvar smo predali sudu, i sud je presudio u našu korist, ali pravosudnu mašineriju nije bilo moguće pokrenuti. ... Sada moramo svi da se suočimo sa sopstvenom odgovornošću i svi ćemo za ovo biti odgovorni stanovnicima Imranije ...“
U svetlu istražnog dosijea koji je sakupljen, glavni inspektor je uzeo izjave od g. Sezena i g. Ektema. G. Ektem je između ostalog naveo da je decembra 1989. godine njegovo mesno veće bilo počelo dekontaminaciju u oblasti sirotinjskog naselja Hekimbaši, ali da su radovi prekinuti na zahtev dva mesna stanara (vidi stav 11 gore).
„Naše gradsko veće je kako preduzelo mere koje su neophodne da bi se obezbedilo da postojeće lokacije mogu da se koriste na najmanje štetan način do kraja 1993. godine, tako i završilo sve pripremne radnje za izgradju jednog od najvećih i najsavremenijih objekata ... koji su ikada izgrađeni u našoj zemlji. Takođe radimo na otvaranju privremene deponije koja ispunjava zakonske uslove. Pored toga, u toku su i radovi na obnovi postojećih lokacija [na kraju njihovog žitotnog veka]. Sve u svemu, tokom poslednje tri godine je naše gradsko veće veoma ozbiljno proučavalo problem otpada ... [i] rad se nastavlja ...“
4. Dodeljivanje dotiranog smeštaja podnosiocu predstavke
Po svoj prilici je prva uplata otišla u Kancelariju guvernera Istanbula, koja ju je onda prosledila u Gradsko veće. Podnosilac predstavke je prvu mesečnu ratu platio 9. novembra 1993. godine i uplaćivao rate sve do januara 1996. godine. U međuvremenu je, pre 23. februara 1995. godine, stan izdao licu s inicijalima H. O. za iznos od TRL 2.000.000 mesečno. Koliko je poznato, počevši od januara 1996. godine, vlasti su morale da primene izvršni postupak kako bi prikupile zakasnele rate.
Podnosilac predstavke je 24. marta 1998. godine, a do tada bio isplatio ceo iznos duga Gradskom veću, dao pred javnim beležnikom izjavu u kojoj se obavezao da stan proda licu s inicijalima E. B. za gotovinski ulog od 20.000 nemačkih maraka.
5. Krivični postupak protiv relevantnih organa
G. Sezen i g. Ektem su podneli žalbu na odluku Vrhovnom upravnom sudu, koji je žalbu odbacio 18. januara 1995. godine. Dosije slučaja je nakon toga vraćen javnom tužiocu, koji je 30. marta 1995. godine, pokrenuo postupak pred Petim odeljenjem Krivičnog suda u Istanbulu.
G. Ektem je naveo da su straćare koje su stradale podignute pre nego što je on bio izabran 26. marta 1989. godine i da on nakon tog datuma nikada nije dozvolio širenje sirotinjskih naselja. Optuživši Gradsko veće grada Istanbula i Kancelariju guvernera za nezainteresovanost za ove probleme, g. Ektem je naveo da su za sprečavanje nezakonite gradnje odgovorni službenici šumarskih službi i da, u svakom slučaju, njegovo mesno veće nije imalo osoblje koje je bilo potrebno da bi se srušile takve zgrade.
Sudije su svoj zaključak zasnovale naročito na dokaznom materijalu sakupljenom tokom opsežne krivične istrage obavljene od 29. aprila 1993. do 9. jula 1993. godine (vidi gore stavove 19 i 28). Iz presude od 30. novembra 1995. godine takođe proizilazi da su sudije u postupku određivanja udela odgovornosti svih relevantnih organa bez oklevanja potvrdile nalaze izveštaja veštaka sačinjenog upravo za ovu namenu na zahtev javnog tužioca a koji je postojao od 18. maja 1993. godine (vidi gore stav 23).
Sudije su navele:
„...mada su bili upoznati s izveštajem [veštaka], dvojica okrivljenih nisu preduzeli odgovarajuće preventivne mere. Baš kao što bi lice koje puca u grupu ljudi trebalo da zna da će neko poginuti i shodno tome ne može da tvrdi da je delovalo bez namere da ubije, okrivljeni u ovom predmetu ne mogu da tvrde da nisu nameravali da zapostave svoje dužnosti. Pa ipak, nije sva odgovornost na njima. ... Oni su bili nemarni, ali su to bili i drugi. U ovom slučaju glavna greška se sastoji od podizanja zgrada na padini ispod deponije smeća, a odgovorni su stanovnici ovih sirotinjskih naselja. Trebalo je da uzmu u obzir opasnost da se brdo đubreta jednog dana obruši njima na glavu i da će pretrpeti štetu. Nisu smeli da grade kuće pedeset metara od deponije. Zbog svoje nepromišljenosti su platili svojim životima...“
Odeljenje je g. Sezena i g. Ektema osudilo na minimalne zatvorske kazne propisane članom 230 Krivičnog zakonika – tri meseca zatvora – kao i na novčane kazne od 160.000 turskih lira (TRL). U skladu sa članom 4 (1) Zakona br. 647, Odeljenje je zatvorske kazne zamenilo novčanim, tako da su konačne kazne bile novčane, u iznosu od TRL 610.000. Odeljenje je navelo da ne očekuje da će okrivljeni ponoviti delo pa je preinačilo kazne u uslovne, u skladu sa članom 6 toga zakona.
Gradonačelnici su podneli žalbe zbog pogrešno ili nepotpuno utvrđenog materijalnog prava. Naveli su da je Peto odeljenje Krivičnog suda u Istanbulu izašlo izvan opsega člana 230 Krivičnog zakonika u procenjivanju činjenica, i da je predmet posmatralo kao slučaj ubistva iz nehata u smislu člana 455 Zakonika.
U presudi od 10. novembra 1997. godine, Kasacioni sud je potvrdio presudu prvostepenog suda.
6. Upravni postupak podnosioca predstavke
Podnosilac predstavke se 3. septembra 1993. godine obratio Mesnom veću Imranije, Gradskom veću Istanbula i ministarstvima unutrašnih poslova i životne sredine sa zahtevom za naknadu materijalne i nematerijalne štete. Zahtev je sastojao od TRL 150.000.000 u naknadi za gubitak stana i kučnih stvari; TRL 2.550.000.000, TRL 10.000.000, TRL 15.000.000 i TRL 20.000.000 naknade za gubitak novčane potpore koji su pretrpeli on i tri preživela sina, Hisametin, Ajdin i Halef; kao i TRL 900.000.000 za sebe i TRL 300.000.000 za svakoga od svoja tri sina u vezi s nematerijalnom štetom proisteklom iz smrti članova njihove porodice.
Pismima od 16. septembra i 2. novembra 1993. godine, gradonačenik Imranije i ministar za životnu sredinu su odbacili zahteve podnosioca predstavke. Ostali organi nisu odgovorili na zahtev.
Podnosilac predstavke je nakon toga podneo Upravnom sudu u Istanbulu (u daljem tekstu: sud) odštetni zahtev protiv pomenuta četiri organa u svoje ime i u ime troje preživele dece. U svom zahtevu on je naveo da su njihovi propusti učinjeni nesavesnim postupanjem imali za posledicu smrt članova njegove porodice i uništenje njegove kuće i kućnih stvari, i još jednom zatražio pomenute iznose novca.
Podnosiocu predstavke je 4. januara 1994. godine dodeljena besplatna pravna pomoć.
Drugi iznos, koji je određen po pravičnom osnovu, ograničen je na uništenje kućnih predmeta osim električnih uređaja, koje podnosilac predstavke nije trebalo da poseduje. Po ovom pitanju se čini da je sud prihvatio argument tuženih organa da „kuće nisu imale ni vodu ni struju“. Sud je odbacio ostatak odštetnog zahteva, navodeći da podnosilac predstavke nije mogao da tvrdi da je bio lišen novčane potpore budući da je bio delimično odgovoran za nastalu štetu i da su žrtve bile mala deca ili domaćice koje nisu imale plaćeno zaposlenje čime bi doprinosile porodičnim prihodima. Sud je takođe naveo da podnosilac predstavke nije imao pravo da traži naknadu štete za uništenje svoje straćare jer mu je nakon nesreće dodeljen dotiran stan i zato što, mada Mesno veće Imranije nije iskoristilo svoje ovlašćenje da sruši kuću, nije postojalo ništa što bi sprečilo da to uradi u bilo kom trenutku.
Na kraju, sud je odlučio da ne primeni zateznu kamatu na iznos dodeljen za nematerijalnu štetu.
Predstavka Gradskog veća Istanbula za ispravku presude takođe nije bila uspešna, i presuda je postala pravosnažna i uručena je podnosiocu predstavke 10. avgusta 1998. godine.
7. Ishod krivičnog postupka protiv stanovnika sirotinjskog naselja
Ministarstvo pravde je 22. aprila 2003. godine obavestilo Javno tužilaštvo u Istanbulu da nije bilo moguće okončati krivičnu istragu protiv stanovnika sirotinjskog naselja, da je jedina odluka u vezi s njima bila rešenje od 21. maja 1993. godine o odbacivanju nadležnosti, i da će optužba protiv njih zastareti 28. aprila 2003. godine.
Shodno prethodnom, 24. aprila 2003. godine javni tužilac Istanbula je odlučio da suspenduje pokretanje krivične istrage protiv stanovnika, uključujući i podnosioca predstavke, a četiri dana kasnije je nastupila zastara krivičnog postupka.
II. RELEVANTNO DOMAĆE PRAVO I PRAKSA
A. Tursko krivično pravo
Član 230 stavovi 1 i 3
„Državni službenik koji u vršenju službene dužnosti, ... postupi nesavesno i odloži ili bez valjanog razloga odbije da izvrši zakonit nalog ... pretpostavljenog lica kazniće se zatvorskom kaznom u trajanju od tri meseca do jedne godine i novčanom kaznom od 6.000 do 30.000 turskih lira.
...
U svakom ... slučaju, ukoliko treća strana pretrpi štetu zbog nesavesnog postupanja ili kašnjenja dotičnog državnog službenika, on će takođe biti obavezan da nadoknadi takvu štetu.“
Član 455 stavovi 1 i 2
„Lice koje nebrigom, nesavesnim postupanjem ili nedostatkom iskustva u sopstvenoj profesiji ili zanatu, ili nepoštovanjem zakona ili neizvršavanjem naređenja ili naloga, izazove smrt drugog lica kazniće se kaznom zatvora u trajanju od dve do pet godina i novčanom kaznom u iznosu od 20.000 do 150.000 turskih lira.
Ako je delom izazvana smrt više lica ili smrt jednog lica i ranjavanje jednog ili više drugih lica ... učinilac će se kazniti kaznom zatvora u trajanju od četiri do deset godina i visokom novčanom kaznom u iznosu od najmanje 60.000 turskih lira.“
Član 29 stav 8
„Sud ima punu slobodu u određivanju glavne kazne, u rasponu između najlakše i najteže kazne, uzimajući u obzir činioce kao što su okolnosti pod kojima je krivično delo izvršeno, sredstva koja su korišćena u izvršenju, značaj i ozbiljnost dela, vreme i mesto gde je učinjeno, razna posebna obeležja dela, stepen ozbiljnosti štete koja je načinjena i [nastalu] opasnost, stepen namere da se počini [krivično] delo ..., razloge i motive za delo, cilj, podatke o prethodnoj krivičnoj evidenciji, lični i društveni položaj izvršioca i njegovo ponašanje nakon [izvršenog] dela. Čak i kada se odredi najlakša kazna, razlozi za određivanje takve kazne moraju da budu izneti u presudi.“
Član 59
„Ako sud ustanovi da pored zakonskih olakšavajućih okolnosti postoje i druge okolnosti u korist umanjivanja kazne [izrečene] izvršiocu, dužan je da smrtnu kaznu zameni kaznom doživotnog zatvora, a kaznu doživotnog zatvora kaznom zatvora u trajanju od trideset godina.
Sud je dužan da druge kazne umanji za najmanje jednu šestinu.“
Član 4 (1)
„Sud može, uzimajući u obzir ličnost i položaj okrivljenog i okolnosti u kojima je izvršeno krivično delo, da zameni kratkotrajne zatvorske kazne, ali ne i zatvorske kazne dužeg trajanja:
1. visokom novčanom kaznom ... u iznosu od 5.000 do 10.000 turskih lira po danu;
...“
Član 6 (1)
„Ukoliko licu kome prethodno nisu izricane ... druge kazne osim novčanih... bude izrečena novčana kazna ... i/ili zatvorska kazna u trajanju od [do] jedne godine, sud može da odloži izvršenje ako se uveri da [izvršilac], uzimajući u obzir njegovu sklonost ka kršenju zakona, neće ponoviti krivično delo ukoliko mu je kazna zamenjena uslovnom na ovaj način ...“
Protiv odluke veća može se podneti žalba Vrhovnom upravnom sudu. Ako se odluči da se ne pokreće krivični postupak, taj sud automatski preuzima slučaj.
Tursko krivično pravo daje podnosiocima krivičnih prijava mogućnost da intervenišu u krivičnoj istrazi. Član 365 Zakonika o krivičnom postupku sadrži odredbu prema kojoj podnosioci krivičnih prijava i sva druga lica koja smatraju da su oštećena izvršenjem krivičnog dela mogu da podnesu zahtev da se pridruže postupku koji je već pokrenut od strane javnog tužioca u svojstvu „umešanih stranaka“, i shodno tome da deluju uz optužbu. Nakon što pribavi mišljenje javnog tužioca, sud je dužan da odluči o prihvatljivosti zahteva za pridruživanje postupku u svojstvu umešane stranke (čl. 366 Zakonika o krivičnom postupku).
U slučaju da zahtev bude odobren, umešana stranka može između ostalog da traži obeštečenje štete izazvane krivičnim delom kao neposredno oštećeni. Ova mogućnost, koja je slična odredbama o „tužbama građanskih stranaka“ ili „privatnim tužbama“ koje postoje u zakonodavstvima mnogih država članica Saveta Evrope, ipak podleže određenim strogim pravilima. U praksi Kasacionog suda, da bi bila doneta odluka o obeštećenju kao posledica izvršenja krivičnog dela, ne samo da oštećeni mora da podnese zahtev da se prudruži postupku u svojstvu umešane stranke, već je oštećeni dužan da izričito traži pravo na obeštećenje. Prema turskom pravu, takav zahtev se ne smatra sastavnim delom zahteva za učešće u svojstvu zainteresovane strane. Odštetni zahtev ne mora da bude podnet istovremeno sa zahtevom za učešće u svojstvu umešane stranke; može da se podnese i kasnije, pod uslovom da nije već bio podnet nikakav odštetni zahtev pred građanskim ili upravnim sudom. Pored toga, svi odštetni zahtevi u smislu člana 358 (ili čl. 365 st. 2) Zakonika o krivičnom postupku moraju da budu precizni i obrazloženi, jer su u ocenjivanju takvih zahteva krivični sudovi obavezni da primene relevantna pravila građanskog prava, uključujući zabranu dodeljivanja iznosa višeg od zahtevanog. Da bi sud odlučio u korist prava trećeg lica na naknadu štete, neophodna je osuđujuća presuda za okrivljenog.
B. Upravna i građanska pravna sredstva protiv države
1. Upravni postupak
Organizaciju upravnih sudova i položaj sudija u njima reguliše Zakon o upravnim sudovima (ovlašćenja i sastav) (Zakon br. 2576) od 6. januara 1982. godine i Zakon o Vrhovnom upravnom sudu (Zakon br. 2575).
2. Građanski postupak
Međutim, prema članu 13 Zakona o državnim službenicima (Zakon br. 657), lice koje je pretrpelo štetu kao posledicu dela učinjenog u vršenju dužnosti regulisanih javnim pravom može, u teoriji, podneti tužbu jedino protiv državnog organa koji je poslodavac državnog službenika koji je u pitanju ali ne i protiv samog državnog službenika (čl. 129 st. 5 Ustava i čl. 55 i 100 Zakona o obligacionim odnosima). Međutim, ovo nije apsolutno pravilo. U slučajevima kada se ustanovi da je u pitanju delikt ili krivično delo, te stoga više nije „upravno“ delo ili akt, građanski sud može da dozvoli tužbu za naknadu štete protiv državnog službenika koji je u pitanju, bez prejudiciranja prava oštećenog da tuži organ po osnovu zajedničke odgovornosti u svojstvu službenikovog poslodavca (čl. 50 Zakona o obligacionim odnosima).
C. Izvršenje odluka suda od strane državnih organa
„Organi izvršne i zakonodavne vlasti kao i javni organi su dužni da postupe po odlukama sudova; oni ne smeju ni na koji način izmenjivati odluke sudova ili odlagati njihovo izvršenje.“
Članom 28 stav 2 Zakona o upravnom postupku je propisano:
„Odluke kojima je odlučivano o tužbama po upravnom pravu a koje se tiču određenog iznosa izvršavaće se ... u skladu s odredbama običnih zakona.“
Članom 82 (1) Zakona o izvršenju i stečaju (Zakon br. 2004) je propisano da se imovina države i imovina koja je označena kao nezaplenjiva ne može zaplenjivati. Članom 19 (7) Zakona o opštinama (Zakon br. 1580 od 3. aprila 1930) je propisano da se imovina opština može zaplenjivati samo ako nije namenjena za javnu uoptrebu.
Prema turskoj pravnoj teoriji u ovoj oblasti, iz pomenutih odredaba sledi da ako državni organi ne postupe u skladu s pravosnažnom i izvršivom sudskom odlukom kojom je određeno obeštećenje, zainteresovana stranka može da pokrene izvršni postupak po običnim zakonima. U tom slučaju je nadležna ustanova ovlašćena da odredi protiv državnih organa mere propisane Zakonom br. 2004, mada je zaplena veoma redak slučaj.
D. Propisi koji regulišu nezakonitu gradnju i odlagališta komunalnog otpada
1. Ustav
Član 56
„Svako ima pravo da živi u zdravom i uravnoteženom okruženju.
Čuvanje i unapređenje životne sredine i sprečavanje zagađivanja životne sredine su dužnost države i građana.
U cilju obezbeđenja zdravih uslova za život za sve u fizičkom i psihičkom pogledu, ... država ima obavezu da osnuje zdravstvene ustanove i reguliše usluge koje one pružaju.
Država izvršava ovaj zadatak koristeći zdravstvene i socijalne ustanove kako u javnom tako i u privatnom sektoru. ...“
Član 57
„Država preuzima odgovarajuće mere kako bi zadovojila stambene potrebe putem plana koji uzima u obzir osobine gradova i uslove životne sredine; takođe je dužna da podržava zajedničke stambene projekte.“
Član 65
„Država izvršava zadatke određene Ustavom u socijalnoj i privrednoj oblasti, u okviru novčanih ograničenja i obezbeđujući neprekidnu ekonomsku stabilnost.“
2. Sirotinjska naselja i zakonski propisi u vezi s njima
Podaci i dokumentacija koji se nalaze u Sudu pokazuju da od 1960. godine, kada su stanovnici siromašnijih područja započeli masovnu migraciju u bogatije krajeve, Tursku stalno muči problem sirotinjskih naselja, koja se sastoje uglavnom od zgrada od čvrstog materijala kojima se ubrzo dograđuju spratovi. Koliko je poznato preko jedne trećine stanovništva živi u takvim zgradama. Veštaci koji dobro poznaju ovaj problem tvrde da ovakva naselja nisu nastala samo kao posledica nedostataka u oblasti urbanizma ili pak neadekvatnog rada gradske policije. Oni ukazuju na preko osamnaest zakona o amnestiji koji su doneti u dužem periodu da bi se regulisala sirotinjska naselja kao i, kako kažu, da bi se zadovoljili potencijalni birači iz takvih divljih naselja.
Slede najvažnije odredbe turskog prava u vezi sa sprečavanjem izgradnje divljih naselja.
Članom 15 (2) (19) Zakona o opštinama (Zakon br. 1580 od 3. aprila 1930. godine) je propisano da mesna veća sprečavaju i zabrane izgradnju bilo kakvih zgrada ili objekata koje krše relevantne zakonske i ostale propise zbog toga što su izgrađene bez dozvole ili predstavljaju opasnost za zdravlje građana, javni red i mir.
Članom 18 Zakona br. 775 od 20. jula 1966. godine je propisano da nakon što zakon stupi na snagu sve zgrade bez dozvole, bilo da su već naseljene ili u postupku izgradnje, moraju da budu odmah uništene bez potrebe da se donosi bilo kakvo rešenje. Za izvršenje ovih mera su odgovorni organi uprave, koji imaju pravo na podršku bezbednosnih organa, kao i na druga sredstva države. Što se tiče zgrada podignutih pre nego što je zakon stupio na snagu, članom 21 je propisano da pod određenim uslovima stanovnici sirotinjskih naselja mogu da otkupe zemljište koje koriste i da uzmu zajmove s povoljnim kamatama kako bi mogli da podignu zgrade koje su u skladu s propisima i urbanističkim planovima. Naseobine na koje se odnose odredbe člana 21 su označene kao „zone sanacije i čišćenja sirotinjskih naselja“ a s njima se postupa u skladu s akcionim planom.
Prema odredbama Zakona br. 1990 od 6. maja 1976. godine, kojim je dopunjen Zakon br. 775, zgrade podignute bez dozvole pre 1. novembra 1976. godine se smatraju pokrivenima pomenutim članom 21 Zakonom br. 2981 od 24. februara 1984. godine, o zgradama koje ne ispunjavaju uslove ustanovljene zakonskim propisima o sirotinjskim naseljima i urbanizmu, takođe su propisane mere koje treba preduzeti za konzerviranje, regulaciju, sanaciju i rušenje zgrada podignutih bez dozvole pre tog datuma.
Što se tiče javne imovine, članom 18 (2) Zakona o katastru (Zakon br. 3402) od 21. juna 1987, propisano je:
„Zajednička imovina, ... šume, prostorije koje su na raspolaganju države, koje su namenjene za javnu upotrebu, kao i nekretnine koje se vraćaju državi u skladu s odgovarajućim zakonskim propisima, ne može biti stečena održajem, čak i kada ta imovina nije registrovana u katastru.“
Mesne vlasti su obavezne da sačine planove korišćenja zemljišta i planove realizacije u vezi s imovinom koja im je preneta u skladu s pomenutim zakonom.
3. Deponije komunalnog otpada i propisi u vezi s istima
Na osnovu obredbi 5 i 22 Pravilnika o kontroli čvrstog otpada, objavljenog u Službenom glasniku od 14. marta 1991. godine, mesna veća su odgovorna za organizovanje korišćenja deponija smeća i preduzimanje svih mera koje su neophodne da se obezbedi da njihova upotreba ne čini štetu životnoj sredini i zdravlju ljudi i životinja. Odredbom 31 gradska veća su ovlašćena da izdaju dozvole za rad deponija smeća na teritoriji mesnih veća u njihovoj nadležnosti.
Pravilnikom je određeno da nije dozvoljeno otvarati deponije smeća na bliže od 1.000 metara od stambenih naselja, i da nakon što deponija počne s radom nikakva stambena gradnja ne sme biti dozvoljena oko oboda lokacija (odredba 24) kao i da lokacija mora da bude ograđena (odredba 25). Što se tiče kontrole biogasa, odredbom 27 je previđeno sledeće:
„Mešavine azota, amonijaka, sumporvodonika, ugljendioksida i posebno metana koje nastaju iz mikrobiološkog raspadanja organskih materija koje se nalaze u otpadu ... i mogu da dovedu do eksplozija ili trovanja moraju se sakupljati vertikalnim i vodoravnim sistemom drenaže i oslobađati u vazduh na kontrolisani način, ili upotrebljavati za proizvodnju energije.“
[Evropskom] sudu su na raspolaganju sledeći podaci u vezi s opasnošću od eksplozije metana na takvim lokacijama: metan (CH4) i ugljendioksid (CO2) su dva glavna proizvoda metanogeneze, koja je poslednja i najduža faza anaerobne fermentacije (procesa koji se odvija bez prisustva vazduha). Ova jedinjenja se stvaraju između ostalog biološkim i hemijskim raspadanjem otpada. Opasnosti od eksplozije ili požara su uglavnom posledica velikog udela metana u biogasu. Opasnost od eksplozije postoji kada je udeo CH4 u vazduhu između 5% i 15%. Kada taj procenat pređe 15%, metan će se zapaliti, ali neće eksplodirati.
Iz raznih propisa i preporuka koji su na snazi u zemljama članicama Saveta Evrope u vezi s postupanjem s komunalnim otpadom i radom gradskih deponija smeća vidi se da su glavni prioriteti odgovarajućih komunalnih službi sledeći: izolovanje deponija otpada lociranjem na određenoj minimalnoj razdaljini od stambenih naselja; sprečavanje rizika od klizišta izgradnjom čvrstih nasipa i korišćenjem raznih tehnika sabijanja otpada; kao i sprečavanje rizika od požara i eksplozija biogasa.
U pogledu trećeg od pomenutih prioriteta, preporučeni metod dekontaminacije deponija sastoji se od postavljanja sistema drenaže fermentacionih gasova kojim se gasovi ispumpavaju i obrađuju biološkim filterom dok deponija normalno funkcioniše. Sistem ove vrste za crpljenje gasa, koji je predviđen Pravilnikom od 14. marta 1991. godine koji je bio na snazi u Turskoj, sastoji se od perforiranih vertikalnih cevi koje se postavljaju u otpad bušenjem ili od vodoravnih drenažnih cevi koje se ukopavaju u otpad, sistema odvođenja gasa, biološkog filtera i mreže cevi za isisavanje.
III. RELEVANTNI PROPISI SAVETA EVROPE
Trebalo bi takođe pomenuti i Konvenciju o građanskoj odgovornosti za štetu nastalu usled aktivnosti koje su opasne za životnu sredinu (ETS No. 150 – Lugano, 21. jun 1993. godine) kao i Konvenciju o zaštiti životne sredine putem krivičnog prava (ETS No. 172 – Strazbur, 4. novembar 1998. godine), koje su do sada potpisale, prvu devet, a drugu trinaest država.
Iz ovih dokumenata proizilazi da osnovnu odgovornost za obradu komunalnog smeća imaju lokalne vlasti, kojima su državni organi dužni da pruže novčanu i tehničku pomoć. Rad deponija za trajno odlaganje otpada kojima upravljaju organi javne vlasti smatra se „opasnom delatnošću“, a „gubitak života“ koji bi bio posledica odlaganja otpada na takvoj lokaciji smatra se „štetom“ koja povlači odgovornost državnih organa (vidi između ostalog, Konvenciju iz Lugana, čl. 2 st. 1 (c)–(d) i 7 (a)–(b)).
U vezi s tim, Konvencija iz Strazbura poziva potpisnice da usvoje mere „koje su neophodne kako bi se dela u vezi s odlaganjem, obradom, skladištenjem ... opasnog otpada koji izaziva smrt ili će verovatno izazvati smrt ili ozbiljne povrede bilo kog lica ... odrede kao krivična dela“, i predviđa da takva dela mogu takođe biti izvršena „iz nehata“ (čl. 2 do 4). Mada ovaj dokumenat još uvek nije na snazi, on je u velikoj meri usklađen s postojećim trendom sve strožijeg kažnjavanja za dela kojima se pričinjava šteta životnoj sredini, što je nerazdvojivo povezano s ugrožavanjem ljudskih života (vidi, na primer, Okvirnu odluku Saveta Evropske unije br. 2003/80 od 27. januara 2003. godine i predlog Evropske komisije od 13. marta 2001. godine, dopunjen 30. septembra 2002. godine, za direktivu o krivičnopravnoj zaštiti životne sredine).
Članom 6 Konvencije iz Strazbura takođe je predviđeno usvajanje neophodnih mera za krivično kažnjavanje za ova krivična dela kaznama koje uzimaju u obzir ozbiljnu prirodu dela; te kazne moraju da obuhvate i zatvorske kazne za počinioce.
PRAVO
I. NAVODNA POVREDA ČLANA 2 KONVENCIJE
„1. Pravo na život svake osobe zaštićeno je zakonom. Niko ne može biti namerno lišen života, sem prilikom izvršenja presude suda za zločin za koji je ova kazna previđena zakonom.
...“
A. Primenljivost
1. Presuda veća
2. Podnesci onih koji su nastupili pred Sudom
Država je iznela stav da je zaključak veća da je član 2 primenljiv na „sve situacije nenamerne smrti“ doveo do proširenja obaveza činjenja te odredbe koje je bez presedana. Stav Države je bio da je rezonovanje veća odstupalo od stava koji je Sud zauzeo u sličnim skorašnjim predmetima, na primer Mastromatteo v. Italy ([GC], br. 37703/99, ECHR 2002–VIII), i da nije bio podržan predmetima na koji se pozvao, posebno predmetom Osman v. the United Kingdom (presuda od 28. oktobra 1998, Reports 1998–VIII) i predmetom Calvelli and Ciglio (gore pomenutog), u kojima nije bilo nađeno nikakvo kršenje člana 2.
Država je na raspravi tvrdila da odgovornost države za dela koja nisu mogla da se neposredno pripišu njenim predstavnicima nije mogla da se proširi tako da obuhvati sve događaje ili nesreće i da u datim okolnostima tumačenje Suda u pogledu primenljivosti člana 2 ne bi trebalo da bude ni teleološko niti široko, već da bi trebalo da ostane restriktivno. U protivnom, mogao bi se izvući zaključak da bi sama činjenica da je neko blizu aerodroma, nuklearne elektrane ili fabrike municije, ili pak jednostavno izložen hemikalijama, mogla da izazove potencijalnu povredu člana 2.
Podnosilac predstavke je tvrdio da su nečinjenje iz nehatna državnih vlasti bez sumnje u okviru područja primene člana 2 Konvencije, budući da je njihova posledica bila smrt članova njegove porodice, i da u podnescima Države nije bilo ničega što bi opovrglo taj zaključak.
3. Procena Suda
Posmatrajući argumente stranaka u celini, Sud ponavlja, kao prvo, da je njegov pristup tumačenju člana 2 vođen idejom da cilj i svrha Konvencije kao instrumenta zaštite pojedinaca zahteva da se njene odredbe tumače i primenjuju na takav način da njene zaštitne mehanizme učine praktičnim i delotvornim (vidi, na primer, predmet Yaşa v.Turkey,presuda od 2. septembra 1998. godine, Reports 1998–VI, str. 2429, st. 64).
U ovom predmetu je pred Sudom žalba da državne vlasti nisu učinile sve što bi se od njih moglo očekivati da spreče smrt članova porodice podnosioca predstavke u nesreći 28. aprila 1993. godine u deponiji smeća Imranije, koja je radila pod kontrolom državnih organa.
U vezi s ovim, Sud ponavlja da se član 2 ne odnosi samo na smrtne slučajeve koji se tiču upotrebe sile od strane predstavnika države, već on takođe, u prvoj rečenici prvog stava, propisuje obavezu činjenja država da preduzimaju odgovarajuće mere da zaštite živote onih koji su u njihovoj nadležnosti (vidi, na primer, L. C. B. v. the United Kingdom, vidi gore, str. 1403, st. 36, i predmet Paul and Audrey Edwards v. the United Kingdom, br. 46477/99, st. 54, ECHR 2002–II).
Sud smatra da bi ovu obavezu trebalo tumačiti tako da je primenljiva u kontekstu bilo koje aktivnosti, javne ili neke druge, u kojoj može biti ugroženo pravo na život, i a fortiori u slučaju industrijskih delatnosti, koje su po samoj svojoj prirodi opasne, kao što je na primer rad deponija smeća („opasne delatnosti“ – vidi gore stavove 59–60 za relevantne evopske standarde).
U slučajevima kada su institucije Konvencije morale da ispituju navode o kršenju prava na zaštitu života u takvim slučajevima, one nikada nisu presuđivale da član 2 nije bio primenljiv. Sud upućuje na primer na predmete koji su se ticali izbacivanja otrovnih materija iz fabrike veštačkih đubriva (Guerra and Others, vidi gore, str. 228–29, st. 60 i 62) ili atomskih proba (L. C. B. v. the United Kingdom, vidi gore, str. 1403, st. 36).
U vezi s ovim, nasuprot onome što izgleda da Država tvrdi, štetnost fenomena svojstvenih delatnosti koja je u pitanju, nepredvidivost opasnosti kojoj je bio izložen podnosilac predstavke bilo kakvim okolnostima koji ugrožavaju život, položaj onih koji su učestvovali u stvaranju takvih okolnosti, i da li su dela ili propusti koji su njima pripisivi namerni ili nisu predstavljaju samo neke od činilaca među svim onima koji moraju biti uzeti u obzir u ocenjivanju suštine datog slučaja, u cilju određivanja moguće odgovornosti države po članu 2 (ibid., str. 1403–04, st. 37–41).
Sud će se vratiti na ova pitanja kasnije.
Sve u svemu, Sud smatra da tužba podnosioca predstavke (vidi stav 70) nesumnjivo spada u okvir prve rečenice člana 2, koji je dakle primenljiv u ovom predmetu.
B. Postupanje u skladu s Konvencijom
1. Presuda veća
Veće je primetilo da su u ovom predmetu relevantni državni organi ne samo odbili da učine bilo kakav stvaran napor da spreče ozbiljne rizike [u radu deponije] navedene u izveštaju veštaka od 7. maja 1991. godine, već nisu preduzeli ništa da odvrate podnosioca predstavke od stanovanja blizu deponije od koje je dolazila opasnost. Veće je takođe primetilo da su državne vlasti propustile da izvrše svoju dužnost da obaveste stanovnike četvrti Kazim Karabekir o opasnostima koje im prete ako nastave da žive pored deponije. Veće je našlo da postoji uzročno-posledična veza između propusta iz nehata pripisivih turskim vlasima, s jedne strane, i nesreće koja se dogodila 28. aprila 1993. godine i gubitka ljudskih života u njoj, s druge strane. Shodno tome, veće je zaključilo da se u ovom predmetu ne bi moglo reći da su turske vlasti uradile sve što bi se razumno moglo očekivati od njih kako bi sprečile materijalizaciju realnih opasnosti po živote stanovnika nekih sirotinjskih naselja u četvrti Imranije.
Veće je onda ispitalo žalbu u vezi s propustima turskih krivičnih i upravnih sudova u svetlu „proceduralnih obaveza“ po članu 2, kako bi procenilo da li bi se moglo smatrati da je podnosilac predstavke dobio zadovoljenje u pogledu svojih tužbi.
Što se tiče krivičnog postupka u ovom predmetu, veće je iznelo stav da se on ne bi mogao smatrati „adekvatnim“ u pogledu navoda o kršenju prava na život podnosioca predstavke, jer je njihova jedina svrha bila da se ustanovi da li bi vlasti mogle smatrati odgovornim za „nesavesno postupanje u vršenju službene dužnosti,“ a ne za smrt građana u nesreći.
Što se tiče upravnog postupka za obeštećenje, veće je iznelo stav, prvo, da je postojala povreda zahteva blagovremenosti jer je pravo na obeštećenje podnosioca predstavke bilo prihvaćeno tek četiri godine, jedanaest meseci i deset dana pošto su njegovi prvobitni odštetni zahtevi bili odbačeni. Veće je takođe primetilo da podnosiocu predstavke konačno jeste bila dodeljena naknada štete, ali da ona nije nikada bila isplaćena.
Veće je zaključilo da se za pravna sredstva koja su korišćena na nacionalnom nivou, čak i ako bismo ih posmatrali u celini, ne bi u posebnim okolnostima ovog slučaja moglo reći da su predstavljala adekvatno zadovoljenje za tužbe podnosioca predstavke prema članu 2 Konvencije.
2. Podnesci onih koji su nastupili pred Sudom
(a) Država
U vezi s tim, iznet je stav da bi države trebalo da rešavaju probleme i iznalaze rešenja za njih u kontekstu opštih mera, i da one nemaju nikakvu obavezu da preduzimaju preventivne mere tamo gde nije u pitanju trenutna opasnost u smislu prakse Suda.
Što se tiče slučajeva nesavesnog postupanja vlasti, pozivajući se posebno na odluke u predmetima Leray et al. v. France (br. 44617/98, 16. januara 2001. godine) i Álvarez Ramón v. Spain (br. 51192/99, 3. jula 2001. godine), Država je iznela stav da se Sud uvek ograničavao na to da ustanovi da li je postojao regulatorni okvir i da li je poštovan, bez da detaljno ispituje da li je postojala uzročno-posledična veza između smrtnih ishoda i nesavesog postupanja. Sud je činio obrnuto – u takvim slučajevima je prihvatao nalaze i procenu državnih organa.
Država je navela da se svakako ne bi mogla optužiti u ovom slučaju za kršenje obaveze da štiti živote članova porodice podnosioca predstavke.
Kao što je bila iznela pred većem, Država je podsetila na napore koje je Mesno veće Imranije bilo preduzelo pravosudnim, upravnim i informativnim kanalima, puno pre podnošenja izveštaja veštaka 7. maja 1991. godine, da spreči nezakonitu gradnju, da podstakne stanovnike sirotinjskom naselja Imranije da pronađu drugi smeštaj, i da ukloni opasnosti po zdravlje u toj oblasti stalnim prskanjem hemikalija po površini deponije. Takođe je pomenula opsežan plan za kontrolu komunalnog otpada koji je Gradsko veće uvelo širom provincije Istanbul (vidi gore stav 16).
U vezi s time, Država je naglasila da su opsežne radnje te vrste pitanje državnih mera koje zahtevaju mnogo razmišljanja i ulaganja, dugotrajnu fazu planiranja i odlučivanja i mnogo rada na projektovanju i realizaciji. U takvim okolnostima, Sud nije imao pravo da nameće sopstveno mišljenje o tome šta bi možda bila najbolja politika u rešavanju socijalnih i ekonomskih problema sirotinjskih naselja u Imranije, uključujući i dobro poznat otpor stanovnika bilo kakvim merama koje potencijalno ugrožavaju njihov svakodnevni život.
Što se tiče krivičnog postupka u ovom predmetu, Država je ponovo naglasila zaključke Suda u predmetu Leray et al. (vidi gore), u kome Sud nije oklevao u odbacivanju žalbe podnosilaca predstavke o navodnom ozbiljnom nehatu državnih organa Francuske koji je rezultirao smrću dvadeset i troje ljudi.
Pozivajući se na predmet Calvelli and Ciglio i na predmet Mastromatteo (vidi gore), Država je navela da u slučajevima gde kršenje prava na život nije bilo namerno, obaveza činjenja po članu 2 ne mora da zahteva pokretanje krivičnog postupka. U ovom predmetu, krivični postupak jeste bio pokrenut, i od samog pokretanja istrage pa do kraja postupka turski sistem krivične pravde je pokazao veliku efikasnost i revnost koje se ne bi mogle osporiti po članu 2 Konvencije. U vezi s tim, Država je osporila svaki navod da su dvojica gradonačelnika uživala bilo kakvu nedodirljivost. Država je tvrdila da je činjenica je član 230 Krivičnog zakonika bio jedina odredba koja je primenjena na slučaj gradonačelnika bila posledica „posebne prirode dela opisanog u tom članu“, koje si ticalo samo državnih službenika, i da je postupajući sud izrekao minimalnu zakonsku kaznu jer se pretpostavilo da je bilo drugih saizvršilaca koji nisu bili optuženi.
Država na raspravi je posebno naglasila da činjenicu da podnosilac predstavke – sopstvenim izborom – nije učestvovao u prethodnoj istrazi nikako ne bi trebalo smatrati škodljivom za delotvornost krivičnog postupka, naročito u svetlu zaključaka Suda i predmetu Tanrýbilir v. Turkey (br. 21422/93, st. 85, 16. novembra 2000. godine). Podnosilac predstavke, koji nikada nije tvrdio da je sprečavan da učestvuje u postupku, takođe nije bio u poziciji da tvrdi da nije obaveštavan o suđenju koje se ticalo dvojice uglednih političara i o kome su mediji opsežno izveštavali.
Što se tiče upravnog pravnog sredstva koje je korišćeno za zahtev za obeštećenje u ovom predmetu, Država je naglasila da dvojica gradonačelnika nisu uživala nikakve privilegije tokom tog postupka, jer je određeno da podnosiocu predstavke isplate naknadu i za materijalnu i za nematerijalnu štetu, i da je iznos koji mu je dodeljen još uvek na njegovom raspolaganju.
(b) Podnosilac predstavke
Podnosilac predstavke ponovio je argumente koje je bio podneo pred većem i ponovo naveo da je Država tolerisala izgradnju sirotinjskih naselja Imranije i da nije sprečavala da se prošire do oboda deponije. Tvrdio je da su vlasti čak podsticale tu situaciju dozvoljavajući stanovnicima da koriste sve komunalne službe, i da su iz političih razloga usvojile preko 18 zakona koji su regulisali divlja naselja, koja su smatrana uzgajalištima glasača.
Advokatica podnosioca predstavke je na raspravi ponudila određene službene isprave u cilju osporavanja tvrdnji Države da u sirotinjskim naseljima Imranije nije bilo komunalnih usluga, i naveo da su stanovnici ulice Gerze bili priključeni na vodovod i obveznici komunalnog poreza. Pored toga, pozivajući se na službeni plan podnet Sudu (vidi gore stav 10), advokatica je navela da je u to vreme postojala pošta u ulici Adem Javuz i da su u tom kraju postojale četiri državne škole.
Njegova advokatica je navela na raspravi da Država nije mogla da izbegne svoje obaveze time što bi od svojih najsiromašnijih i, naravno, najmanje obrazovanih građana zahtevala da se sami informišu o ekološkim pitanjima tako velikog značaja. Iznela je stav da bi bilo sasvim dovoljno da se izbegne tragedija da su nadležne mesne vlasti bile postavile ventilacione cevi na deponiji, umesto što su jednostavno, ali sasvim pogrešno, nanele sloj zemlje na gomile smeća.
Što se tiče krivičnog postupka protiv državnih organa, podnosilac predstavke je jedino naveo da je ishod postupka, koji je pokazao da nije postojala nikakva želja da se kazne krivci, nije ni imao drugu posledicu osim vređanja javnosti.
Pored toga, podnosilac predstavke je naveo da Država nikako nije mogla da tvrdi da je postupak obeštećenja bio delotvoran jer se završio dodeljivanjem iznosa, i to samo za nematerijalnu štetu, koji ne samo da je bio podrugljiv, već čak nije bio ni isplaćen.
3. Procena Suda
(a) Opšeta načela primenljiva na ovaj predmet
(i) Načela u vezi sa sprečavanjem kršenja prava na život kao posledice opasnih delatnosti: materijalni aspekt člana 2 Konvencije
Pozitivna obaveza preduzimanja svih neophodnih koraka da se zaštiti život za svrhe člana 2 (vidi gore stav 71) zahteva pre svega temeljnu dužnost države da ustanovi zakonodavni i upravni okvir sačinjen tako da predstavlja delotvorno sprečavanje ugrožavanja prava na život (vidi, na primer, mutatis mutandis, predmete Osman, vidi gore, str. 3159, st. 115; Paul and Audrey Edwards, vidi gore, st. 54; Ýlhan v. Turkey [GC], br. 22277/93, st. 91, ECHR 2000–VII; Kýlýç v. Turkey, br. 22492/93, st. 62, ECHR 2000–III; i Mahmut Kaya v. Turkey, br. 22535/93, st. 85, ECHR 2000–III).
Ova obaveza je bez sumnje primenljiva u posebnom kontekstu opasnih delatnosti, gde je pored toga potrebno staviti poseban naglasak na propise koji se odnose na specifične karakteristike delatnosti koja je u pitanju, posebno u pogledu stepena potencijalne opasnosti po ljudske živote. Propisi moraju da obuhvate licenciranje, osnivanje, rad, bezbednost i nadgledanje delatnosti i moraju da propišu obavezu za sva relevantna lica da preduzimaju praktične mere kako bi obezbedila delotvornu zaštitu građana čiji životi mogu da budu ugroženi opasnostima koje te delatnosti nose u sebi.
Među takvim preventivnim merama bi trebalo staviti poseban naglasak na pravo javnosti na informisanje, kako je ustanovljeno praksom institucija Konvencije. Veliko veće se slaže s većem (vidi stav 84 presude veća) da je u načelu moguće oslanjati se na ovo pravo, koje je već priznato po članu 8 (predmet Guerra et al., vidi gore, str. 228, st. 60), za zaštitu prava na život, naročito zato što je ovo tumačenje podržano savremenim razvojem evropskih standarda (vidi gore stav 62).
U svakom slučaju, relevantni propisi moraju takođe da sadrže odgovarajuće postupke, imajući u vidu tehničke aspekte dotične delatnosti, za identifikovanje nedostataka koji postoje u različitim procesima kao i grešaka koje načine odgovorna lica na svim nivoima.
(ii) Načela koja se odnose na neophodnu reakciju pravosuđa u slučaju navodnih povreda prava na život: proceduralni aspekt člana 2 Konvencije
Obaveze koje proizilaze iz člana 2 ne završavaju se ovime. U slučajevima kada je došlo do gubitaka života u okolnostima u kojima postoji mogućnost da postoji odgovornost države, ta odredba podrazumeva dužnost države da obezedi, koristeći sva sredstva koja su joj na raspolaganju, neophodnu reakciju – pravosudnu ili drugu – tako da se zakonodavni i upravni okvir ustanovljen za zaštitu prava na život valjano primene i da se sve povrede toga prava suzbiju i kazne (vidi, mutatis mutandis, predmete Osman, vidi gore, str. 3159, st. 115,i Paul and Audrey Edwards, vidi gore, st. 54).
U vezi s tim, Sud je u prošlosti zauzimao stav da u slučajevima kada kršenja prava na život ili fizički integritet nisu izazvana namerno, obaveza činjenja da se ustanovi „delotvoran pravosudni sistem“ ne mora nužno da zahteva pokretanje krivičnog postupka u svakom slučaju i može da bude zadovoljena ako su žrtvama dostupna građanska, upravna, ili čak i disciplinska pravna sredstva (vidi, na primer, predmete Vo v. France [GC], br. 53924/00, st. 90, ECHR 2004–VIII; Calvelli and Ciglio, vidi gore, st. 51 i Mastromatteo, vidi gore, st. 90 i94–95).
Međutim, u oblastima kakva je i ona u ovom predmetu, načela koja su primenljiva treba tražiti među onima koja je Sud već imao prilike da razvija, posebno u vezi s korišćenjem smrtonosne sile, načela koja mogu da se koriste za druge kategorije predmeta.
U vezi s tim, trebalo bi naglasiti da je u slučajevima lišavanja života tumačenje člana 2 tako da podrazumeva obavezu da se izvrši službena istraga opravdano ne samo zato što navodi o takvom krivičnom delu obično pokreću krivičnu odgovornost (vidi predmet Caraher v. the United Kingdom (odluka), br. 24520/94, ECHR 2000–I), već takođe zato što često, u praksi, stvarne okolnosti smrti jesu, ili mogu da budu, u velikoj meri poznate samo službenicima ili organima države (vidi predmete McCann and Others v. the United Kingdom presuda od 27. septembra 1995. godine, Series A No. 324, str. 47–49, st. 157–64, i Ýlhan, vidi gore, st. 91).
Sud smatra da su takvi pravni osnovi bez sumnje valjani u kontekstu opasnih delatnosti, kada su gubljeni životi kao posledica događaja koji su se odvijali u okviru odgovornosti javnih vlasti, koje često jedine poseduju dovoljno znanja da bi mogle da prepoznaju i ustanove složene fenomene koji su mogli da izazovu takve nesereće.
U slučajevima kada se ustanovi da je nesavesno postupanje pripisivo državnim službenicima ili organima u tom smislu bilo više od jednostavne greške u zaključivanju ili nebrige, i to tako što su ti organi, potpuno svesni verovatnih posledica i zanemarujući svoja ovlašćenja, propustili da preduzmu mere koje su bile neophodne i dovoljne da se izbegnu opasnosti koje sa sobom nosi opasna delatnost (vidi, mutatis mutandis, predmet Osman, vidi gore, str. 3159–60, st. 116), činjenica da oni koji su odgovorni za ugrožavanje života nisu optuženi za krivično delo ili gonjeni može da predstavlja povredu člana 2, bez obzira na sve druge vrste pravnih lekova koje pojedinci mogu da pokrenu na sopstvenu inicijativu (vidi gore stavove 48–50); dovoljna količina dokaza za ovo može se naći u razvoju relevantnih evropskih standarda (vidi gore stav 61).
Sve u svemu, u pravosudnom sistemu kakav zahteva član 2 mora da postoje odredbe o nezavisnom i nepristrasnom postupku službene istrage koji zadovoljava određene minimalne standarde u pogledu delotvornosti i koji je sposoban da obezbedi primenu krivičnih sankcija u slučajevima gde dolazi do gubitka života kao posledice opasne delatnosti ukoliko, i u kolikoj meri, to opravdaju istražni nalazi (vidi, mutatis mutandis, predmete Hugh Jordan v. the United Kingdom, br. 24746/94, st. 105–09, 4. maja 2001. godine, i Paul and Audrey Edwards, vidi gore, st. 69–73). U takvim slučajevima su nadležni organi dužni da postupaju s uzornom revnošću i hitnošću, i da sâmi pokreću istrage koje su, kao prvo, sposobne da ustanove okolnosti u kojima se događaj odvijao i sve nedostatke u primeni regulatornog sistema, i drugo, identifikuju državne službenike ili organe koji su na bilo koji način učestvovali u lancu spornih događaja.
Ipak, zahtevi člana 2 izlaze i van faze službene istrage, tamo gde je to dovelo do pokretanja postupka pred domaćim sudom: postupak u celini, uključujući i glavnu raspravu, mora da zadovolji zahteve obaveze činjenja da se zaštite životi primenom zakona.
Iz prethodnog se nikako ne bi smeo izvući zaključak da bi član 2 mogao da podrazumeva pravo tužioca na gonjenje ili kažnjavanje trećih stranaka za krivično delo (vidi, mutatis mutandis, predmet Perez v. Frane [GC], br. 47287/99, st. 70, ECHR 2004–I) ili apsolutnu obavezu da se sva gonjenja završe osuđujućim presudama ili pak tačno određenim sankcijama (vidi, mutatis mutandis, predmet Tanlý v. Turkey, br. 26129/95, st. 111, ECHR 2001–III).
S druge strane, domaći sudovi nikako ne bi smeli da dozvole da dela u kojima je došlo do ugrožavanja života prolaze nekažnjena. Ovo je od ključnog značaja za održavanje poverenja javnosti i obezbeđivanje poštovanja vladavine prava i sprečavanje utiska da se nezakonita dela tolerišu ili da postoji zavera (vidi, mutatis mutandis, predmet Hugh Jordan, vidi gore, st. 108 i 136–40). Zadatak Suda sastoji se dakle od procenjivanja da li se može smatrati da su sudovi (i u kolikoj su meri), u svom zaključivanju podvrgli predmet pažljivoj analizu kakvu zahteva član 2 Konvencije, tako da postojeće odvraćajuće dejstvo pravosudnog sistema i značaj uloge koju on treba da igra u sprečavanju kršenja prava na život ne budu dovedeni u pitanje.
(b) Analiza činjenica predmeta u svetlu ovih načela
(i) Odgovornost države za smrti u ovom predmetu, u svetlu materijalnog aspekta člana 2 Konvencije
Zadatak Suda je dakle da odredi da li su zakonske mere primenljive na situaciju u ovom predmetu podložne kritici, i da li su državni organi stvarno poštovali relevantne propise.
Prema izveštaju veštaka koji je naručilo Treće odeljenje Okružnog suda u Iskideru a podnet je 7. maja 1991. godine, deponija smeća je počela s radom ranih sedamdesetih godina, prekršivši odgovarajuće tehničke standarde, i nastavila s radom uprkos kršenja propisa o bezbednosti na radu i tehničkih uslova, posebno onih u Pravilniku o kontroli čvrstog otpada, objavljenom u Službenom glasniku od 14. marta 1991. godine (vidi gore stav 56). U izveštaju je naveden niz načina na koji je deponija ugrožavala građane, a posebno opasnost od eksplozije zbog metanogeneze, jer deponija „nema nikakvu mogućnost sprečavanja eksplozije metana koja bi se dogodila zbog raspadanja“ komunalnog otpada (vidi gore stav 13).
U vezi s tim, Sud je ispitao stav Države u pogledu valjanosti stručnog izveštaja od 7. maja 1991. godine i njen stav o težini zahteva mesnih veća u Kadikej i Iskidar kao i Gradskog veća Istanbula da se izveštaj odbaci (vidi gore stav 14). Međutim, Sud smatra da ovi koraci više ukazuju na sukob nadležnosti među raznim organima, ili pak na taktike odugovlačenja. Bilo kako bilo, postupak da se izveštaj proglasi nevažećim nije ni završen, jer ga advokati pomenutih veća nisu vodili do kraja, i izveštaj nikada nije proglašen nevažećim. Izveštaj se u stvari pokazao odlučujućim za sve organe odgovorne za istragu nesreće od 28. aprila 1993. godine, a nakon toga je i podržan nalazima izveštaja od 18. maja 1993. godine stručne komisije koju je imenovao javni tužilac u Iskidaru (vidi gore stav 23) kao i dvema naučnim mišljenjima pomenutim u izveštaju od 9. jula 1993. godine od strane glavnog inspektora imenovanog od strane Ministarstva unutrašnih poslova (vidi gore stav 28).
Sud smatra da nisu sporne ni stvarnost ni neposrednost opasnosti koje su postojale, uvidevši da je jasno da je opasnost od eksplozije nastala davno pre nego što je na nju ukazao izveštaj od 7. maja 1991. i da je, budući da je deponija nastavila da funkcioniše u istim uslovima, taj rizik mogao samo da poraste tokom celog perioda dok se najzad nije materijalizovao 28. aprila 1993. godine.
Shodno tome Veliko veće se slaže s većem (vidi stav 79 presude veća) da nije bilo moguće da upravna i komunalna odeljenja odgovorna za nadziranje i upravljanje deponijom nisu znala o opasnostima metanogeneze ili o neophodnim preventivnim merama, naročito zato što su postojali posebni propisi o tom pitanju. Pored toga, Sud takođe smatra da je ustanovljeno da su ove opasnosti bile poznate i raznim drugim organima, ako ne ranije a ono 27. maja 1991. godine, kada su bili obavešteni o izveštaju od 7. maja 1991. godine (vidi gore stavove 13 i 15).
Sledi da su turske vlasti na nekoliko nivoa znale ili je trebalo da znaju da je postojala stvarna i trenutna opasnost za jedan broj lica koja su živela u blizini deponije komunalnog smeća Imranije. Iz toga sledi da su vlasti imale obavezu činjenja po članu 2 Konvencije da preduzimaju operativne preventivne mere koje su bile neophodne i dovoljne za zaštitu tih građana (vidi gore stavove 92 i 93), naročito zato što su one bile te koje su ustanovile deponiju i izdale dozvolu za rad, koji je i proizveo dotičnu opasnost.
Međutim, iz dokaznih materijala pred Sudom proizilazi da posebno Gradsko veće Istanbula ne samo da nije preduzelo neophodne hitne mere, bilo pre ili posle 14. marta 1991. godine, već se – kako je primetilo veće – suprotstavilo odgovarajućoj preporuci Kancelarije za ekologiju premijera u Vladi Turske (vidi gore stav 15). Kancelarija za ekologiju je tražila da se deponija dovede u stanje koje ispunjava standarde utvrđene odredbama 24, 25, 26 i 27 Pravilnika o kontroli čvrstog otpada, od kojih je poslednji izričito propisivao ugrađivanje „vertikalnog i vodoravnog drenažnog sistema“ koji bi omogućio kontrolisano ispuštanje akumuliranog gasa u atmosferu (vidi gore stav 56).
Gradsko veće se takođe suprotstavilo poslednjem pokušaju gradonačelnika Imranije da se obrati sudu, 27. avgusta 1992. godine, sa zahtevom za se deponija privremeno zatvori. Gradsko veće je svoje protivljenje zasnovalo na tvrdnji da dotično mesno veće nije imalo pravo da traži zatvaranje deponije jer do tada nije bilo učinilo ništa na njenoj dekontaminaciji (vidi gore stav 16).
Pored ovog osnova, Državva se takođe oslonila na zaključke u predmetu Chapman (vidi gore)i kritikovala podnosioca predstavke zato što je svesno prekršio zakon i naselio se u blizini deponije smeća (vidi gore stavove 23, 43 i 80).
Međutim, ovi argumenti ne mogu da izdrže teret ispitivanja iz razloga koji slede.
Iz prethodnog Sud zaključuje da je uprkos zakonskih zabrana u oblasti urbanizma čvrsta politika države u vezi sa sirotinjskim naseljima podsticala integrisanje takvih naselja u gradske sredine i time priznavala njihovo postojanje i način života građana koji su postepeno izazvali njihovo bujanje počevši od 1960. godine, i to po sopstvenom izboru ili jednostavno kao posledica te politike. Budući da je ta politika u suštini uvela amnestiju za kršenje urbanističkih propisa, uključujući nezakonito korišćenje javne imovine, ona mora da je stvorila nesigurnost u pogledu stepena diskrecionih prava koja uživaju organi uprave odgovorni za primenu mera određenih zakonom, koje javnost nije mogla predvideti.
Sud primećuje da je podnosilac predstavke između podizanja zgrade bez dozvole 1988. godine i nesreće od 28. aprila 1993. godine stalno imao posed kuće, uprkos činjenici da je sve to vreme njegov status bio podložan pravilima određenim Zakonom br. 775, posebno članu 18, prema kome su gradske vlasti mogle da sruše kuću u bilo kom trenutku. To je bilo upravo ono što je Država i sugerisala (vidi gore stavove 77 i 80), mada nije bila u stanju da pokaže da su u ovom predmetu relevantni organi ikada razmišljali o preduzimanje takve mere protiv podnosioca predstavke.
Vlasti su podnosioca predstavke i njegovu porodicu ostavili da žive u kući bez ikakvog ometanja, u društvenom i porodičnom okruženju koje su sami bili stvorili. Pored toga, imajući u vidu konkretne dokaze iznete pred Sudom koje Država nije osporila, nema razloga da se osporava tvrdnja podnosioca predstavke da su vlasti njemu i drugim stanovnicima sirotinjskih naselja u Imranije naplaćivale komunalni porez i pružale im komunalne usluge, za koje su plaćali (vidi gore stavove 11 i 85).
Preostaje da se Sud pozabavi drugim argumentima Države koji se tiču: veličine projekata obnove koje su preduzimale vlasti grada Istanbula u vreme naloga da budu ispravljeni problemi koje je izazvala deponija u Imranije; iznosima novca koji su uloženi, za koje je rečeno da su uticali na način na koji su državne vlasti rešavale situaciju na deponiji; i, na kraju, humanitarnim pitanjima koja su u to vreme navodno sprečavala bilo kakvu meru koja bi podrazumevala trenutno i temeljno rušenje sirotinjskih naselja.
Međutim, čak i kada se posmatra iz ovog ugla, Sud ne smatra argumente Države ubedljivima. Preventivne mere koja zahteva obaveza činjenja o kojoj se ovde radi spadaju tačno u oblast ovlašćenja koja su data vlastima i mogu se razumno smatrati podesnim sredstvom za izbegavanje opasnosti na koje im se ukaže. Sud smatra da bi pravovremena ugradnja sistema za odstranjivanje gasova u deponiji u Imranije pre nego što je situacija dovela do gubitka ljudskih života mogla da bude delotvorna mera bez prekomernog utroška javnih sredstava pa time i kršenja člana 65 Ustava Turske (vidi gore stav 52) ili izazivanja problema u oblasti državne politike u meri u kojoj je navela Država. Takva mera ne samo da bi bila u skladu s turskim propisima i opštom praksom u toj oblasti, već bi takođe bila i mnogo bolji odraz humanitarnih aspekata na koje se Država oslonila pred Sudom.
Kao prvo, regulatorni okvir se pokazao manjkavim jer je deponija komunalnog otpada u Imranije otvorena i radila iako nije ispunjavala odgovarajuće tehničke standarde i nije postajao suvisao sistem nadzora koji bi odgovorne navodio da preduzimaju korake koji bi obezbedili adekvatnu zaštitu građana i koordinaciju i saradnju raznih upravnih organa kako bi se izbeglo da rizici o kojima su obaveštavani postanu tako veliki da dođe do ugrožavanja ljudskih života.
Nema sumnje da je ta situacija, koja je pogoršana opštom politikom koja se pokazala nemoćnom da izađe na kraj sa svakodnevnim urbanističkim problemima i izazivala nesigurnost u pogledu primene zakonskih mera, odigrala ulogu u sledu događaja koji su doveli do tragičnog događaja 28. aprila 1993. godine koji je koštao života stanovnike sirotinjskih naselja u Imranije, jer državni službenici i organi nisu bili preduzeli sve što je u njihovoj moći da ih zaštite od akutnih i poznatih rizika koji su im visili nad glavama.
(ii) Odgovornost države u vezi s pravosudnom reakcijom koja je neophodna zbog smrtih ishoda, u svetlu proceduralnih aspekata člana 2 Konvencije
Sud smatra, protivno stavu Države, da isto tako nije potrebno ispitivati upravno pravno sredstvo koje je korišćeno za obeštećenje (vidi gorestavove 37, 39–40, 84 i 88) u analizi neophodne pravosudne reakcije u ovom predmetu, budući da takvo sredstvo, bez obzira na njegov ishod, ne može da bude uzeto u obzir za svrhe člana 2 u njegovom proceduralnom aspektu (vidi gorestavove 91–96).
Sud primećuje da su postojeći krivičnopravni postupci u Turskoj deo sistema koji, barem u teoriji, deluje dovoljnim da zaštiti pravo na život u vezi s opasnim delatnostima: u tom pogledu, član 230 stav 1 i član 455 stavovi 1 i 2 Krivičnog zakonika Turske tiču se nesavesnog delovanja državnih službenika ili organa (vidi gore stav 44). Ostaje da se ustanovi da li su mere preduzete u okriru turskog krivičnopravnog sistema nakon nesreće u deponiji komunalnog smeća u Imranije bile zadovoljavajuće u praksi, imajući u vidu zahteve Konvencije u tom pogledu (vidi gore st. 91–96).
U vezi s tim, Sud primećuje da je odmah nakon nesreće 28. aprila 1993. godine oko 11.00 pre podne policija stigla na mesto događaja i uzela izjave od porodica žrtava. Pored toga, kancelarija Guvernera Istanbula je osnovala krizni štab čiji su članovi otišli na mesto događaja istoga dana. Sledećeg dana, 29. aprila 1993. godine, Ministarstvo unutrašnjih poslova je sâmo tražilo da se pokrene upravna istraga kako bi se ustanovio stepen odgovornosti vlasti za nesreću. Javni tužilac za Iskidar je 30. aprila 1993. godine otpočeo krivičnu istragu. Konačno, službene istrage su okončane 15. jula 1993. godine, kada su podignute kritične optižnice protiv dvojice gradonačelnika, g. Sezena i g. Ektema.Shodno tome, može se smatrati da su istražne vlasti delovale uzorno pravovremeno (vidi predmete Yaşa, vidi gore, str. 2439–40, st. 102–04; Mahmut Kaya, vidi gore, st. 106–07; i Tanrýkulu v. Turkey [GC], br. 23763/94, st. 109, ECHR 1999–IV) i uz zadovoljavajuću pažnju u potrazi za okolnostima koje su dovele do nesreće 28. aprila 1993. godine i smrti građana.
Takođe se može zaključiti da su identifikovani oni koji su odgovorni za sporne događaje. U rešenju od 21. maja 1993. godine, zasnovanom na izveštaju veštaka čija valjanost nije osporavana (vidi gore stav 24), javni tužilac je zaključio da bi Gradsko veće Istanbula trebalo pozvati na odgovornost jer je „propustilo da postupi dovoljno pravovremeno da se spreče tehnički problemi koji su već postojali kada je deponija otvorena 1970. godine i postajali sve gori tokom vremena, ili da ukaže mesnim većima na alternativnu lokaciju za deponovanje smeća, na šta je bila obavezno Zakonom br. 3030“. U rešenju je dalje navedeno da su drugi državni organi doprineli pogoršanju i produženju situacije: Mesno veće Imranije je sprovodilo urbanistički plan koji nije bio u skladu s odgovarajućim propisima, i nije sprečavalo divlju gradnju u toj oblasti; Ministarstvo za životnu sredinu je propustilo da obezbedi poštovanje Pravilnika o kontroli čvrstog otpada; a državna vlada tih godina je podsticala širenje ove vrste divljih stambenih naselja usvajanjem zakona o amnestiji kojima je stanarima bilo dodeljivano pravo vlasništva. Javni tužilac je dakle zaključio su član 230 i član 455 Krivičnog zakonika (vidi gore stav 44) primenljivi u vezi s organima kojih su se ticali.
Doduše, upravni istražni organi, koji su bili ovlašćeni da pokreću krivični postupak (vidi gore stav 46), samo su delimično potvrdili stavove javnog tužioca, iz razloga koji Sudu nisu jasni i koje Država nije nikada pokušala da objasni. Ovi organi, čija je samostalnost već osporavana u nizu predmeta pred Sudom (vidi predmete Güleç v. Turkey, presuda od 27. jula 1998. godine, Reports 1998–IV, str. 1732–33, st. 79–81, i Oður v. Turkey [GC], br. 21954/93, st. 91–92, ECHR 1999–III), su obustavili postupak protiv Ministarstva za životnu sredinu i državnih organa (vidi gore stavove 29 i 31) i optižnicu ograničili na „nehat“, čime su sprečili da se ispita aspekt slučaja koji su ticao ugrožavanja života. Međutim, nema potrebe da se više bavimo ovim nedostacima, budući da je krivični postupak ipak pokrenut pred Petim odeljenjem Krivičnog suda u Istanbulu i da je taj sud, pošto je počeo da se bavi predmetom, imao punu nadležnost da činjenice ispita po sopstvenom nahođenju i, ako je potrebno, da odredi dopunsku istragu; pored toga, presuda tog suda bila je podložna preispitivanju Kasacionog suda.
Iz ovoga Sud zaključuje da bi umesto ispitivanja da li je postojala prethodna istraga koja je potpuno zadovoljavala sve procesne zahteve za takve stvari (vidi gorestav 94) trebalo proceniti da li su pravosudne vlasti, čija je dužnost da sprovode zakone kojima se štite ljudski životi, bile odlučne da kazne odgovorne.
U vezi sa svojom zadatkom, Sud će jednostavno primetiti da je u ovom predmetu jedina svrha krivičnog postupka bila da se ustanovi da li bi državni organi mogli da se smatraju odgovornim za „nesavesno postupanje u vršenju službene dužnosti“ prema članu 230 Krivičnog zakonika, koji se ni na koji način ne tiče dela ugrožavanja života ili zaštite prava na život u smislu člana 2.
Zaista, iz presude od 4. aprila 1996. godine se čini da postupajući sud nije našao nikakav razlog da odstupi od rezonovanja navedenog u nalogu za postupanje koji je izdalo upravno veće, i ostavio je nerešenu svaku pomisao o mogućoj odgovornosti državnih organa za smrt devet članova porodice podnosioca predstavke. Doduše, u presudi od 4. aprila 1996. godine se pominju smrtni slučajevi koji su se dogodili 28. aprila 1993. godine kao faktički element. Međutim, to ne bi trebalo shvatiti tako da je postojalo priznavanje bilo kakve odgovornosti za propust da se zaštiti pravo na život. Izreka presude ne sadrži ništa u vezi s ovim, pa čak ne daje nikakvu preciznu naznaku o tome da li je postupajući sud dovoljno uzeo u obzir veoma teške posledice nesreće; licima koja su proglašena odgovornim izrečene su komične kazne, koje su pored toga još bile i uslovne.
Iz ovoga sledi da se ne može reći da je načinom na koji je turski sistem krivične pravde postupao u vezi s tragičnim događajem obezbeđeno puno pozivanje na odgovornost državnih službenika ili organa u vezi s njihovom ulogom u njemu i efikasna primena odredaba domaćeg prava kojima je zajemčeno poštovanje prava na život, posebno odvraćajuće funkcije krivičnog prava.
Sve u svemu, u ovom predmetu Sud mora da zaključi da jeste postojala i povreda člana 2 Konvencije u njegovom proceduralnom aspektu, i to zbog nedostatka, u vezi s nesrećom sa smrtnim posledicama izazvanom obavljanjem opasne delatnosti, adekvatne „zakonske“ zaštite prava na život i odvraćanja od sličnog ugrožavanja života u budućnosti.
II. NAVODNA POVREDA ČLANA 1 PROTOKOLA BR. 1
„Svako fizičko i pravno lice ima pravo na neometano uživanje svoje imovine. Niko ne može biti lišen svoje imovine, osim u javnom interesu i pod uslovima predviđenim zakonom i opštim načelima međunarodnog prava.
Prethodne odredbe, međutim, ni na koji način ne utiču na pravo države da primenjuje zakone koje smatra potrebnim da bi regulisala korišćenje imovine u skladu s opštim interesima ili da bi obezbedila naplatu poreza i drugih dažbina ili kazni.“
A. Primenljivost: da li je postojala „imovina“
1. Presuda veća
Shodno tome, veće je zaključilo da su zgrada koji je podigao podnosilac predstavke i njegov boravak u njoj s porodicom predstavljali bitan ekonomski interes i da se taj interes, koji su vlasti dozvolile da postoji u dugom vremenskom periodu, svodio na „imovinu“ u smislu pravila određenog prvom rečenicom člana 1 Protokola br. 1.
2. Podnesci onih koji su nastupili pred Sudom
(a) Država
Država se oslonila na predmet Chapman (vidi gore), i iznela argument da u ovom predmetu Sud ne bi trebalo da bude nepotrebno vezan pitanjima koja su izvan pravne situacije koja je pred njim tako da bi zaključio da bi postupci podnosioca predstavke mogli da proizvedu materijalan interes zaštićen članom 1 Protokola br. 1, nalaz koji bi ga u suštini izmestio izvan opsega domaćeg prava i nagradio za protivzakonita dela.
(b) Podnosilac predstavke
Advokatica podnosioca predstavke se na raspravi takođe pozvala na Zakon br. 4706 (vidi gore stav 55), koji je po njenom mišljenju bio sam po sebi dovoljan da pobije argument da niko nije mogao da preuzme državnu imovinu. Takođe je objasnila da iako njen klijent još uvek nije preduzeo neophodne korake da izvuče korist iz Zakona br. 775, nije postojalo ništa što bi ga sprečilo da to učini naknadno, na primer u skladu s novim Zakonom br. 4706.
3. Procena Suda
Sud ponavlja da pojam „imovina“ u prvom delu člana 1 Protokola br. 1 ima samostalno značenje koje nije ograničeno na posedovanje fizičkih stvari i nezavisno je od formalnih klasifikacija domaćeg prava: ono što treba ispitati je da li bi okolnosti slučaja, posmatrane u celini, mogle da se posmatraju tako da su podnosiocu predstavke dale pravo vlasništva nad materijalnim interesom koji je zaštićen tom odredbom (vidi, mutatis mutandis, predmet Zwierzyński v. Poland, br. 34049/96, st. 63, ECHR 2001–VI). Sledi da se pored fizičkih dobara i određena prava i interesi koji predstavljaju imovinu mogu takođe posmatrati kao „imovinska prava“, a time i „imovinom“ za svrhe ove odredbe (vidi predmete Iatridis v. Greece [GC], br. 31107/96, st. 54, ECHR 1999–II, i Beyeler v. Italy [GC], br. 33202/96, stav 100, ECHR 2000–I). Pojam „imovina“ nije ograničen na „postojeću imovinu“ već može da obuhvati i imovinu, uključujući i potraživanja, nad kojom podnosilac predstavke može da tvrdi da ima makar razumno i „legitimno očekivanje“ da će pribaviti stvarno uživanje prava vlasništva (vidi, na primer, predmet Prince Hans-Adam II of Liechtenstein v. Germany [GC], br. 42527/98, st. 83, ECHR 2001–VIII).
Pred Sudom nije osporavano da kuća podnosioca predstavke jeste bila podignuta protivno turskim urbanističkim propisima i da nije ispunjavala odgovarajuće tehničke standarde, ili da je zemljište na kome se nalazila bilo u državnom vlasništvu. Međutim, stranke nisu bile saglasne u pogledu pitanja da li je podnosilac predstavke imao „imovinu“ u smislu člana 1 Protokola br. 1.
Kao prvo, što se tiče zemlje na kojoj je bila podignuta zgrada koja je bila nastanjena do nesreće 28. aprila 1993. godine, podnosilac predstavke je naveo da niti u jednom trenutku nije postojalo ništa što bi ga sprečilo da preduzme korake da pribavi vlasništvo nad zemljom u skladu s odgovarajućim postupkom. Međutim, Sud ne može da prihvati ovaj pomalo upitan argument. Budući da stranke nisu ponudile dovoljno detaljne podatke, Sud nije bio u stanju da odredi da li je četvrt Kazim Karabekir stvarno obuhvaćena nekim planom za sanaciju sirotinjskih naselja, nasuprot situaciji koja je izgleda postojala za područje naselja Hekimbaši (vidi gore stav 11), ili pak da li je podnosilac predstavke ispunjavao formalne uslove određene urbanističkim propisima koji su tada bili na snazi za pribavljanje prenosa vlasništva državnog zemljišta koje je koristio (vidi gore stav 54). U svakom slučaju, podnosilac predstavke je priznao da nikada nije bio preduzimao nikakve upravne korake u tom pogledu. U takvim okolnostima, Sud ne može da zaključi da bi nada koju je podnosilac predstavke imao da će jednog dana na njega biti izvršen prenos prava vlasništva predstavljala oblik potraživanja koji bi bio toliko utemeljen da bi bio izvršiv pred sudom, pa time i jasnu „imovinu“ u smislu sudske prakse ovog Suda (vidi predmet Kopecký v. Slovakia [GC], br. 44912/98, st. 25–26, ECHR 2004–IX).
Međutim, u pogledu same kuće podnosioca predstavke važe nešto drugačija merila. U vezi s ovim je dovoljno za Sud da se pozove na razloge navedene gore, koji su ga naveli da zaključi da su državne vlasti tolerisale postupke podnosioca predstavke (vidi gore stavove 105–106). Ti razlozi su očigledno valjani u kontekstu člana 1 Protokola br. 1 i podržavaju zaključak da su vlasti takođe de facto priznale da su podnosilac predstavke i članovi njegove porodice imali vlasnički interes u kući i pokretnoj imovini.
Po ovom pitanju, Sud ne može da prihvati da oni mogu biti kritikovani na ovaj način zbog nepravilnosti (vidi gore stav 122) koje su odgovarajućim organima bile poznate gotovo pet godina. Doduše, Sud prihvata da je sloboda uzimanja u obzir mnogih lokalnih činilaca inherentna procesu sačinjavanja i primene urbanističkih i prostornih politika kao i mera. Međutim, kada se suoče s pitanjem kao što je ono pokrenuto u ovom predmetu, vlasti ne mogu da se legitimno oslone na svoje polje slobodne procene, što ih ni na koji način ne oslobađa dužnosti da postupe blagovremeno i na odgovarajući, a pre svega dosledan, način. U ovom predmetu to nije bio slučaj, budući da nesigurnost stvorena u turskom društvu u pogledu primene zakona o suzbijanju divljih naselja po prilici nije mogla da navede podnosioca predstavke da zaključi da bi se situacija u vezi s njegovom kućom verovatno mogla promeniti preko noći.
Sud smatra da je vlasnički interes podnosioca predstavke za svoju kuću bio takve prirode i dovoljno prepoznat da predstavlja materijalni interes pa time i „imovinu“ u smislu pravila propisanog prvom rečenicom člana 1 Protokola br. 1, koji je dakle primenljiv na ovaj aspekat tužbe.
B. Postupanje u skladu s Konvencijom
1. Presuda veća
U vezi s tim, veće je zauzelo stav da su postupci upravnih organa utoliko što su propustili da preduzmu sve neophodne mere da izbegnu opasnost od eksplozije metana, pa time i klizišta, takođe pritivurečili zahtevu za „praktičnu i delotvornu“ zaštitu prava zajemčenog članom 1 Protokola br. 1.
Veće je navelo da se takva situacija svela na jasno kršenje prava podnosioca predstavke na neometano uživanje svoje „imovine“ i da bi je trebalo smatrati „ometanjem“ za koje je bilo jasno da nije bilo opravdano po članu 1 Protokola br. 1, budući da su nesavesnim postupcima državnih organa koji su u ovom predmetu doveli do lišavanja imovine prekršeni i upravno i krivično pravo Turske.
2. Podnesci onih koji su nastupili pred Sudom
(a) Država
Država je iznela stav da je takav zaključak ravan kritikovanju vlasti Turske da su iz humanitarnih razloga izbegle da sruše kuću podnosioca predstavke i da su sumnjale da bi takva odluka bila shvaćena kao implicitno priznavanje prava vlasništva koje je s pravne tačke gledišta bilo ništavo.
U svakom slučaju, Država je iznela stav da podnosilac predstavke nije imao pravo da tvrdi da je žrtva povrede člana 1 Protokola br. 1, jer su mu upravni organi dodelili znatno obeštećenje za materijalnu štetu i dobio je i dotiran stan po niskoj ceni.
(b) Podnosilac predstavke
3. Procena Suda
Sud smatra da ga složenost činjeničnog i pravnog stanja u ovom predmetu sprečava da upadne u jednu od kategorija obuhvaćenih drugom rečenicom prvog stava ili drugim stavom člana 1 Protokola br. 1 (vidi predmet Beyeler (vidi gore), st. 98), pored ostalog imajući u vidu i da se podnosilac predstavke žalio ne samo na određeni postupak države, već i na određeni propust države. Sud dakle smatra da bi trebalo da razmotri slučaj u svetlu opšteg pravila u prvoj rečenici prvog stava, kojom je garantovano pravo na neometano uživanje imovine.
U vezi s tim, Sud ponovo potvrđuje načelo koje je već ustanovljeno u suštini članom 1 Protokola br. 1 (vidi predmet Bielectric S. r. l. v. Italy (odluka), br. 36811/97, 4. maja 2000. godine). Stvarna i delotvorna primena prava zaštićenog tom odredbom ne zavisi samo od obaveze države da se ne meša, već može da zahteva i pozitivne mere zaštite, posebno tamo gde postoji neposredna veza između mera koje dati podnosilac predstavke ima pravo da očekuje od vlasti i njegovog stvarnog uživanja imovine.
U ovom predmetu nema sumnje da uzročno-posledična veza nađena između teškog nehata pripisivog državi i gubitka ljudskih života važi i za zatrpavanje kuće podnosioca predstavke. Sud je mišljenja da se kršenje do koga je došlo svodi ne na „ometanje“ već na povredu obaveze činjenja, budući da državni službenici i organi nisu preduzeli sve što je bilo u njihovoj moći da zaštite vlasničke interese podnosioca predstavke.
Tvrdnje Države da vlasti Turske ne mogu da budu kritikovane zbog toga što su se iz humanitarnih razloga suzdržale od rušenja kuće podnosioca predstavke (vidi gore stavove 80 i 131) su po mišljenju Suda verovatno usmerene ka pitanju „legitimnog cilja“ za svrhu stava 2 člana 1 Protokola br. 1.
Međutim, Sud ne može da prihvati taj argument, i, iz manje-više istih razloga kao što su oni dati u vezi s navodima o kršenju člana 2 (vidi gore stavove 106–108), nalazi da obaveze činjenja po članu 1 Protokola br. 1 traže od državnih vlasti da preduzimaju iste prakične korake kao što je gore navedeno kako bi se izbeglo uništenje kuće podnosioca predstavke.
Budući da je jasno da nikakvi takvi koraci nisu bili preduzeti, preostaje da se Sud pozabavi tvrdnjom Države da podnosilac predstavke nije mogao da tvrdi da je žrtva povrede svoga prava na neometano uživanje svoje imovine jer mu je bio dodeljen značajan iznos obeštećenja za materijalnu štetu i mogućnost da dođe do subvencioniranog stana pod veoma povoljnim uslovima.
Sud se s tom tvrdnjom ne slaže. Čak i ako pretpostavimo da bi povoljni uslovi pod kojima je pomenuti stan prodat mogli do izvesne mere da nadoknade posledice propuštanja koja su primećena u ovom predmetu, oni se ipak ne bi mogli smatrati valjanim obeštećenjem za štetu koju je podnosilac predstavke bio pretrpeo. Shodno ovome, kakve god pogodnosti da su bile dodeljene, one ne bi mogle da dovedu do toga da podnosilac predstavke izgubi status „žrtve“, posebno zato što u kupoprodajnom aktu i drugoj pripadajućoj dokumentaciji u dosijeu ne postoji ništa što bi nagovestilo bilo kakvo priznanje državnih organa da je postojala povreda njegovog prava na neometano uživanje svoje imovine (vidi, mutatis mutandis, predmete Amuur v. France, presuda od 25. juna 1996. godine, Reports 1996–III, str. 846, st. 36, i Dalban v. Romania [GC], br. 28114/95, st. 44, ECHR 1999–VI).
Što se tiče naknade materijalne štete, dovoljno je primetiti da iznos još uvek nije ni isplaćen, mada je izrečena pravosnažna presuda (vidi stav 42 gore), što je činjenica koja se ne može posmatrati kao bilo šta drugo sem ometanja prava na naplatu potraživanja koja su dodeljena, što je takođe zaštićeno članom 1 Protokola br. 1 (vidi predmet Antonakopoulos and Others v. Greece, br. 37098/97, stav 31, 14. decembra 1999. godine).
Međutim, Sud smara da nije potrebno da ovo pitanje razmatra po svojoj volji, imajući u vidu njegovu procenu po članu 13 Konvencije.
Sledi da je u ovom predmetu postojala povreda člana 1 Protokola br. 1.
III. NAVODNA POVREDA ČLANA 13 KONVENCIJE
Podnosilac predstavke je tvrdio da domaći pravni lekovi na koje se bio oslonio nisu imali učinka. Njihova neefikasnost je dovela do povrede člana 13 Konvencije:
„Svako kome su povređena prava i slobode predviđeni u ovoj Konvenciji ima pravo na delotvoran pravni lek pred nacionalnim vlastima, bez obzira jesu li povredu izvršila lica koja su postupala u službenom svojstvu.“
Država je ovo osporila, ukazujući na ishode kako krivičnog tako i upravnog postupka na nacionalnom nivou.
A. Presuda veća
B. Podnesci stranaka
1. Država
Država su suprotstavila kritici veća u pogledu krivičnog postupka protiv dvojice gradonačenika, insistirajući da su za odlučivanje o prirodi krivičnih optužbi protiv okrivljenog isključivo odgovorni nacionalni organi. Slično tome, nije zadatak Suda u Strazburu da preispituje presude nacionalnog suda zasnovane na dokazima ponuđenim tom sudu, osim ako Sud nije nameran da ode tako daleko da takvu presudu zameni onom koju on smatra valjanom. Država je primetila da ni Konvencija ni njena sudska praksa ne obavezuju nacionalne organe da za okrivljene obezbeđuju osuđujuće presude. Stav veća da je presudom koja je protiv njih izrečena gradonačelnicima obezbeđena praktična nekažnjivost je zanemario kako ovaj detalj tako i diskreciono pravo domaćih organa da krivične optužbe ispituju u svetlu okolnosti konkretnog slučaja, što obuhvata i situacije slične onoj u ovom predmetu, u kome se podnosilac predstavke nikada nije žalio da su gradonačelnici krivi za protivpravno lišavanje života nesavesnim postupanjem.
Za Državu, isti pravni osnovi „četvrte instance“ su važili i za odluku upravnog suda u vezi sa zahtevom podnosioca predstavke za naknadu štete. Obeštećenje je u stvari bilo znatno, imajući u vidu da je podnosilac predstavke dobio nov stan pod veoma povoljnim uslovima. On je čak ostvario i prihod od novog stana, prvo tako što ga je izdavao za 48,46 američkih dolara (USD) mesečno, nasuprot USD 17,50 koje je otplaćivao državi, a nakon toga tako što je ugovorio njegovu prodaju za 20.000 nemačkih maraka (DEM), što je bilo daleko više od vrednosti koju je imao kada mu je dodeljen (125.000.000 turskih lira). Država je takođe utvrdila da je, suprotno od nalaza veća, po zahtevu za obeštećenje bilo presuđeno u razumnom roku, a u svakom slučaju u mnogo kraćem roku nego na primer u predmetu Calvelli and Ciglio (vidi gore), u kome je Sud našao da se nije moglo reći da je period u trajanju od šest godina i tri meseca koliko je trebalo da se odluči o tužbenom zahtevu za smrt zbog nesavesnog postupanja pokreće pitanje po članu 2. Štaviše, podnosilac predstavke nije ni tražio naplatu iznosa koji mu je bio dodeljen.
2. Podnosilac predstavke
C. Procena Suda
1. Načela koja su primenjiva u ovom predmetu
Članom 13 Konvencije su nacionalni pravni sistemi obavezani da obezbede delotvoran pravni lek kojim su nadležni domaći organi ovlašćeni da se pozabave suštinom „dokazive“ pritužbe po Konvenciji (vidi predmet Z. and Others v. the United Kingdom [GC], br. 29392/95, st. 108, ECHR 2001–V). Njegova svrha je obezbeđivanje sredstava koje mogu da koriste pojedinci kako bi došli do adekvatnog pravnog zadovoljenja na nacionalnom nivou u vezi s povredama njihovih prava po Konvenciji pre nego što pokrenu međunarodni postupak pred Sudom (vidi predmet Kudła v. Poland [GC], br. 31210/96, st. 152, ECHR 2000–XI).
Međutim, zaštita koju pruža član 13 ne ide tako daleko da predviđa konkretan oblik pravnog leka, jer je državama ugovornicama data izvesna diskreciona sloboda u pogledu ispunjavanja svojih obaveza po toj odredbi (vidi, na primer, Kaya v. Turkey, presuda od 19. februara 1998. godine, Reports 1998–I, str. 329–30, st. 106).
Priroda prava koje je u pitanju ima implikacije za oblik pravnog leka koji je država obavezna da obezbedi po članu 13. U slučajevima gde postoje navodi o povredama prava zaštićenih članom 2, u načelu bi trebalo da među merama pravnog zadovoljenja bude moguća i naknada materijalne i nematerijalne štetu (vidi predmete Paul an Audrey Edwards, vidi gore, st. 97; Z. and Others v. the United Kingdom, vidi gore, st. 109; i T. P. i K. M. v. the United Kingdom [GC], br. 28945/95, st. 107, ECHR 2001–V). S druge strane, kako je Sud već naveo (vidi stav 96), ni član 13 niti bilo koja druga odredba Konvencije ne garantuju podnosiocima predstavki pravo da obezbede gonjenje treće stranke i izricanje osuđujuće presude, kao i pravo na „privatnu osvetu“ (vidi predmet Perez, vidi gore, st. 70).
Istina je da je Sud s vremena na vreme nalazio povrede člana 13 u slučajevima u kojima je bilo navoda o nezakonitom lišavanju života od strane pripadnika snaga bezbednosti ili uz njihovo odobravanje (vidi, na primer, sudsku praksu pomenutu u predmetu Kýlýç, vidi gore, st. 73) zbog propusta državnih organa da obave temeljitu i delotvornu istragu koja bi bila u stanju da dovede do identifikacije i gonjenja odgovornih (vidi predmet Kaya, vidi gore, str. 330–31, st. 107). Međutim, treba primetiti da je za te slučajeve, koji su se ticali sukoba u jugoistočnoj Turskoj devedesetih, bilo karakteristično da nisu bile ni obavljene istrage u vezi s pritužbama podnosilaca predstavki da su članovi njihovih porodica bili nezakonito lišeni života od strane pripadnika snaga bezbednosti ili da su umrli pod sumnjivim okolnostima.
Upravo ovaj elemenat je naveo Sud da odredi da su u tim slučajevima podnosioci predstavki bili lišeni delotvornog pravnog leka, i to zato što im nije bila pružena mogućnost da odrede odgovornost za događaje na koje su se žalili, a time i da potraže odgovarajuće pravno zadovoljenje, bilo podnošenjem zahteva da se prudruže krivičnom postupku kao zainteresovane stranke, bilo pokretanjem postupka pred građanskim ili upravnim sudom. Drugim rečima, postojala je bliska procesna i praktična veza između krivične istrage i pravnih lekova koji su bili dostupni tim podnosiocima predstavki u pravnom sistemu u celini (vidi, na primer, predmet Salman v. Turkey [GC], br. 21986/93, st. 109, ECHR 2000–VII).
Međutim, što se tiče Suda, kao i iz tačke gledišta interesa članova porodice pokojnog lica i njihovog prava na delotvoran pravni lek, iz pomenute sudske prakse ne sledi nužno da će nastati povreda člana 13 ako krivična istraga ili suđenje koje usledi u datom slučaju ne zadovolje procesne obaveze države po članu 2 kako je sažeto, na primer, u predmetu Hugh Jordan (vidi gore stav 94).
Ono što jeste važno je dejstvo koje propust države da ispuni svoju procesnu obavezu po članu 2 ima na pristup članova porodice pokojnika na druge dostupne i delotvorne pravne lekove kako bi se ustanovila odgovornost državnih službenika ili organa za postupke ili propuste koji dovode do kršenja njihovih prava po članu 2, kao i za naknadi štetu, ako je potrebno.
Sud smatra da u odnosu na nesreće sa smrtnim ishodom koje su posledice opasnih delatnosti za koje je odgovorna država, član 2 zahteva od državnih organa da po vlastitoj odluci preduzmu istragu o uzrocima gubitka života, zadovoljavajući određene minimalne uslove (vidi gore stavove 90, 93 i 94). Sud, takođe, primećuje da bez takve istrage pojedinac na koga se slučaj odnosi možda neće biti u mogućnosti da iskoristi raspoložive pravne lekove kako bi pribavio pravno zadovoljenje, budući da se podaci koji su neophodni za tumačenje činjenica kao što su one u ovom predmetu često nalaze isključivo u rukama državnih službenika ili organa.
Imajući prethodno u vidu, zadatak Suda po članu 13 u predmetu je da odredi da li je korišćenje delotvornog pravnog leka podnosioca predstavke bilo osujećeno načinom na koji su državni organi ispunjavali svoje procesne obaveze po članu 2 (vidi, mutatis mutandis, predmete Aksoy v. Turkey, presuda od 18. decembra 1996. godine, Reports 1996–VI, str. 2286, st. 95; Aydýn v. Turkey, presuda od 25. septembra 1997. godine, Reports 1997–VI, str. 1895–96, st. 103; i Kaya, vidi gore, str. 329–30, st. 106).
2. Primena ovih načela u ovom predmetu
(a) U pogledu pritužbe po članu 2 Konvencije
Sud je već ispitao postupke koji su na snazi u Turskoj i zaključio da u ovom predmetu pravo na život nije bilo zaštićeno na odgovarajući način postupcima koje su pokrenuli državni organi po krivičnom pravu, uprkos nalazu službenih istraga koji su ustanovili činjenice i prepoznali one koji su bili odgovorni za nesreću od 28. aprila 1993. godine (vidi gore stavove 113–114). Međutim, uzimajući u obzir adekvatnost i nalaze tih istraga, Sud smatra da podnosiocu predstavke jeste bilo omogućeno da iskoristi pravne lekove raspoložive po turskom pravu da pribavi pravnu zaštitu.
Nekoliko meseci nakon okončanja istrage, 3. septembra 1993. godine (vidi gore stav 29), podnosilac predstavke je uz pomoć advokata odlučio da tuži četiri državna organa upravnom sudu, tvrdeći da je pretrpeo materijalnu i nematerijalnu štetu zbog smrti devet članova porodice i gubitka kuće i kućnih stvari. Delotvornost ovog pravnog leka nije zavisila od ishoda istovremenog krivičnog postupka, niti je pristup istom bio sprečen postupcima ili propustima državnih organa (vidi predmet Kaya, vidi gore, str. 329–330, st. 106).
Upravni sudovi koji su procesuirali predmet su nesumnjivo bili ovlašćeni da ispituju činjenice koje su do tada bile ustanovljene, da pripisuju odgovornost za događaje, kao i da donesu izvršivu odluku. Upravnopravni lek koji je iskoristio podnosilac predstavke mu je po svemu sudeći bio dovoljan da potkrepi suštinu svoje pritužbe u pogledu smrti članova porodice i bio je u stanju da mu pruži adekvatno pravno zadovoljenje za gore ustanovljenu povredu člana 2 (vidi gore stav 118; vidi i predmete Paul and Audrey Edwards, vidi gore, st. 97 i Hugh Jordan, vidi gore, st. 162–163).
Međutim, ostaje da se odredi da li je ovaj pravni lek, u okolnostima ovog predmeta, bio delotvoran i u praksi.
Kao i veće, Veliko veće nije ubeđeno da je to bio slučaj. Veliko veće potvrđuje razne kritike koje je izreklo veće u vezi s nedelotvornošću postupka za obeštećenje (vidi gore stav 76) i, kao i veće, smatra odlučujućim činjenicu što odšteta dodeljena podnosiocu predstavke – i to samo u pogledu nematerijalne štete proistekle iz smrti članova porodice – mu nije bila ni isplaćena.
Relevantna u vezi s ovim je praksa Suda po kojoj pravo na sud zajemčeno članom 6 takođe štiti i izvršenje pravosnažnih sudskih odluka, koje u državama koje prihvataju vladavinu prava ne mogu da ostanu nevažeće na štetu jedne od stranaka (vidi, na primer, predmete Hornsby v. Greece, presuda od 19. marta 1997, Reports 1997–II, str. 510–11, st. 40, i Immobiliare Saffi v. Italy [GC], br. 22774/93, st. 66, ECHR 1999–V). Sud nije dobio zadovoljavajuće objašnjenje zašto odšteta nije isplaćena. Sud dakle smatra da podnosiocu predstavke ne može biti prebačeno zbog toga što nije lično preuzeo korake za izvršenje sudske odluke, imajući u vidu vreme koje je bilo potrebno upravnom sudu da odluči po njegovoj tužbi i činjenicu da na iznos dodeljen za nematerijalnu štetu nije čak ni obračunavana zatezna kamata. Blagovremena isplata pravosnažne odštete za pretrpljeni duševni bol mora se smatrati ključnim elementom pravnog leka po članu 13 za preživelog bračnog druga i roditelja (vidi, mutatis mutandis, predmet Paul and Audrey Edwards, vidi gore, st. 101).
Mada je Država osporila zaključaj veća da je postupak trebalo da bude obavljen brže, Veliko veće takođe nalazi da period od četiri godine, jedanaest meseci i deset dana da bi se donela odluka ukazuje na manjak revnosti od strane domaćeg suda, posebno imajući u vidu bolnu situaciju u kojoj se nalazio podnosilac predstavke. Iz odluke od 30. novembra 1995. godine je sasvim jasno da je domaći sud odlučivao isključivo na osnovu izveštaja veštaka koji je bio naručio javni tužilac. Međutim, taj izveštaj postojao je još maja 1993. godine (vidi gore stav 23).
Ovi su razlozi dovoljni za Sud da zaključi da upravni postupak nije pružio podnosiocu predstavke delotvoran pravni lek zbog propusta države da zaštiti živote članova njegove porodice.
Uz to, Država je podnosioca predstavke optužila da ni u jednom trenutku nije nastojao da učestvuje na delotvoran način u pomenutom krivičnom postupku kako bi izneo svoje pritužbe i tražio pravno zadovoljenje (vidi gore stav 83). Nakon što je ispitao odredbe turskog prava o zahtevima za pridruženje krivičnom gonjenju (vidi gore stavove 47 i 48), Sud prihvata da bi ovu mogućnost, kao sastavni deo krivičnog postupka, trebalo u načelu uzeti u obzir za svrhe člana 13.
Međutim, Sud smatra da u ovom predmetu podnosiocu predstavke, koji se opredelio za pravni lek po upravnom pravu koji je kako izgleda bio delotvoran i sposoban da pruži neposredno pravno zadovoljenje u vezi s njegovom pritužbom, ne bi trebalo prebacivati zato što nije tražio zadovoljenje od krivičnog suda (vidi, mutatis mutandis, predmet Manoussakis and Others v. Greece, presuda od 26. septembra 1996. godine, Reports 1996–IV, str. 1359–60, st. 33, i Aquilina v. Malta [GC], br. 25642/94, st. 39, ECHR 1999–III), što predstavlja pravni lek koji ionako nije mogao da bude korišćen ako je tužba za naknadu štete već bila aktivna (vidi gore stav 48).
Sledi da jeste postojala povreda člana 13 Konvencije u pogledu pritužbe po članu 2.
(b) U pogledu tužbe po članu 1 Protokola br. 1
Sud primećuje da je u upravnom postupku koji je ispitan gore podnosilac predstavke takođe dobio obeštećenje za uništenje kućnih predmeta, osim bele tehnike, za koju je domaći sud naveo da nije ni mogao da poseduje (vidi stav 40 gore). Sud smatra da ne mora da iznosi stav o adekvatnosti obeštećenja domaćeg suda ili o načinu njegovog procenjivanja. Kao što je već i primetio, činjenica je da je za donošenje odluke o naknadi trebalo puno vremena i da obeštećenje nikada nije bilo isplaćeno. Sledi da je podnosiocu predstavke bio uskraćen delotvoran pravni lek u vezi s navodnom povredom prava po članu 1 Protokola br. 1.
Mada je istina da je Država zamolila Sud da uzme u obzir koristi koje je podnosilac predstavke imao od dotiranog stana koji mu je dodeljen, Sud smatra da je to pitanje koje treba pokrenuti po članu 41 Konvencije. U svakom slučaju, budući da se te koristi nisu pokazale sposobnim da s podnosioca predstavke skinu status žrtve navodne povrede člana 1 Protokola br. 1 (vidi stav 137 gore), one ga ne mogu a fortiori lišiti prava na delotvoran pravni lek u cilju ostvarenja pravnog zadovoljenja za tu navodnu povredu.
Iz ovih razloga, Sud smatra da je takođe postojala poreda člana 13 Konvencije u pogledu pritužbe po članu 1 Protokola br. 1.
IV. NAVODNE POVREDE ČLANA 6 I ČLANA 8 KONVENCIJE
Podnosilac predstavke se žalio na neprimereno trajanje postupka pred upravnim sudom i naveo da se postupak ne bi mogao smatrati pravičnim, imajući u vidu pristrasnu presudu na kraju. Pozvao se na stav 1 člana 6 Konvencije, u čijim relevantnim odredbama je navedeno:
„Svako, tokom odlučivanja o njegovim građanskim pravima o obavezama ... ima pravo na pravičnu i javnu raspravu u razumnom roku pred nezavisnim i nepristrasnim sudom, obrazovanim na osnovu zakona. ...“
Podnosilac predstavke se na kraju žalio da su okolnosti slučaja takođe povredile njegovo pravo na poštovanje privatnog i porodičnog života zaštićeno članom 8 Konvencije, u čijim relevantnim odredbama je navedeno:
„1. Svako ima pravo na poštovanje svog privatnog i porodičnog života, ...
2. Javne vlasti se neće mešati u vršenje ovog prava sem ako to nije u skladu sa zakonom i neophodno u demokratskom društvu u interesu nacionalne bezbednosti, javne bezbednosti ili ekonomske dobrobiti zemlje, radi sprečavanja nereda ili kriminala, zaštite zdravlja ili morala, ili radi zaštite prava i sloboda drugih.“
Država je iznela stav da su ove pritužbe očigledno neutemeljene i naglasila da se u vezi s navedenim odredbama turskim vlastima ne bi mogli pripisati ni nedostatak revnosti niti bilo kakvo ometanje.
Uzimajući u obzir okolnosti u ovom predmetu i rezonovanje Suda koje ga je navelo da nađe povredu člana 13 Konvencije uzetog zajedno sa članom 1 Protokola br. 1 (vidi gore stav 156), Sud smatra da nije potrebno ispitivati slučaj prema članu 6 stav 1 (vidi, mutatis mutandis, predmet Immobiliare Saffi, vidi gore, st. 75).
Isto važi i za pritužbu po članu 8 Konvencije, koja se tiče istih činjenica kao što su one koje su ispitane prema članu 2 i članu 1 Protokola br. 1. Imajući u vidu njegov nalaz da su postojale povrede tih odredaba, Sud takođe smatra da je nepotrebno tu tužbu posmatrati izdvojeno.
V. PRIMENA ČLANA 41 KONVENCIJE
Članom 41 Konvencije je određeno:
„Kada Sud odredi prekršaj Konvencije ili protokola uz nju, a unutrašnje pravo Visoke strane ugovornice u pitanju omogućava samo delimičnu odštetu, Sud će, ako je to potrebno, pružiti pravično zadovoljenje oštećenoj stranci.“
A. Naknada štete
1. Podnesci stranaka
(a) Podnosilac predstavke
(i) USD 2.000 za troškove sahrane devet članova porodice koji su stradali;
(ii) USD 100.000 za gubitak novčane potpore izazvan smrću supruge i nevenčane žene, koje su radile kao spremačice po dnevnom osnovu;
(iii) USD 150.000 za gubitak izdržavanja koga je mogao da očekuje od sedmoro dece da su bili ostali u životu;
(iv) USD 50.000 za gubitak novčane potpore koju su pretrpela tri preživela deteta kao posledicu smrti majke;
(v) USD 98.000 za uništenje njegove kuće i pokretne imovine.
Podnosilac predstavke je takođe tražio u svoje ime i u ime troje preživele dece iznos od USD 800.000 za naknadu nematerijalne štete.
(b) Država
U vezi s materijalnom štetom, Država je navela da isečak iz novina nije mogao da se koristi da bi se potkrepio potraživanje u vezi s troškovima sahrane. Što se tiče navodnog gubitka novčane potpore, Država se ograničila na tvrdnju da potraživanje smatra u potpunosti teoretskim.
Što se tiče kuće i pokretne imovine, Država je navela da podnosilac predstavke nije podneo nikakve dokaze da bi obrazložio odštetni zahtev. Tvrdeći da podnosilac predstavke nikada nije stekao pravo vlasništva nad straćarom koja je bila u pitanju, Država je ponovila da mu je bio ponuđen mnogo komforniji stan u četvrti Alibejkoj za iznos koji je u to vreme vredeo oko USD 9.237 USA (EUR 9.966 eura), od čega je samo četvrtina plaćena odmah. U vezi s tim, Država je podnela primere oglasa za prodaju sličnih stanova u istoj četvrti po cenama koje su u proseku išle od TRL 11.000.000.000 do TRL 19.000.000.000 (oko EUR 7.900 do EUR 13.700). Što se tiče pokretne imovine, Država je podnela kataloge takvih predmeta i naglasila potrebu da se uzme u obzir naknada koju je upravni sud dodelio po ovoj osnovi.
U pogledu nematerijalne štete, Država je odštetni zahtiv proglasila prekomernim i navela da bi vodio nepravednom bogaćenju, protivno duhu člana 41 Konvencije. U vezi s tim, Država je podnosioca predstavke optužila da namerno nije hteo da traži isplatu obeštećenja koje je dodelio upravni sud po tom osnovu u nadi da će sebi uvećati šansu da mu ovaj Sud dodeli veći iznos.
2. Presuda veća
3. Procena Suda
(a) Materijalna šteta
Kao i veće pre njega, i Veliko veće primećuje da je podnosilac predstavke bez sumnje pretrpeo gubitke zbog povreda koje su ustanovljene i da postoji jasna uzročno-posledična veza između tih povreda i materijalne štete koja je navedena, koja može da obuhvati i naknadu za gubitak izvora prihoda (vidi predmete Salman, vidi gore, st. 137, i Z. and Others v. the United Kingdom, vidi gore, st. 119). Međutim, nijedno od potraživanja podnosioca predstavke po ovom osnovu nije u potpunosi dokumentovano. Navodna šteta sadrži komponente koje nije moguće tačno izračunati ili koje su zasnovane na tako ograničenim dokaznim materijalima da će svaka procena neizbežno sadržati izvestan stepen nagađanja (vidi, između ostalog, predmete Sporrong and Lönnroth v. Sweden (član 50), presuda od 18. decembra 1984. godine, Series A No. 88, str. 14–15, st. 32, i Akdivar and Others v. Turkey (član 50), presuda od 1. aprila 1998. godine, Reports 1998–II, str. 718, st. 19).
Sud će dakle proceniti potraživanja podnosioca predstavke u vezi s materijalnom štetom po pravičnom osnovu, uzimajući u obzir sve podatke koji su mu na raspolaganju, kako zahteva član 41.
Kao prvo, u pogledu naknade troškova sahrane, podnosilac predstavke je podneo članak iz dnevnika Sabah od 9. aprila 2001. godine u kome je navedeno da je druga žrtva nesreće od 28. aprila 1993. godine, izvesni g. C. Eztirk (Öztürk), morao da potroši TRL 550.000.000 da sahrani ženu i četvoro dece. Država je osporila dokaznu vrednost tih podataka ali nije ponudila druge dokaze da razjasni ovo pitanje.
Sud smatra da ovo potraživanje nije nerazumno jer je podnosilac predstavke morao da sahrani devetoro članova porodice. Sud dodeljuje iznos koji je tražen po ovom osnovu u celini, to jest USD 2.000.
Što se tiče navodnog gubitka novčane potpore, za ovo potraživanje nisu podneti nikakvi detaljni podaci. Međutim, Veliko veće se slaže sa stavom veća da je u ovom slučaju svaki član domaćinstva morao na ovaj ili onaj način da pruži određeni doprinos životu cele porodice, makar da je tek dopunske prirode, mada se perspektiva novčane potpore u budućnosti od strane sedmoro maloletne dece koja su poginula u nesreći čini jako dalekom.
Imajući sve u vidu, Sud smatra da bi po ovom osnovu trebalo dodeliti iznos od EUR 10.000.
Što se tiče navodnog gubitka zbog uništenja doma podnosioca predstavke, Sud na početku primećuje da se iznos čini preteranim, budući da nije potkrepljen ni na koji način. U vezi s tim, Sud smatra da bi ekonomski interes koji je dotiran stan koji je podnosilac predstavke pribavio mogao da predstavlja trebalo uzeti u obzir u proceni štete (vidi gore stav 156), mada je ovaj zadatak složen, iz razloga kako stalnih oscilacija kursa turske lire i inflacije u Turskoj, tako i transakcija koje je podnosilac predstavke izvršio sa svojim stanom (vidi gore stav 30).
Veće je svoju procenu zasnovalo na pretpostavci da je vrednost kuće podnosioca predstavke koja je uništena bila oko 50% od cene pristojnih stanova koje je u to vreme Gradsko veće Istanbula nudilo u četvrti Čobančešme. Veliko veće primećuje u vezi s ovim da su prema spisku koji je 20. marta 2001. godine sačinilo Gradsko veće stanovi u to vreme nuđeni u četvrti Čobančešme za oko TRL 10.400.000.000, što je na taj dan vredelo EUR 11.800.
Bez obzira na ove podatke, Sud primećuje, još jednom na osnovu sopstvenih – neizbežno okvirnih – kalkulacija, da je 13. novembra 1993. godine, kada je potpisan ugovor s podnosiocem predstavke o kupoprodaji stana, ugovorena cena od TRL 125.000.000 vredela oko EUR 8.500, od čega je jedna četvrtina (EUR 2.125) plaćena odmah. Ostatak (u vrednosti od EUR 6.375) trebalo je platiti u 120 mesečnih rata od po TRL 732.844. Mesečna rata je 13. novembra 1993. godine vredela oko EUR 53. Međutim, 24. marta 1998. godine, kada je podnosilac predstavke obećao da proda stan licu E. B., vrednost tih rata je bila samo po tri evra. Prema obračunu zasnovanom na kursu lire između 13. novembra 1993. i 24. marta 1998. godine, prosečna vrednost rate je bila EUR 15. Budući da nema razloga za pretpostavku da je podnosilac predstavke nastavio da plaća rate posle 24. marta 1998. godine, može se pretpostaviti da je do tog datuma platio, pored prve četvrtine, još oko EUR 780 u obliku mesečnih rata za kupovinu stana, što ukupno iznosi oko EUR 3.000, što je dosta manje od prvobitne vrednosti stana.
Takođe bi trebalo imati u vidu da je barem od februara 1995. godine, ako ne i dosta pre tog datuma, pomenuti stan bio izdat licu s inicijalima H. Ö. za mesečnu kiriju od oko TRL 2.000.000 TRL (oko EUR 41). Za period od trideset i sedam meseci tokom koga je stan bio izdat a koji se završio 24. marta 1998. godine kada je potpisano obećanje da će biti prodat, podnosilac predstavke je dakle svakako primio najmanje EUR 1.500 evra u obliku zakupnine, dok je tokom istog perioda morao da plati samo EUR 550 mesečnih otplata.
Pored toga, pošto je potpisao obećanje da će stan biti prodat, podnosilac predstavke je od E. B. primio DEM 20.000; taj iznos, tada vredan EUR 10.226, mnogo je veći od bilo kog iznosa koga bi podnosilac predstavke morao da potroši na kupovinu dotičnog stana.
U svetlu prethodnog, pretpostavljajući da se tržišna vrednost kuće podnosioca predstavke koja je zatrpana u nesreći može da proceni prema kriterijumu koji je koristilo veće i da je on morao da potroši izvesnu svotu novca za troškove stanovanja tokom perioda dok je izdavao stan, još uvek nema razloga za Sud da zaključi da su te okolnosti dovele do gubitka koji je bio veći od dobiti koji je podnosilac predstavke po prilici ostvario od transakcija u vezi sa svojim stanom.
Sledi da nema potrebe da se podnosiocu predstavke dodeli pravno zadovoljenje zbog uništenja njegove kuće, budući da nalaz da je postojala povreda sam po sebi predstavlja pravičnu naknadu.
Shodno prethodnom, i uprkos nepostojanja podataka od strane podnosioca predstavke o prirodi i količini pokretne imovine koje je mogao da poseduje, Sud je izvršio pažljiv pregled potrošačke robe u katalozima koju su podneti, imajući u vidu računske metode koji su primenjivani u sličnim slučajevima (vidi predmete Akdivar and Others (čl. 50), vidi gore, i Menteş and Others v. Turkey (čl. 50), presuda od 24. jula 1998, Reports 1998–IV, str. 1693, st. 12).
Shodno prethodnom, uzimajući u obzir uslove života domaćinstva s malim primanjima, Veliko veće se slaže s većem da bi po osnovu pravičnosti bilo opravdano zbirno obeštećenje u iznosu od 1.500 evra po ovoj stavci.
(b) Nematerijalna šteta
Baš kao i nalazi Suda da je postojala povreda, odluke koje su doneli turski sudovi nakon presude u meritumu jesu podnosiocu predstavke pružile izvesnu naknadu nematerijalne štete, mada nisu pružile puno pravno zadovoljenje za štetu koja je pretrpljena po ovom osnovu. Sud međutim smatra da TRL 100.000.000 TRL (što je u to vreme vredelo oko EUR 2.077) koje su upravni sudovi dodelili podnosiocu predstavke u vidu obeštećenja za nematerijalnu štetu ne može biti uzeto u obzir u vezi sa članom 41, videvši da država taj iznos nikada nije ni platila, i da se u veoma specifičnim okolnostima ovog slučaja odluka podnosioca predstavke da ne pokrene izvršni postupak kako bi došao do tog novca ne može smatrati njegovim odricanjem od prava na taj iznos (vidi, mutatis mutandis, predmet Neumeister v. Austria (član 50), presuda od 7. maja 1974, Series A No. 17, str. 16, st. 36).
Imajući u vidu sve prethodno, kao i sopstvenu relevantnu praksu u vezi s primenom člana 41 u pogledu maloletne dece ili rodbine žrtava člana 2 (vidi predmet Çakýcý v. Turkey [GC], br. 23657/94, st. 8 i 130), Sud odlučuje da g. Mašalahu Enerildizu i njegovoj preživeloj punoletnoj deci, Hisametinu, Ajdinu i Halefu Enerildizu, dodeli svakome po EUR 33.750 za nematerijalnu štetu, što ukupno iznosi 135.000 evra.
B. Sudski i ostali troškovi
1. Podnesci stranaka
Podnosilac predstavke je podneo zahtev za USD 50.000 za sudske troškove, što uključuje USD 20.000 za rad njegove advokatice u pismenim i usmenim podnescima pred Velikim većem. Naveo je da je za zastupanje njegovog slučaja pred domaćim sudovima i institucijama u Strazburu potrošeno preko 330 sati rada po stopi od USD 150 na sat, prema cenovniku minimalnih honorara Advokatske komore u Istanbulu.
Država je navela da su zahtevi podnosioca predstavke u vezi sa sudskim i ostalim troškovima preterani i neutemeljenji.
2. Presuda veća
3. Procena Suda
Sud stalno zauzima stav da sudski i ostali troškovi neće biti nadoknađeni po članu 41 ukoliko ne bude ustanovljeno da su stvarno pretrpljeni, da su nužno pretrpljeni i da su količinski razumni (vidi predmet Sahin v. Germany [GC], br. 30943/96, st. 105, ECHR 2003–VIII). U ovom predmetu podnosilac predstavke nije potkrepio zahteve odgovarajućom dokumentacijom ili pak podneo detaljna objašnjenja u pogledu rada svoje advokatice na pitanjima u vezi sa članom 2 i 13 Konvencije i članom 1 Protokola br. 1, odredbama za koje je ustanovljeno da su bile prekršene.
U skladu s pravilom 60, stav 2 Pravilnika Suda, Sud neće moći da prihvati zahtev podnosioca predstavke u njegovom sadašnjem obliku. Međutim, podnosilac predstavke je svakako imao određene troškove u vezi s radom advokatice koja ga je zastupala u pismenom i usmenom postupku pred telima Konvencije (vidi, mutatis mutandis, predmet Labita v. Italy [GC], br. 26772/95, st. 210, ECHR 2000–IV). Sud je spreman da prihvati da je u ovom predmetu, koji je bez sumnje složen, za taj zadatak potrošeno onoliko sati koliko je navedeno. Međutim, Sud ponavlja da u pogledu honorara ne smatra sebe vezanim nacionalnim pravilima i praksom, mada oni mogu biti od izvesne pomoći (vidi, na primer, predmet Tolstoy Miloslavsky v. the United Kingdom, presuda od 13. jula 1995, Series A No. 316–B, str. 83, st. 77).
Procenjujući po pravičnom osnovu, Sud smatra razumnim da dodeli podnosiocu predstavke iznos od EUR 16.000, umanjen za EUR 3.993,84 koje je Savet Evrope platio za pravnu pomoć za celokupan postupak pred institucijama Konvencije.
C. Zatezna kamata
IZ OVIH RAZLOGA, SUD
Odlučuje jednoglasno da je postojala povreda člana 2 Konvencije u njegovom materijalnom aspektu, zbog propusta da se preduzmu odgovarajući koraci kako bi se sprečila smrt nesrećnim slučajem devetoro članova porodice podnosioca predstavke;
Odlučuje sa šesnaest glasova za i jednim protiv da je takođe postojala povreda člana 2 Konvencije u njegovom procesnom aspektu, zbog nepostojanja odgovarajuće zakonske zaštite prava na život;
Odlučuje s petnaest glasova za i dva glasa protiv da je postojala povreda člana 1 Protokola br. 1;
Odlučuje s petnaest glasova za i dva glasa protiv da je postojala povreda člana 13 Konvencije u vezi s tužbom po materijalnom aspektu člana 2;
Odlučuje s petnaest glasova za i dva glasa protiv da je takođe postojala povreda člana 13 Konvencije u vezi s tužbom po članu 1 Protokola br. 1;
Odlučuje jednoglasno da se ne javljaju nikakva odvojena sporna pitanja po stavu 1 člana 6 ili po članu 8 Konvencije;
Odlučuje jednoglasno
(a) da je tužena Država dužna da plati, u roku od tri meseca, sledeće iznose, bez naplate ikakvih poreza ili drugih dažbina, koje treba pretvoriti u turske lire po važećoj stopi na dan isplate:
(i) podnosiocu predstavke, g. Mašalahu Enerildizu:
– USD 2.000 (dve hiljade američkih dolara) i EUR 45.250 (četrdesetpet hiljada dvestotine i pedeset evra) za materijalnu i nematerijalnu štetu;
– EUR 16.000 (šesnaest hiljada evra) za sudske i druge troškove, umanjeno za EUR 3.993,84 (tri hiljade devetstotina devedesettri evra i osamdesetčetiri centa) što je već primljeno od Saveta Evrope;
(ii) svakome od njegova tri punoletna sina, Hisametinu, Ajdinu i Halefu Enerildizu, EUR 33.750 (tridesetitri hiljade sedamsto pedeset evra) za nematerijalnu štetu;
(b) da će od isteka pomenutog roka od tri meseca do dana isplate biti obračunavana prosta kamata na pomenute iznose po stopi jednakoj kamatnoj stopi na kredite Evropske centralne banke, uvećanoj tokom perioda prekoračenja roka za tri procentna poena;
Sačinjeno na engleskom i francuskom jeziku i izrečeno na javnoj raspravi u Sudu u Strazburu 30. novembra 2004. godine.
Lucijus Vildhaber |
Pol Mahoni |
Predsednik |
Sekretar Suda |
Shodno članu 45 stav 2 Konvencije i pravilu 74, stav 2 Pravilnika Suda, uz presudu su priložena dva izdvojena mišljenja:
(a) delimično izdvojeno mišljenje g. Tirmena;
(b) delimično izdvojeno mišljenje gđe Mularoni.
L. V.
P. J. M.
DELIMIČNO IZDVOJENO MIŠLJENJE SUDIJE TJURMENA
Slažem se s većinom da je postojala povreda člana 2 u njegovom materijalnom aspektu budući da su državni organi propustili da preduzmu odgovarajuće korake da zaštite živote građana u njihovoj nadležnosti.
Međutim, žao mi je da ne mogu da se složim s većinom da su takođe postojale povrede člana 2 u njegovom procesnom aspektu, člana 1 Protokola br. 1 i člana 13.
1. Član 2 (procesni aspekt)
Presudom nisu ustanovljene nikakve nepravilnosti u pogledu istrage (stav 113), u kojoj su prepoznata lica odgovorna za nesreću i ista gonjena. Dvojica gradonačelnika su osuđena po članu 230 Krivičnog zakonika Turske.
Međutim, većina u Sudu je našla povredu procesnog aspekta člana 2 iz razloga što sudeći sudovi nisu odredili punu odgovornost državnih službenika i efikasno primenili odredbe domaćeg prava – to jest, zato što su domaći sudovi primenili član 230 Krivičnog zakonika (nesavesno vršenje službene dužnosti) a ne član 455 (ubistvo iz nehata ili nebrige).
S ovim zaključkom se ne slažem iz sledećih razloga.
Kao prvo, većina smatra da je postojala povreda procesnog aspekta člana 2, i to ne zbog toga što nije postojala delotvorna istraga, već u vezi sa sudskim postupkom, tačnije primenom domaćeg prava. Ovo je potpuno nov pristup koji nema presedana u praksi Suda. Ako većina smatra da pravni lek koji postoji u domaćem pravu nije delotvoran, to onda pokreće pitanje po članu 13, a ne po članu 2.
Drugo, čini se nedoslednim reći s jedne strane da je istraga delotvorna a s druge da je odluka domaćeg suda prekršila Konvenciju.
Takav pristup zanemaruje činjenicu da je odluka domaćeg suda zasnovana na činjenicama koje su utvrđene istragom. Kako je moguće da Sud ospori odluku nacionalnog suda a da u isto vreme prizna delotvornost istrage? U okolnostima u kojima je istraga delotvorna, da bi se zaključilo da je prekršen procesni aspekt člana 2, bilo bi potrebno ispitati činjenice, što bi Sud učinilo sudom četvrtog stepena. Praksom Suda je odavno utemeljeno da je određivanje činjenica i tumačenje i primena domaćih zakona stvar nacionalnih državnih organa (vidi, između ostalog, Kemmache v. France (no. 3), presuda od 24. novembra 1994, Series A No. 296–C, str. 86–87, st. 37, i Kaymaz v. Turkey (odl.), br. 37053/97, 16. marta 2000. godine).
Treće, većina ne pridaje nikakav značaj činjenici da je podnosilac predstavke sopstvenim ponašanjem doprineo izazivanju opasnosti po život i izazvao smrt devet članova sopstvene porodice. Nije sporno da je podnosilac predstavke (a) podigao kuću bez dozvole na zemlji koja nije bila u njegovom vlasništvu, i (b) da je to učinio jako blizu deponije smeća.
Nesavesno postupanje državnih organa i podnosioca predstavke predstavljaju bitne elemente uzročnosti. Oba su uslovi sine qua non štete koja je nastala. Jedno bez drugog ne bi bilo dovoljno da se šteta izazove. Smrt devetoro ljudi je bila posledica nesavesnog postupanja i državnih organa i podnosioca predstavke.
Pored ovoga, dvojica gradonačelnika su počinila nevezano krivično delo, to jest nesavesno postupanje u vršenju službene dužnosti. Peto odeljenje Krivičnog suda u Istanbulu je u presudi od 4. aprila 1996. godine odlučilo da uzme u obzir sve ove elemente i da primeni član 230 Krivičnog zakonika (nesavesno postupanje u vršenju javne dužnosti) a ne član 455 (lišenje života iz nehata). Obojici gradonačelnika je izrečena osuđujuća kazna po članu 230. Kasacioni sud je potvrdio presudu. Presuda pominje odgovornost obojice gradonačelnika i podnosioca predstavke za smrt devetoro ljudi. Sudije Krivičnog suda u Istanbulu su takođe uzele u obzir izveštaj veštaka, kojim je odgovornost za nesreću podeljena na sledeći način: dve osmine odgovornosti Gradskom veću Istanbula, dve osmine Mesnom veću Imranije i dve osmine stanovnicima sirotinjskom naselja „zbog toga što su ugrozili svoje porodice naseljavajući se blizu brda otpada“ (vidi stav 23 presude).
Sledi da nije tačno da, kako je navedeno u stavu 116 presude, nacionalni sud nije u svojoj presudi priznao „bilo kakvu odgovornost za propust da se zaštiti pravo na život“. Nacionalni sud je odmerio odgovornost podnosioca predstavke i gradonačelnika i zaključivao u okviru polja slobodne procene. Većina u Sudu je ovo priznala kada je u stavu 116 navela da „...nije zadatak Suda da se bavi aspektima domaćeg krivičnog prava u vezi s krivičnom odgovornošću pojedinaca, što je stvar procene nacionalnih sudova, ili pak da izriće osuđujuće ili oslobađajuće presude u tom pogledu“.
Međutim, takvo izričito priznanje granica između nacionalnih sudova i Suda u Strazburu, što je u skladu s praksom Suda, čini još težim da se razumeju razlozi zašto je ustanovljena povreda procesnog aspekta člana 2. Prema mišljenju većine, pitanja domaćeg prava koja se odnose na krivičnu odgovornost pojedinaca su stvar procene nacionalnih sudova, ali ako nacionalni sud odluči iz dobrog razloga da primeni jedan član Krivičnog zakonika a ne neki drugi, to može predstavljati nedostatak zakonske zaštite koja štiti pravo na život.
Četvrto, iz presude nije jasno zašto je većina odlučila da izmeni načela ustanovljena praksom Suda u vezi s nepostojanjem krivičnopravnog pravnog leka u slučajevima nenamernog lišenje života. U predmetima Calvelli and Ciglio v. Italy ([GC], br. 32967/96, ECHR 2002–I), Mastromatteo v. Italy ([GC], br. 37703/97, ECHR 2002–VIII), i Vo v. France ([GC], br. 53924/00, ECHR 2004–VIII), Sud je izneo stav da „ako kršenje prava na život ili nepovredivost ličnosti nije učinjeno namerno, obaveza činjenja propisana stavom 2 da se ustanovi delotvoran pravosudni sistem ne zahteva nužno da u svakom pojedinačnom slučaju bude određen krivičnopravni pravni lek“. U ovom predmetu, većina je odstupila od te sudske prakse. U stavu 93 presude, većina iznosi stav da „...u oblastima kao što je ona koja je osporena u ovom predmetu [pretpostavljamo da se misli na ekološku štetu], načela koja su primenljiva treba tražiti među onima koja je Sud već imao prilike da razvija, posebno u vezi s korišćenjem smrtonosne sile.“
Kako u predmetu Calvelli and Ciglio i u našem, ono što je sporno s aspekta krivičnog prava je lišenje života iz nehata. Što se tiče stepena nehata, teško je uočiti razliku između nehata ginekologa koji je znao da je rođenje deteta bilo veoma rizično jer je majka bila dijabetičarka tipa A a plod je bio preveliki za rođenje prirodnim putem, a ne samo da nije preduzeo mere predostrožnosti, već nije ni prisustvovao porođaju (Calvelli and Ciglio), i nehata dvojice gradonačelnika koji je trebalo da znaju iz izveštaja veštaka da je deponija smeća bila veoma opasna a pored svega propustili da preduzmu bilo kakve mere da spreče takvu nesreću.
2. Član 1 Protokola br. 1
U pogledu člana 1 Protokola br. 1, potpuno se slažem sa stavom koji je sutkinja Mularoni iznela u stavu 2 njenog delimično izdvojenog mišljenja.
Treba primetiti da je Sud, odmah nakon predmeta Kopecký v. Slovakia ([GC], br. 44912/98, ECHR 2004–IX), u kome je objedinio svoju praksu u pogledu značenja pojma „imovina“ po Konvenciji, sada uveo novi kriterijum za određivanje imovine – tolerisanje nacionalnih vlasti. Plašim se da bi takav novi pojam mogao da dovede do nepoželjnih posledica, na primer proširenje zaštite Konvencije tako da obuhvati zgrade podignute bez dozvole, kao i da podstakne nezakonite situacije.
3. Član 13
Presuda, nakon što je ispitala delotvornost krivičnopravnog leka po članu 2, ograničava opseg pritužbe po članu 13 na delotvornost upravnopravnog pravnog leka.
Presudom od 30. novembra 1995. godine, Upravni sud u Istanbulu je naložio državnim vlastima da isplate podnosiocu predstavke i njegovoj deci iznos od TRL 100.000.000 za nematerijalnu štetu i TRL 10.000.000 za materijalnu štetu. Rešenje je dostavljeno podnosiocu predstavke.
Kako je jasno navedeno u presudi veća, „... podnosilac predstavke nikada nije tražio isplatu obeštećenja koje mu je dodeljeno, činjenica koju nikada nije opovrgao“ (stav 117 presude veća; ova činjenica je izostala iz presude Velikog veća).
Podnosilac predstavke se nije žalio na neplaćanje obeštećenja jer nije ni želeo da ga dobije. Da je stupio u vezu s kancelarijom gradonačelnika i dao broj svog računa, on bi dobio obeštećenje koje mu je bilo dodeljeno. Kako vlasti mogu da isplate novac bez poznavanja adrese ili broja računa podnosioca predstavke?
Sledi da je netačno smatrati Državu odgovornom za neplaćanje obeštećenja.
Što se tiče trajanja postupka pred upravnim sudom, većina je saglasna da je postupak trajao četiri godine, jedanaest meseci i deset dana, što pravni lek upravnog suda čini nedelotvornim.
Ja se ne slažem s ovim stavom.
Postupak je trajao četiri godine i jedanaest meseci pred četiri stepena nadležnosti. Činjenice slučaja ukazuju da nije bilo značajnih perioda neaktivnosti koji bi mogli da se pripišu nacionalnim sudovima.
Većija je saglasna da je „domaći sud pokazao nedovoljno revnosti“. Međutim, za ovaj zaključak nije dato nikakvo obrazloženje. Do njega se došlo bez ispitivanja sudskih postupaka i bez primene dobro utemeljenih kriterijima Suda u vezi s trajanjem postupka, to jest složenosti slučaja, ponašanja podnosioca predstavke i ponašanja pravosudnih organa.
Sledi da nije postojala povreda člana 13.
4. Član 41
Slažem se s iznosom pravičnog zadovoljenja isplaćenim podnosiocu predstavke. Međutim, ne slažem se s rezonovanjem prilikom obračuna iznosa.
Izgleda da je prilikom obračuna obeštećenja data ista težina svim članovima domaćinstva podnosioca predstavke, koji su opisani kao „članovi porodice“ podnosioca predstavke (stav 167 presude).
Međutim, ako pročitamo stav 3 presude, biće nam jasno da je jedna od tih „članova porodice“, Sidika Zorlu, bila „nevenčana žena“ podnosioca predstavke. Izgleda da je ovo prvi put da je Sud u odlučivanju iznosa koji će biti isplaćen za pravično zadovoljenje uzeo u obzir nevenčanu ženu podnosioca predstavke i dao joj istu težinu kao i njegovoj supruzi i deci. Takav pristup bi mogao da ima neželjene implikacije za sudsku prasku Suda u budućnosti.
DELIMIČNO IZDVOJENO MIŠLJENJE SUTKINJE MULARONI
(Prevod)
1. Potpuno se slažem s razmišljanjem i zaključcima većine u pogledu člana 2 Konvencije kako u materijalnom tako i procesnom pogledu.
2. Međutim, smatram da u ovom slučaju nije primenljiv član 1 Protokola br. 1. Tom odredbom je zajemčeno imovinsko pravo. U svojoj sudskoj praksi, Sud je razjasnio pojam imovine, koja može da obuhvati kako „postojeću imovinu“ tako i aktivu, uključujući potraživanja, u pogledu koje podnosilac predstavke može da tvrdi da ima barem „razumno očekivanje“ da će obezbediti delotvorno uživanje imovinskog prava. Nasuprot ovome, nada da će se obezbediti priznanje imovinskog prava koje nije bilo moguće uživati na delotvoran način se ne može smatrati imovinom u smislu člana 1 Protokola br. 1 (vidi, između ostalih relevantnih predmeta, predmete Marckx v. Belgium, presuda od 13. juna 1979. godine, Series A No. 31, str. 23, st. 50; Princ Hans-Adam of Liechtenstein v. Germany [GC], br. 42527/98, st. 83, ECHR 2001–VIII; i Kopecký v. Slovakia [GC], br. 44912/98, st. 35, ECHR 2004–IX).
Pred Sudom nije osporeno da je kuća podnosioca predstavke podignuta protivno urbanističkim propisima Turske i da nije ispunjavala odgovarajuće tehničke standarde, ili da je zemlja na kojoj se nalazila bila državna (vidi stav 125 presude). Podnosilac predstavke nije bio u stanju da dokaže da je imao pravo vlasništva nad tom zemljom ili da je mogao da na zakonit način ponese zahtev da mu zemlja bude preneta u vlasništvo po članu 21 Zakona br. 775 od 20. jula 1966. godine ili po naknadnim dopunama tog zakona.
Većina je saglasna da „...Sud ne može da zaključi da bi nada koji je podnosilac predstavke imao da će jednog dana na njega biti izvršen prenos prava vlasništva predstavljala oblik potraživanja koji bi bio toliko utemeljen da bi bio izvršiv pred sudom, pa time i jasnu „imovinu“ u smislu sudske prakse ovog Suda“ (vidi stav 126 presude in fine). Međutim, umesto da izvuku odgovarajuće zaključke iz ovog rezonovanja i odrede da član 1 Protokola br. 1 nije bio primenljiv, oni su usvojili noji kriterijum prihvatljivosti za ovaj član: gotovo petogodišnje tolerisanje ponašanja podnosioca predstavke od strane relevantnih državnih organa, što je vodilo zaključku da su ti organi de facto priznali da su podnosilac predstavke i članovi njegove porodice imali vlasnički interes u pogledu kuće i pokretne imovine (vidi stav 127), koji je bio takve prirode i u toj meri priznat da je predstavljao materijalan interes pa time i „imovinu“ u smislu pravila sadržanog u prvoj rečenici člana 1 Protokola br. 1 (vidi stav 129).
Ja ne mogu da se složim s ovim razmišljanjem.
Po mom mišljenju, niti prećutno tolerisanje niti drugi humanitarni obziri ne mogu biti dovoljni da ozakone tužbu podnosioca predstavke po članu 1 Protokola br. 1, niti bi Sud trebalo da koristi iste da opravda zaključak koji se svodi na to da podnosioce predstavke (u ovog slučaju g. Enerildiza, ali takođe i sve druge podnosioce predstavke u budućnosti koji su podigli zgrade bez dozvole) izuzme iz opsega primene nacionalnih urbanističkih i građevinskih propisa, pa time i da na određeni način odobri širenje ovakve divlje gradnje.
Smatram da bi nalaz većine da je član 1 Protokola br. 1 primenjiv mogao da ima paradoksalno dejstvo. Mislim, na primer, na raskošne vile i hotele nezakonito podignute na obalama mora i na drugim mestima koji po nacionalnim propisima ne mogu postati vlasništvo održajem; da li će sada prosta činjenica da su vlasti tolerisale takve zgrade pet godina biti dovoljna da može da se tvrdi da bi oni koji su ih podigli svesno kršeći zakon mogli da imaju dokazivo potraživanje po članu 1 Protokola br. 1? Takav bi zaključak vlastima (kako nacionalnim tako i lokalnim) veoma otežao rad u primeni urbanističkih i drugih propisa u situacijama gde su, na primer, nasledile nezakonitu situaciju nastalu tokom prethodnog perioda, kada su na vlasti bile manje savesne uprave.
Na kraju, nije mi lako da prihvatim da bi u slučajevima gde su zgrade podignute uz kršenje urbanističkih propisa države od sada imalu obavezu činjenja da zaštite imovinsko pravo koje nikada nije bilo priznato u domaćem pravu i koje ne bi ni trebalo da bude priznato, jer bi u mnogim slučajevima moglo da bude primenjeno na štetu prava drugih i opšteg interesa.
Ja sam dakle zaključila da član 1 Protokola br. 1 nije primenljiv, i da sledi da nije ni bio prekršen.
Takođe bi trebalo da dodam da bih čak i da sam bila zaključila da je član 1 Protokola br. 1 primenljiv – a ponavljam da nisam – smatrala, protivno stavu većine (vidi stav 137 presude), da podnosilac predstavke više nije mogao da tvrdi da je žrtva. Po mom mišljenju, dodela dotiranog stana pod veoma povoljnim uslovima se može smatrati suštinskim priznanjem povrede člana 1 Protokola br. 1, što se može smatrati merom koja je najverovatnije najbolji oblik pravnog zadovoljenja u ovom predmetu.
3. Uzimajući u obzir okolnosti slučaja i rezonovanje koje je navelo Sud da odredi povredu procesnog aspekta člana 2 Konvencije, smatram da nije bilo neophodno slučaj razmatrati po članu 13 u pogledu pritužbe po materijalnom aspektu člana 2.
4. Uzimajući u obzir moje zaključke po članu 1 Protokola br. 1, smatram da nije postojala povreda člana 13 u pogledu pritužbe po članu 1 Protokola br. 1.
_________________________________________
Prevod presude preuzet sa https://vk.sud.rs/
In the case of Öneryıldız v. Turkey,
The European Court of Human Rights, sitting as a Grand Chamber composed of:
Mr L.Wildhaber, President,
Mr C.L.Rozakis,
Mr J.-P.Costa,
Mr G.Ress,
Sir Nicolas Bratza,
Mrs E.Palm,
Mr L.Loucaides,
Mr R.Türmen,
Mrs F.Tulkens,
Mr K. Jungwiert,
Mrs M.Tsatsa-Nikolovska,
Mrs H.S.Greve,
Mr A.B.Baka,
Mr M.Ugrekhelidze,
Mr A.Kovler,
Mr V.Zagrebelsky,
Mrs A.Mularoni, judges,
and Mr P.J.Mahoney, Registrar,
Having deliberated in private on 7 May 2003 and on 16 June and 15 September 2004,
Delivers the following judgment, which was adopted on the last-mentioned date:
PROCEDURE
1. The case originated in an application (no. 48939/99) against the Republic of Turkey lodged with the Court under Article 34 of the Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms (“the Convention”) by two Turkish nationals, Mr Ahmet Nuri Çınar and Mr Maşallah Öneryıldız, on 18 January 1999.
2. Relying on Articles 2, 8 and 13 of the Convention and on Article 1 of Protocol No. 1, the applicants submitted that the national authorities were responsible for the deaths of their close relatives and for the destruction of their property as a result of a methane explosion on 28 April 1993 at the municipal rubbish tip in Ümraniye (Istanbul). They further complained that the administrative proceedings conducted in their case had not complied with the requirements of fairness and promptness set forth in Article 6 § 1 of the Convention.
3. The application was allocated to the First Section of the Court (Rule 52 § 1 of the Rules of Court). Within that Section, a Chamber composed of Mrs E. Palm, President, Mrs W. Thomassen, Mr Gaukur Jörundsson, Mr R. Türmen, Mr C. Bîrsan, Mr J. Casadevall, Mr R. Maruste, judges, and Mr M. O’Boyle, Section Registrar, decided on 22 May 2001 to disjoin the complaints of Mr Çınar and Mr Öneryıldız and declared the application admissible in so far as it concerned the latter (“the applicant”), acting on his own behalf, on behalf of his three surviving sons, Hüsamettin, Aydın and Halef Öneryıldız, who were minors at the time, and also on behalf of his wife, Gülnaz Öneryıldız, his concubine, Sıdıka Zorlu, and his other children, Selahattin, İdris, Mesut, Fatma, Zeynep, Remziye and Abdülkerim Öneryıldız.
4. On 18 June 2002, after holding a hearing, the Chamber delivered a judgment in which it held by five votes to two that there had been a violation of Article 2 of the Convention, unanimously that there was no need to examine separately the complaints under Article 6 § 1 and Articles 8 and 13 of the Convention, and by four votes to three that there had been a violation of Article 1 of Protocol No. 1. The partly dissenting opinions of Mr Casadevall, Mr Türmen and Mr Maruste were annexed to the judgment.
5. On 12 September 2002 the Turkish Government (“the Government”) requested under Article 43 of the Convention and Rule 73 that the case be referred to the Grand Chamber.
On 6 November 2002 a panel of the Grand Chamber decided to accept that request.
6. The composition of the Grand Chamber was determined according to the provisions of Article 27 §§ 2 and 3 of the Convention and Rule 24.
7. Before the Grand Chamber the applicant, represented by Ms E. Deniz, of the Istanbul Bar, and the Government, represented by their co-Agent, Mrs D. Akçay, filed memorials on 7 and 10 March 2003 respectively. The parties subsequently sent the Registry additional observations and documents in support of their arguments.
8. A hearing took place in public in the Human Rights Building, Strasbourg, on 7 May 2003 (Rule 59 § 3).
There appeared before the Court:
(a) for the Government
Mrs D. Akçay, Co-Agent,
Mr Y. Belet,
Ms G. Acar,
Ms V. Sİrmen,
Ms J. Kalay, Advisers;
(b) for the applicant
Ms E. Denİz, Counsel,
Mr Ş. Özdemİr, Adviser.
The Court heard addresses by Ms Deniz and Mrs Akçay.
THE FACTS
I. THE CIRCUMSTANCES OF THE CASE
9. The applicant was born in 1955 and is now living in the district of Şirvan (province of Siirt), the area where he was born. At the material time he was living with twelve close relatives in the slum quarter (gecekondu mahallesi) of Kazım Karabekir in Ümraniye, a district of Istanbul, where he had moved after resigning from his post as a village guard in south-eastern Turkey.
A. The Ümraniye household-refuse tip and the area in which the applicant lived
10. Since the early 1970s a household-refuse tip had been in operation in Hekimbaşı, a slum area adjoining Kazım Karabekir. On 22 January 1960 Istanbul City Council (“the city council”) had been granted use of the land, which belonged to the Forestry Commission (and therefore to the Treasury), for a term of ninety-nine years. Situated on a slope overlooking a valley, the site spread out over a surface area of approximately 35 hectares and from 1972 onwards was used as a rubbish tip by the districts of Beykoz, Üsküdar, Kadıköy and Ümraniye under the authority and responsibility of the city council and, ultimately, the ministerial authorities.
When the rubbish tip started being used, the area was uninhabited and the closest built-up area was approximately 3.5 km away. However, as the years passed, rudimentary dwellings were built without any authorisation in the area surrounding the rubbish tip, which eventually developed into the slums of Ümraniye.
According to an official map covering the areas of Hekimbaşı and Kazım Karabekir, produced by Ümraniye District Council’s Technical Services Department, the applicant’s house was built on the corner of Dereboyu Street and Gerze Street. That part of the settlement was adjacent to the municipal rubbish tip and since 1978 had been under the authority of a local mayor answerable to the district council.
The Ümraniye tip no longer exists. The local council had it covered with earth and installed air ducts. Furthermore, land-use plans are currently being prepared for the areas of Hekimbaşı and Kazım Karabekir. The city council has planted trees on a large area of the former site of the tip and has had sports grounds laid.
B. Steps taken by Ümraniye District Council
1. In 1989
11. Following the local elections of 26 March 1989, Ümraniye District Council sought to amend the urban development plan on a scale of 1:1,000. However, the decision-making authorities refused to adopt the plan as it covered an area that ran very close to the municipal rubbish tip.
From 4 December of that year Ümraniye District Council began dumping heaps of earth and refuse on to the land surrounding the Ümraniye slums in order to redevelop the site of the rubbish tip.
However, on 15 December 1989 M.C. and A.C., two inhabitants of the Hekimbaşı area, brought proceedings against the district council in the Fourth Division of the Üsküdar District Court to establish title to land. They complained of damage to their plantations and sought to have the work halted. In support of their application, M.C. and A.C. produced documents showing that they had been liable for council tax and property tax since 1977 under tax no. 168900. In 1983 the authorities had asked them to fill in a standard form for the declaration of illegal buildings so that their title to the properties and land could be regularised (see paragraph 54 below). On 21 August 1989, at their request, the city council’s water and mains authority had ordered a water meter to be installed in their house. Furthermore, copies of electricity bills show that M.C. and A.C., as consumers, made regular payments for the power they had used on the basis of readings taken from a meter installed for that purpose.
12. In the District Court, the district council based its defence on the fact that the land claimed by M.C. and A.C. was situated on the waste-collection site; that residence there was contrary to health regulations; and that their application for regularisation of their title conferred no rights on them.
In a judgment delivered on 2 May 1991 (case no. 1989/1088), the District Court found for M.C. and A.C., holding that there had been interference with the exercise of their rights over the land in question.
However, the Court of Cassation set the judgment aside on 2 March 1992. On 22 October 1992 the District Court followed the Court of Cassation’s judgment and dismissed M.C.’s and A.C.’s claims.
2. In 1991
13. On 9 April 1991 Ümraniye District Council applied to the Third Division of the Üsküdar District Court for experts to be appointed to determine whether the rubbish tip complied with the relevant regulations, in particular the Regulations on Solid-Waste Control of 14 March 1991. The district council also applied for an assessment of the damage it had sustained, as evidence in support of an action for damages it was preparing to bring against the city council and the councils of the three other districts that used the tip.
The application for an expert opinion was registered as case no. 1991/76, and on 24 April 1991 a committee of experts was set up for that purpose, comprising a professor of environmental engineering, a land registry official and a forensic medical expert.
According to the experts’ report, drawn up on 7 May 1991, the rubbish tip in question did not conform to the technical requirements set forth, inter alia, in regulations 24 to 27, 30 and 38 of the Regulations of 14 March 1991 and, accordingly, presented a number of dangers liable to give rise to a major health risk for the inhabitants of the valley, particularly those living in the slum areas: no walls or fencing separated the tip from the dwellings fifty metres away from the mountain of refuse, the tip was not equipped with collection, composting, recycling or combustion systems, and no drainage or drainage-water purification systems had been installed. The experts concluded that the Ümraniye tip “exposed humans, animals and the environment to all kinds of risks”. In that connection the report, drawing attention first to the fact that some twenty contagious diseases might spread, underlined the following:
“... In any waste-collection site gases such as methane, carbon dioxide and hydrogen sulphide form. These substances must be collected and ... burnt under supervision. However, the tip in question is not equipped with such a system. If methane is mixed with air in a particular proportion, it can explode. This installation contains no means of preventing an explosion of the methane produced as a result of the decomposition [of the waste]. May God preserve us, as the damage could be very substantial given the neighbouring dwellings. ...”
On 27 May 1991 the report was brought to the attention of the four councils in question, and on 7 June 1991 the governor was informed of it and asked to brief the Ministry of Health and the Prime Minister’s Environment Office (“the Environment Office”).
14. Kadıköy and Üsküdar District Councils and the city council applied on 3, 5 and 9 June 1991 respectively to have the expert report set aside. In their notice of application the councils’ lawyers simply stated that the report, which had been ordered and drawn up without their knowledge, contravened the Code of Civil Procedure. The three lawyers reserved the right to file supplementary pleadings in support of their objections once they had obtained all the necessary information and documents from their authorities.
As none of the parties filed supplementary pleadings to that end, the proceedings were discontinued.
15. However, the Environment Office, which had been advised of the report on 18 June 1991, made a recommendation (no. 09513) urging the Istanbul Governor’s Office, the city council and Ümraniye District Council to remedy the problems identified in the present case:
“... The report prepared by the committee of experts indicates that the waste-collection site in question breaches the Environment Act and the Regulations on Solid-Waste Control and consequently poses a health hazard to humans and animals. The measures provided for in regulations 24, 25, 26, 27, 30 and 38 of the Regulations on Solid-Waste Control must be implemented at the site of the tip ... I therefore ask for the necessary measures to be implemented ... and for our office to be informed of the outcome.”
16. On 27 August 1992 Şinasi Öktem, the mayor of Ümraniye, applied to the First Division of the Üsküdar District Court for the implementation of temporary measures to prevent the city council and the neighbouring district councils from using the waste-collection site. He requested, in particular, that no further waste be dumped, that the tip be closed and that redress be provided in respect of the damage sustained by his district.
On 3 November 1992 Istanbul City Council’s representative opposed that request. Emphasising the city council’s efforts to maintain the roads leading to the rubbish tip and to combat the spread of diseases, stray dogs and the emission of odours, the representative submitted, in particular, that a plan to redevelop the site of the tip had been put out to tender. As regards the request for the temporary closure of the tip, the representative asserted that Ümraniye District Council was acting in bad faith in that, since it had been set up in 1987, it had done nothing to decontaminate the site.
Istanbul City Council had indeed issued a call for tenders for the development of new sites conforming to modern standards. The first planning contract was awarded to the American firm CVH2M Hill International Ltd, and on 21 December 1992 and 17 February 1993 new sites were designed for the European and Anatolian sides of Istanbul respectively. The project was due for completion in the course of 1993.
17. While those proceedings were still pending, Ümraniye District Council informed the mayor of Istanbul that from 15 May 1993 the dumping of waste would no longer be authorised.
C. The accident
18. On 28 April 1993 at about 11 a.m. a methane explosion occurred at the site. Following a landslide caused by mounting pressure, the refuse erupted from the mountain of waste and engulfed some ten slum dwellings situated below it, including the one belonging to the applicant. Thirty-nine people died in the accident.
D. The proceedings instituted in the present case
1. The initiative of the Ministry of the Interior
19. Immediately after the accident two members of the municipal police force sought to establish the facts. After taking evidence from the victims, including the applicant, who explained that he had built his house in 1988, they reported that thirteen huts had been destroyed.
On the same day the members of a crisis unit set up by the Istanbul Governor’s Office also went to the site and found that the landslide had indeed been caused by a methane explosion.
20. The next day, on 29 April 1993, the Ministry of the Interior (“the Ministry”) ordered the Administrative Investigation Department (“the investigation department”) to examine the circumstances in which the disaster had occurred in order to determine whether proceedings should be instituted against the two mayors, Mr Sözen and Mr Öktem.
2. The criminal inquiry
21. While those administrative proceedings were under way, on 30 April 1993 the Üsküdar public prosecutor (“the public prosecutor”) went to the scene of the accident, accompanied by a committee of experts composed of three civil-engineering professors from three different universities. In the light of his preliminary observations, he instructed the committee to determine how liability for the accident should be apportioned among the public authorities and the victims.
22. On 6 May 1993 the applicant lodged a complaint at the local police station. He stated: “If it was the authorities who, through their negligence, caused my house to be buried and caused the death of my partners and children, I hereby lodge a criminal complaint against the authority or authorities concerned.” The applicant’s complaint was added to the investigation file (no. 1993/6102), which the public prosecutor had already opened of his own motion.
23. On 14 May 1993 the public prosecutor heard evidence from a number of witnesses and victims of the accident. On 18 May 1993 the committee of experts submitted the report ordered by the public prosecutor. In its report the committee noted, firstly, that there was no development plan on a scale of 1:5,000 for the region, that the urban development plan on a scale of 1:1,000 had not been approved and that most of the dwellings that had been engulfed had in fact been outside the area covered by the urban development plan, on the far edge of the site of the rubbish tip. The experts confirmed that the landslide – affecting land which had already been unstable – could be explained both by the mounting pressure of the gas inside the tip and by the explosion of the gas. Reiterating the public authorities’ obligations and duties under the relevant regulations, the experts concluded that liability for the accident should be apportioned as follows:
“(i) 2/8 to Istanbul City Council, for failing to act sufficiently early to prevent the technical problems which already existed when the tip was first created in 1970 and have continued to increase since then, or to indicate to the district councils concerned an alternative waste-collection site, as it was obliged to do under Law no. 3030;
(ii) 2/8 to Ümraniye District Council for implementing a development plan while omitting, contrary to Regulations on Solid-Waste Control (no. 20814), to provide for a 1,000 metre-wide buffer zone to remain uninhabited, and for attracting illegal dwellings to the area and taking no steps to prevent them from being built, despite the experts’ report of 7 May 1991;
(iii) 2/8 to the slum inhabitants for putting the members of their families in danger by settling near a mountain of waste;
(iv) 1/8 to the Ministry of the Environment for failing to monitor the tip effectively in accordance with the Regulations on Solid-Waste Control (no. 20814);
(v) 1/8 to the government for encouraging the spread of this type of settlement by declaring an amnesty in relation to illegal dwellings on a number of occasions and granting property titles to the occupants.”
24. On 21 May 1993 the public prosecutor made an order declining jurisdiction ratione personae in respect of the administrative authorities that had been held liable, namely Istanbul City Council, Ümraniye District Council, the Ministry of the Environment and the heads of government from the period between 1974 and 1993. He accordingly referred the case to the Istanbul governor, considering that it came under the Prosecution of Civil Servants Act, the application of which was a matter for the administrative council of the province of Istanbul (“the administrative council”). However, the public prosecutor stated in his order that the provisions applicable to the authorities in question were Article 230 and Article 455 § 2 of the Criminal Code, which respectively concerned the offences of negligence in the performance of public duties and negligent homicide.
In so far as the case concerned the possible liability of the slum inhabitants – including the applicant – who were not only victims but had also been accused under Article 455 § 2 of the Criminal Code, the public prosecutor expressed the opinion that, as the case stood, it was not possible to disjoin their complaints, having regard to sections 10 and 15 of the above-mentioned Act.
On 27 May 1993, when the investigation department had completed the preliminary inquiry, the public prosecutor’s file was transmitted to the Ministry.
3. Outcome of the administrative investigation in respect of the relevant authorities
25. On 27 May 1993, having regard to the conclusions of its own inquiry, the investigation department sought authorisation from the Ministry to open a criminal investigation in respect of the two mayors implicated in the case.
26. The day after that request was made Ümraniye District Council made the following announcement to the press:
“The sole waste-collection site on the Anatolian side stood in the middle of our district of Ümraniye like an object of silent horror. It has broken its silence and caused death. We knew it and were expecting it. As a district council, we had been hammering at all possible doors for four years to have this waste-collection site removed. We were met with indifference by Istanbul City Council. It abandoned the decontamination works ... after laying two spades of concrete at the inauguration. The ministries and the government were aware of the facts, but failed to take much notice. We had submitted the matter to the courts and they had found in our favour, but the judicial machinery could not be put into action. ... We must now face up to our responsibilities and will all be accountable for this to the inhabitants of Ümraniye ...”
27. The authorisation sought by the investigation department was granted on 17 June 1993 and a chief inspector from the Ministry (“the chief inspector”) was accordingly put in charge of the case.
In the light of the investigation file compiled in the case, the chief inspector took down statements from Mr Sözen and Mr Öktem. The latter stated, among other things, that in December 1989 his district council had begun decontamination works in the Hekimbaşı slum area, but that these had been suspended at the request of two inhabitants of the area (see paragraph 11 above).
28. The chief inspector finalised his report on 9 July 1993. It endorsed the conclusions reached by all the experts instructed hitherto and took account of all the evidence gathered by the public prosecutor. It also mentioned two other scientific opinions sent to the Istanbul Governor’s Office in May 1993, one by the Ministry of the Environment and the other by a professor of civil engineering at Boğaziçi University. These two opinions confirmed that the fatal landslide had been caused by the methane explosion. The report also indicated that on 4 May 1993 the investigation department had requested the city council to inform it of the measures actually taken in the light of the expert report of 7 May 1991, and it reproduced Mr Sözen’s reply:
“Our city council has both taken the measures necessary to ensure that the old sites can be used in the least harmful way possible until the end of 1993 and completed all the preparations for the construction of one of the biggest and most modern installations ... ever undertaken in our country. We are also installing a temporary waste-collection site satisfying the requisite conditions. Alongside that, renovation work is ongoing at former sites [at the end of their life span]. In short, over the past three years our city council has been studying the problem of waste very seriously ... [and] currently the work is continuing ...”
29. The chief inspector concluded, lastly, that the death of twenty-six people and the injuries to eleven others (figures available at the material time) on 28 April 1993 had been caused by the two mayors’ failure to take appropriate steps in the performance of their duties and that they should be held to account for their negligence under Article 230 of the Criminal Code. In spite of, inter alia, the expert report and the recommendation of the Environment Office, they had knowingly breached their respective duties: Mr Öktem because he had failed to comply with his obligation to order the destruction of the illegal huts situated around the rubbish tip, as he was empowered to do under section 18 of Law no. 775, and Mr Sözen because he had refused to comply with the above-mentioned recommendation, had failed to renovate the rubbish tip or order its closure, and had not complied with any of the provisions of section 10 of Law no. 3030, which required him to order the destruction of the slum dwellings in question, if necessary by his own means. However, in his observations the chief inspector did not deal with the question whether Article 455 § 2 of the Criminal Code was applicable in the instant case.
4. Allocation of subsidised housing to the applicant
30. In the meantime, the Department of Housing and Rudimentary Dwellings had asked the applicant to contact it, informing him that in an order (no. 1739) of 25 May 1993 the city council had allocated him a flat in a subsidised housing complex in Çobançeşme (Eyüp, Alibeyköy). On 18 June 1993 the applicant signed for possession of flat no. 7 in building C‑1 of that complex. That transaction was made official on 17 September 1993 in an order by the city council (no. 3927). On 13 November 1993 the applicant signed a notarially recorded declaration in lieu of a contract stating that the flat in question had been “sold” to him for 125,000,000 Turkish liras (TRL), a quarter of which was payable immediately and the remainder in monthly instalments of TRL 732,844.
It appears likely that the initial payment was made to the Istanbul Governor’s Office, which forwarded it to the city council. The applicant paid the first monthly instalment on 9 November 1993 and continued to make payments until January 1996. In the meantime, prior to 23 February 1995, he had let his flat to a certain H.Ö. for a monthly rent of TRL 2,000,000. It appears that from January 1996 the authorities had to avail themselves of enforcement proceedings in order to recover the outstanding instalments.
On 24 March 1998 the applicant, who by that time had discharged his debt to the city council, gave a notarially recorded undertaking to sell his flat to a certain E.B. in return for a down payment of 20,000 German marks.
5. The criminal proceedings against the relevant authorities
31. In an order of 15 July 1993, the administrative council decided, by a majority, on the basis of the chief inspector’s report, to institute proceedings against Mr Sözen and Mr Öktem for breaching Article 230 of the Criminal Code.
Mr Sözen and Mr Öktem appealed against that decision to the Supreme Administrative Court, which dismissed their appeal on 18 January 1995. The case file was consequently sent back to the public prosecutor, who on 30 March 1995 committed both mayors for trial in the Fifth Division of the Istanbul Criminal Court.
32. The trial before the Division began on 29 May 1995. At the hearing Mr Sözen stated, among other things, that he could not be expected to have complied with duties which were not incumbent on him or be held solely responsible for a situation which had endured since 1970. Nor could he be blamed for not having renovated the Ümraniye tip when none of the 2,000 sites in Turkey had been renovated; in that connection, relying on a number of measures which had nonetheless been taken by the city council, he argued that the tip could not have been fully redeveloped as long as waste continued to be dumped on it. Lastly, he stated: “The elements of the offence of negligence in the performance of duties have not been made out because I did not act with the intention of showing myself to be negligent [sic] and because no causal link can be established [between the incident and any negligence on his part].”
Mr Öktem submitted that the groups of dwellings which had been engulfed dated back to before his election on 26 March 1989 and that since then he had never allowed slum areas to develop. Accusing the Istanbul City Council and Governor’s Office of indifference to the problems, Mr Öktem asserted that responsibility for preventing the construction of illegal dwellings lay with the forestry officials and that, in any event, his district council lacked the necessary staff to destroy such dwellings.
33. In a judgment of 4 April 1996, the Division found the two mayors guilty as charged, considering their defence to be unfounded.
The judges based their conclusion, in particular, on the evidence that had already been obtained during the extensive criminal inquiries carried out between 29 April 1993 to 9 July 1993 (see paragraphs 19 and 28 above). It also appears from the judgment of 30 November 1995 that, in determining the share of liability incurred by each of the authorities in question, the judges unhesitatingly endorsed the findings of the expert report drawn up on this precise issue at the public prosecutor’s request, which had been available since 18 May 1993 (see paragraph 23 above).
The judges also observed:
“... although they had been informed of the [experts’] report, the two defendants took no proper preventive measures. Just as a person who shoots into a crowd should know that people will die and, accordingly, cannot then claim to have acted without intending to kill, the defendants cannot allege in the present case that they did not intend to neglect their duties. They do not bear the entire responsibility, however. ... They were negligent, as were others. In the instant case the main error consists in building dwellings beneath a refuse tip situated on a hillside and it is the inhabitants of these slum dwellings who are responsible. They should have had regard to the risk that the mountain of rubbish would one day collapse on their heads and that they would suffer damage. They should not have built dwellings fifty metres from the tip. They have paid for that recklessness with their lives ...”
34. The Division sentenced Mr Sözen and Mr Öktem to the minimum term of imprisonment provided for in Article 230 of the Criminal Code, namely three months, and to fines of TRL 160,000. Under section 4(1) of Law no. 647, the Division commuted the prison sentences to fines, so the penalties ultimately imposed were fines of TRL 610,000. Satisfied that the defendants would not reoffend, the Division also decided to suspend enforcement of the penalties in accordance with section 6 of the same Law.
35. Both mayors appealed on points of law. They submitted, in particular, that the Division had gone beyond the scope of Article 230 of the Criminal Code in its assessment of the facts, and had treated the case as one of unintentional homicide within the meaning of Article 455 of the Code.
In a judgment of 10 November 1997, the Court of Cassation upheld the Division’s judgment.
36. The applicant has apparently never been informed of those proceedings or given evidence to any of the administrative bodies of investigation or the criminal courts; nor does any court decision appear to have been served on him.
6. The applicant’s administrative action
37. On 3 September 1993 the applicant applied to Ümraniye District Council, Istanbul City Council and the Ministries of the Interior and the Environment, seeking compensation for both pecuniary and non-pecuniary damage. The applicant’s claim was broken down as follows: TRL 150,000,000 in damages for the loss of his dwelling and household goods; TRL 2,550,000,000, TRL 10,000,000, TRL 15,000,000 and TRL 20,000,000 in compensation for the loss of financial support incurred by himself and his three surviving sons, Hüsamettin, Aydın and Halef; and TRL 900,000,000 for himself and TRL 300,000,000 for each of his three sons in respect of the non-pecuniary damage resulting from the deaths of their close relatives.
38. In letters of 16 September and 2 November 1993, the mayor of Ümraniye and the Minister for the Environment dismissed the applicant’s claims. The other authorities did not reply.
39. The applicant then sued the four authorities for damages in his own name and on behalf of his three surviving children in the Istanbul Administrative Court (“the court”). He complained that their negligent omissions had resulted in the death of his relatives and the destruction of his house and household goods, and again sought the aforementioned amounts.
On 4 January 1994 the applicant was granted legal aid.
40. The court gave judgment on 30 November 1995. Basing its decision on the experts’ report of 18 May 1993 (see paragraph 23 above), it found a direct causal link between the accident of 28 April 1993 and the contributory negligence of the four authorities concerned. Accordingly, it ordered them to pay the applicant and his children TRL 100,000,000 for non-pecuniary damage and TRL 10,000,000 for pecuniary damage (at the material time those amounts were equivalent to approximately 2,077 and 208 euros respectively).
The latter amount, determined on an equitable basis, was limited to the destruction of household goods, save the domestic electrical appliances, which the applicant was not supposed to own. On that point the court appears to have accepted the authorities’ argument that “these dwellings had neither water nor electricity”. The court dismissed the remainder of the claim, holding that the applicant could not maintain that he had been deprived of financial support since he had been partly responsible for the damage incurred and the victims had been young children or housewives who had not been in paid employment such as to contribute to the family’s living expenses. The court also held that the applicant was not entitled to claim compensation for the destruction of his slum dwelling given that, following the accident, he had been allocated a subsidised flat and that, although Ümraniye District Council had not exercised its power to destroy the dwelling, there had been nothing to prevent it from doing so at any time.
The court decided, lastly, not to apply default interest to the sum awarded for non-pecuniary damage.
41. The parties appealed against that judgment to the Supreme Administrative Court, which dismissed their appeal in a judgment of 21 April 1998.
An application by Istanbul City Council for rectification of the judgment was likewise unsuccessful, and the judgment accordingly became final and was served on the applicant on 10 August 1998.
42. The compensation awarded has still not been paid.
7. Outcome of the criminal proceedings against the slum inhabitants
43. On 22 December 2000 Law no. 4616 came into force, providing for the suspension of the enforcement of judicial measures pending in respect of certain offences committed before 23 April 1999.
On 22 April 2003 the Ministry of Justice informed the Istanbul public prosecutor’s office that it had been impossible to conclude the criminal investigation pending in respect of the slum inhabitants, that the only decision concerning them had been the order of 21 May 1993 declining jurisdiction and that the charge against them would become time-barred on 28 April 2003.
Consequently, on 24 April 2003 the Istanbul public prosecutor decided to suspend the opening of criminal proceedings against the inhabitants, including the applicant, and four days later the criminal proceedings against them became time-barred.
II. RELEVANT DOMESTIC LAW AND PRACTICE
A. Turkish criminal law
44. The relevant provisions of the Criminal Code read as follows:
Article 230 §§ 1 and 3
“Any agent of the State who, in the performance of his public duties, ... acts negligently and delays or, for no valid reason, refuses to comply with the lawful orders ... of his superiors shall be liable to a term of imprisonment of between three months and one year and to a fine of between 6,000 and 30,000 Turkish liras.
...
In every ... case, if third parties have suffered any damage on account of the negligence or delay by the civil servant in question, the latter shall also be required to compensate for such damage.”
Article 455 §§ 1 and 2
“Anyone who, through carelessness, negligence or inexperience in his profession or craft, or through non-compliance with laws, orders or instructions, causes the death of another shall be liable to a term of imprisonment of between two and five years and to a fine of between 20,000 and 150,000 Turkish liras.
If the act has caused the death of more than one person or has resulted in the death of one person and injuries to one or more others ... the perpetrator shall be sentenced to a term of imprisonment of between four and ten years and to a heavy fine of a minimum of 60,000 Turkish liras.”
Article 29 § 8
“The court shall have full discretion to determine the principal sentence, which can vary between a minimum and maximum, taking account of factors such as the circumstances in which the offence was committed, the means used to commit it, the importance and seriousness of the offence, the time and place at which it was committed, the various special features of the offence, the seriousness of the damage caused and the risk [incurred], the degree of [criminal] intent ..., the reasons and motives for the offence, the aim, the criminal record, the personal and social status of the perpetrator and his conduct following the act [committed]. Even where the minimum penalty is imposed, the reasons for the choice of sentence must be mentioned in the judgment.”
Article 59
“If the court considers that, other than the statutory mitigating circumstances, there are other circumstances favourable to reducing the penalty [imposed] on the perpetrator, capital punishment shall be commuted to life imprisonment and life imprisonment to a term of imprisonment of thirty years.
Other penalties shall be reduced by a maximum of one-sixth.”
45. Sections 4(1) and 6(1) of the Execution of Sentences Act (Law no. 647) read as follows:
Section 4(1)
“The court may, having regard to the defendant’s personality and situation and to the circumstances in which the offence was committed, commute short custodial sentences, but not long-term imprisonment:
1. to a heavy fine ... of between 5,000 and 10,000 Turkish liras per day;
...”
Section 6(1)
“Where a person who has never been sentenced ... to a penalty other than a fine is sentenced to ... a fine ... and/or [up to] one year’s imprisonment, execution of the sentence may be suspended if the court is satisfied that [the offender], having regard to his tendency to break the law, will not reoffend if his sentence is thus suspended ...”
46. Under the Code of Criminal Procedure, a public prosecutor who, in any manner whatsoever, is informed of a situation which gives rise to a suspicion that an offence has been committed must investigate the facts with a view to deciding whether or not criminal proceedings should be brought (Article 153). However, if the suspected offender is a civil servant and the offence was committed in the performance of his duties, the investigation of the case is governed by the Prosecution of Civil Servants Act of 1914, which restricts the public prosecutor’s jurisdiction ratione personae with regard to 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.
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.
47. Turkish criminal law affords complainants the opportunity to intervene in criminal proceedings. Article 365 of the Code of Criminal Procedure contains a provision enabling complainants and anyone who considers that they have sustained injury as a result of a criminal offence to apply to join as an “intervening party” proceedings that have already been instituted by the public prosecutor and, consequently, to act alongside the prosecution. After consulting the public prosecutor, the court is required to rule on the admissibility of the application to join the proceedings as an intervening party (Article 366 of the Code of Criminal Procedure).
48. If the application is allowed, the intervening party may, among other things, claim compensation for damage resulting from the offence as a direct victim. That possibility, which is similar to those offered by “civil‑party applications” or “civil actions” in the legislation of numerous Council of Europe member States, is nonetheless subject to certain precise rules. According to the Court of Cassation’s case-law, for a decision to be given on the compensation to be awarded as a result of an offence, the injured person must not only apply to join the proceedings as an intervening party but must also explicitly assert his or her right to compensation. Under Turkish law, such a claim is not deemed to be an integral part of an intervening-party application. The claim for compensation does not have to be made at the same time as the intervening-party application; it can be made at a later stage, provided that no action for damages has already been brought in the civil or administrative courts. Furthermore, all claims for compensation within the meaning of Article 358 (or Article 365 § 2) of the Code of Criminal Procedure must be specific and substantiated since, in assessing such claims, the criminal courts are required to apply the relevant civil-law rules, including the prohibition on awarding an amount higher than the claim. Conviction of the defendant is necessary for a decision to be given on the intervening party’s entitlement to compensation.
B. Administrative and civil remedies against agents of the State
1. Administrative proceedings
49. With regard to civil and administrative liability arising out of criminal offences, section 13 of the Administrative Procedure Act (Law no. 2577) provides that anyone who has suffered damage as a result of an act committed by the administrative authorities may claim compensation from the authorities within one year of the alleged act. If this claim is rejected in whole or in part or if no reply is received within sixty days, the victim may bring administrative proceedings.
The organisation of the administrative courts and the status of their judges are governed by the Administrative Courts (Powers and Composition) Act (Law no. 2576) of 6 January 1982 and the Supreme Administrative Court Act (Law no. 2575).
2. Civil proceedings
50. Under the Code of Obligations, anyone who has suffered damage as a result of a tortious or criminal act may bring an action for damages for pecuniary loss (Articles 41-46) and non-pecuniary loss (Article 47). The civil courts are not bound by either the findings or the verdict of the criminal courts on the issue of the defendant’s guilt (Article 53).
However, under section 13 of the Civil Servants Act (Law no. 657), anyone who has sustained loss as a result of an act carried out in the performance of duties governed by public law may, in theory, only bring an action against the public authority by which the civil servant concerned is employed and not directly against the civil servant (Article 129 § 5 of the Constitution and Articles 55 and 100 of the Code of Obligations). That is not, however, an absolute rule. Where an act is found to be tortious or criminal and, consequently, is no longer an “administrative” act or deed, the civil courts may allow a claim for damages to be made against the official concerned, without prejudice to the victim’s right to bring an action against the authority on the basis of its joint liability as the official’s employer (Article 50 of the Code of Obligations).
C. Enforcement of court decisions by the authorities
51. Article 138 § 4 of the 1982 Constitution provides:
“The bodies of executive and legislative power and the authorities must comply with court decisions; they cannot in any circumstances modify court decisions or defer enforcement thereof.”
Article 28 § 2 of the Code of Administrative Procedure provides:
“ Decisions determining administrative-law actions concerning a specific amount shall be enforced ... in accordance with the provisions of the ordinary law.”
Under section 82(1) of the Enforcement and Bankruptcy Act (Law no. 2004), State property and property designated as unseizable in the legislation governing it cannot be seized. Section 19(7) of the Municipalities Act (Law no. 1580 of 3 April 1930) provides that municipal property can be seized only if it is not set aside for public use.
According to Turkish legal theory in this field, it follows from the above provisions that if the authorities do not themselves comply with a final and enforceable court decision ordering compensation, the interested party can bring enforcement proceedings under the ordinary law. In that event the appropriate institution is empowered to impose on the authorities the measures provided for in Law no. 2004, although seizure remains exceptional.
D. Regulations governing unauthorised buildings and household-refuse tips
1. The Constitution
52. The relevant provisions of the Constitution regarding the environment and housing read as follows:
Article 56
“Everyone has the right to live in a healthy, balanced environment.
It shall be the duty of the State and the citizens to improve and preserve the environment and to prevent environmental pollution.
To ensure healthy living conditions for all in physical and psychological terms, ... the State shall establish health institutions and shall regulate the services they provide.
The State shall perform this task by utilising and supervising health and social-welfare institutions in both the public and private sectors. ...”
Article 57
“The State shall take appropriate measures to satisfy housing needs by means of a plan that takes into account the characteristics of cities and environmental conditions; it shall also support community housing schemes.”
Article 65
“The State shall perform the tasks assigned to it by the Constitution in the social and economic fields, within the limits of its financial resources and ensuring the maintenance of economic stability.”
2. Slums and the legislation governing them
53. The information and documents in the Court’s possession show that, since 1960, when inhabitants of underprivileged areas started migrating in their masses to the richer regions, Turkey has been confronted with the problem of slums, consisting in most cases of permanent structures to which further floors were soon added. It would appear that currently more than one-third of the population live in such dwellings. Researchers who have looked into the problem maintain that these built-up areas have not sprung up merely as a result of deficiencies in urban planning or shortcomings on the part of the municipal police. They point to the existence of more than eighteen amnesty laws which have been passed over the years in order to regularise the slum areas and, they believe, satisfy potential voters living in these rudimentary dwellings.
54. The following are the main provisions in Turkish law regarding the prevention of slum development.
Section 15(2)(19) of the Municipalities Act (Law no. 1580 of 3 April 1930) requires local councils to prevent and prohibit any buildings or installations that breach the relevant legislation and regulations in that they have been erected without permission or constitute a threat to public health, order and tranquillity.
Section 18 of Law no. 775 of 20 July 1966 provides that, after the Law’s entry into force, any illegal building, whether it is in the process of being built or is already inhabited, must be immediately destroyed without any prior decision being necessary. Implementation of these measures is the responsibility of the administrative authorities, which may have recourse to the security forces and other means available to the State. With regard to dwellings built before the Law came into force, section 21 provides that, subject to certain conditions, slum inhabitants may purchase the land they occupy and take out low-interest loans in order to finance the construction of buildings which conform to the regulations and urban development plans. The built-up areas to which the provisions of section 21 apply are designated “slum rehabilitation and clearance zones” and are managed in accordance with a plan of action.
Under Law no. 1990 of 6 May 1976, amending Law no. 775, illegal constructions built before 1 November 1976 were also considered to be covered by the above-mentioned section 21. Law no. 2981 of 24 February 1984, on buildings not conforming to the legislation on slums and town planning, also provided for measures to be taken for the conservation, regularisation, rehabilitation and destruction of illegal buildings erected prior to that date.
As regards public property, section 18(2) of the Land Registry Act (Law no. 3402) of 21 June 1987 provides:
“Common property, ... woodland, premises at the State’s disposal that are set aside for public use, and immovable property reverting to the State in accordance with the legislation governing it, may not be acquired by adverse possession, regardless of whether such property is entered in the land register.”
55. However, Law no. 4706 of 29 June 2001 – which was designed to strengthen the Turkish economy – as amended by Law no. 4916 of 3 July 2003, allows immovable property belonging to the Treasury to be sold to third parties, subject to certain conditions. Section 4(6) and (7) of the Law provide that Treasury-owned land containing buildings erected before 31 December 2000 is to be transferred free of charge to the municipality in which it is situated, for sale on preferential terms to the owners of the buildings or to their heirs. Sales may be made on payment of an advance corresponding to a quarter of the market value of the land, and monthly instalments may be paid over three years.
Local authorities are required to draw up land-use plans and implementation plans concerning property transferred to them pursuant to the above-mentioned Law.
3. Household-refuse tips and the regulations governing them
56. Section 15(2)(24) of the above-mentioned Law no. 1580 provides that district councils are responsible for collecting household waste at regular intervals by appropriate means and destroying it. By section 6-E, paragraph (j), of the City Councils Act (Law no. 3030) and regulation 22 of the Public Administration Regulations implementing the Act, city councils have a duty to designate sites for the storage of household and industrial waste and to install or have installed systems for treating, recycling and destroying the waste.
By regulations 5 and 22 of the Regulations on Solid-Waste Control, published in the Official Gazette of 14 March 1991, district councils are responsible for organising the use of rubbish tips and taking all necessary measures to ensure that their operation does not damage the environment and the health of human beings and animals. Regulation 31 empowers city councils to issue permits for the operation of waste-collection sites within the territory of the district councils under their authority.
The Regulations provide that no rubbish tips may be created within 1,000 metres of housing and that, once a site is in operation, no housing may be authorised around the edge of the site (regulation 24) and the site must be fenced off (regulation 25). As regards biogas control, regulation 27 provides:
“The mixtures of nitrogen, ammonia, hydrogen sulphide, carbon dioxide and, in particular, methane that result from the microbiological decomposition of the organic matter present in the mass of waste ... and may cause explosions and poisoning shall be collected by means of a vertical and horizontal drainage system and released into the atmosphere in a controlled manner or used to produce energy.”
57. The general information the Court has been able to procure as to the risk of a methane explosion at such sites may be summarised as follows. Methane (CH4) and carbon dioxide (CO2) are the two main products of methanogenesis, which is the final and longest stage of anaerobic fermentation (that is, a process taking place in the absence of air). These substances are generated, inter alia, by the biological and chemical decomposition of waste. The risks of explosion and fire are mainly due to the large proportion of methane in the biogas. The risk of an explosion occurs when the level of CH4 in the air is between 5% and 15%. If the level rises above 15%, methane will catch fire but will not explode.
58. It appears from various circulars and regulations in force in the Council of Europe’s member States regarding household-waste management and the operation of municipal rubbish tips that the main priorities of the authorities and operators concerned include: isolating waste-disposal sites by ensuring that they are not located within a minimum distance of any housing; preventing the risk of landslides by creating stable embankments and dykes and using compaction techniques; and eliminating the risk of fire or biogas explosions.
As regards the last-mentioned priority, the recommended method for decontaminating sites appears to entail setting up a drainage system for fermentation gases whereby gases are pumped out and treated using a biological filter as the site continues to operate. A gas-extraction system of this kind, provision for which is also made in the Regulations of 14 March 1991 in force in Turkey, generally consists of perforated vertical ducts drilled into the waste or horizontal drains buried in the mass of waste, a ventilation system, a biological filter and a network of suction pipes.
III. RELEVANT INSTRUMENTS OF THE COUNCIL OF EUROPE
59. With regard to the various texts adopted by the Council of Europe in the field of the environment and the industrial activities of the public authorities, mention should be made, among the work of the Parliamentary Assembly, of Resolution 587 (1975) on problems connected with the disposal of urban and industrial waste, Resolution 1087 (1996) on the consequences of the Chernobyl disaster, and Recommendation 1225 (1993) on the management, treatment, recycling and marketing of waste, and, among the work of the Committee of Ministers, Recommendation no. R (96) 12 on the distribution of powers and responsibilities between central authorities and local and regional authorities with regard to the environment.
Mention should also be made of the Convention on Civil Liability for Damage resulting from Activities Dangerous to the Environment (ETS no. 150 – Lugano, 21 June 1993) and the Convention on the Protection of the Environment through Criminal Law (ETS no. 172 – Strasbourg, 4 November 1998), which to date have been signed by nine and thirteen States respectively.
60. It can be seen from these documents that primary responsibility for the treatment of household waste rests with local authorities, which the governments are obliged to provide with financial and technical assistance. The operation by the public authorities of a site for the permanent deposit of waste is described as a “dangerous activity”, and “loss of life” resulting from the deposit of waste at such a site is considered to be “damage” incurring the liability of the public authorities (see, inter alia, the Lugano Convention, Article 2 §§ 1 (c)-(d) and 7 (a)-(b)).
61. In that connection, the Strasbourg Convention calls on the Parties to adopt such measures “as may be necessary to establish as criminal offences” acts involving the “disposal, treatment, storage ... of hazardous waste which causes or is likely to cause death or serious injury to any person ...”, and provides that such offences may also be committed “with negligence” (Articles 2 to 4). Although this instrument has not yet come into force, it is very much in keeping with the current trend towards harsher penalties for damage to the environment, an issue inextricably linked with the endangering of human life (see, for example, the Council of the European Union’s Framework Decision no. 2003/80 of 27 January 2003 and the European Commission’s proposal of 13 March 2001, amended on 30 September 2002, for a directive on the protection of the environment through criminal law).
Article 6 of the Strasbourg Convention also requires the adoption of such measures as may be necessary to make these offences punishable by criminal sanctions which take into account the serious nature of the offences; these must include imprisonment of the perpetrators.
62. Where such dangerous activities are concerned, public access to clear and full information is viewed as a basic human right; for example, the above-mentioned Resolution 1087 (1996) makes clear that this right must not be taken to be limited to the risks associated with the use of nuclear energy in the civil sector.
THE LAW
I. ALLEGED VIOLATION OF ARTICLE 2 OF THE CONVENTION
63. The applicant complained that the death of nine of his close relatives in the accident of 28 April 1993 and the flaws in the ensuing proceedings had constituted a violation of Article 2 of the Convention, the relevant part of which provides:
“1. Everyone’s right to life shall be protected by law. No one shall be deprived of his life intentionally save in the execution of a sentence of a court following his conviction of a crime for which this penalty is provided by law.
...”
64. As they had before the Chamber, the Government disputed that submission.
A. Applicability
1. The Chamber judgment
65. Referring to the examples provided by cases such as L.C.B. v. the United Kingdom (judgment of 9 June 1998, Reports of Judgments and Decisions 1998-III), Guerra and Others v. Italy (judgment of 19 February 1998, Reports 1998-I), Botta v. Italy (judgment of 24 February 1998, Reports 1998-I) and Calvelli and Ciglio v. Italy ([GC], no. 32967/96, ECHR 2002-I) and to the European standards in this area, the Chamber emphasised that the protection of the right to life, as required by Article 2 of the Convention, could be relied on in connection with the operation of waste‑collection sites, on account of the potential risks inherent in that activity. It accordingly held that the positive obligation on States to take appropriate steps to safeguard the lives of those within their jurisdiction, for the purposes of Article 2, applied in the instant case.
2. Submissions of those appearing before the Court
66. The Government argued that the Chamber’s conclusion that “all situations of unintentional death” came within the scope of Article 2 had given rise to an unprecedented extension of the positive obligations inherent in that provision. In their submission, the Chamber’s reasoning departed from the position adopted by the Court in recent cases on the subject, such as Mastromatteo v. Italy ([GC], no. 37703/99, ECHR 2002-VIII), and was not supported by the cases to which it had referred, in particular Osman v. the United Kingdom (judgment of 28 October 1998, Reports 1998-VIII) and Calvelli and Ciglio (cited above), in which no violation of Article 2 had been found.
67. At the hearing the Government submitted that the State’s responsibility for actions that were not directly attributable to its agents could not extend to all occurrences of accidents or disasters and that in such circumstances the Court’s interpretation as to the applicability of Article 2 should be neither teleological nor broad, but rather should remain restrictive. Otherwise, it might be inferred that the mere fact of being near an airport, a nuclear power station or a munitions factory or of simply being exposed to chemicals could give rise to a potential violation of Article 2.
68. The applicant contended that the negligent omissions on the part of the State authorities undoubtedly came within the ambit of Article 2 of the Convention, seeing that they had resulted in the death of his relatives, and that there was nothing in the Government’s submissions to rebut that conclusion.
3. The Court’s assessment
69. Taking the parties’ arguments as a whole, the Court reiterates, firstly, that its approach to the interpretation of Article 2 is guided by the idea that the object and purpose of the Convention as an instrument for the protection of individual human beings requires its provisions to be interpreted and applied in such a way as to make its safeguards practical and effective (see, for example, Yaşa v.Turkey,judgment of 2 September 1998, Reports 1998-VI, p. 2429, § 64).
70. In the instant case the complaint before the Court is that the national authorities did not do all that could have been expected of them to prevent the deaths of the applicant’s close relatives in the accident of 28 April 1993 at the Ümraniye municipal rubbish tip, which was operated under the authorities’ control.
71. In this connection, the Court reiterates that Article 2 does not solely concern deaths resulting from the use of force by agents of the State but also, in the first sentence of its first paragraph, lays down a positive obligation on States to take appropriate steps to safeguard the lives of those within their jurisdiction (see, for example, L.C.B. v. the United Kingdom, cited above, p. 1403, § 36, and Paul and Audrey Edwards v. the United Kingdom, no. 46477/99, § 54, ECHR 2002-II).
The Court considers that this obligation must be construed as applying in the context of any activity, whether public or not, in which the right to life may be at stake, and a fortiori in the case of industrial activities, which by their very nature are dangerous, such as the operation of waste-collection sites (“dangerous activities” – for the relevant European standards, see paragraphs 59-60 above).
72. Where the Convention institutions have had to examine allegations of an infringement of the right to the protection of life in such areas, they have never ruled that Article 2 was not applicable. The Court would refer, for example, to cases concerning toxic emissions from a fertiliser factory (see Guerra and Others, cited above, pp. 228-29, §§ 60 and 62) or nuclear tests (see L.C.B. v. the United Kingdom, cited above, p. 1403, § 36).
73. In this connection, contrary to what the Government appear to be suggesting, the harmfulness of the phenomena inherent in the activity in question, the contingency of the risk to which the applicant was exposed by reason of any life-endangering circumstances, the status of those involved in bringing about such circumstances, and whether the acts or omissions attributable to them were deliberate are merely factors among others that must be taken into account in the examination of the merits of a particular case, with a view to determining the responsibility the State may bear under Article 2 (ibid., pp. 1403-04, §§ 37-41).
The Court will return to these points later.
74. To sum up, it considers that the applicant’s complaint (see paragraph 70 above) undoubtedly falls within the ambit of the first sentence of Article 2, which is therefore applicable in the instant case.
B. Compliance
1. The Chamber judgment
75. The Chamber observed that in the instant case the relevant authorities had not only refused to make any real effort to avert the serious operational risks highlighted in the expert report of 7 May 1991 but had also made no attempt to discourage the applicant from living near the rubbish tip that was the source of the risks. The Chamber also noted that the government authorities had failed to comply with their duty to inform the inhabitants of the Kazım Karabekir area of the risks they were taking by continuing to live near a rubbish tip.
It therefore found that there was a causal link between, on the one hand, the negligent omissions attributable to the Turkish authorities and, on the other, the occurrence of the accident on 28 April 1993 and the ensuing loss of human life. Accordingly, it concluded that in the instant case the Turkish authorities could not be said to have done everything that could reasonably be expected of them to prevent the materialisation of the real risks to the lives of the inhabitants of certain slum areas of Ümraniye.
76. The Chamber went on to examine the complaint concerning the failings of the Turkish criminal and administrative courts in the light of the “procedural obligations” under Article 2, in order to assess whether the applicant could be deemed to have obtained redress in respect of his complaints.
As regards the criminal proceedings instituted in the instant case, the Chamber held that they could not in themselves be considered “adequate” with regard to the allegations of an infringement of the applicant’s right to life, because their sole purpose had been to establish whether the authorities could be held liable for “negligence in the performance of their duties” rather than for the deaths that occurred.
As regards the administrative proceedings for compensation, the Chamber observed, firstly, that there had been a breach of the requirement of promptness in that the applicant’s right to compensation had not been recognised until four years, eleven months and ten days after his initial claims for compensation had been dismissed. It also noted that, although the applicant had eventually been awarded compensation, it had never been paid.
The Chamber therefore concluded that the legal remedies used at domestic level, even taken as a whole, could not in the particular circumstances of the case be deemed to have afforded appropriate redress for the applicant’s complaints under Article 2 of the Convention.
2. Submissions of those appearing before the Court
(a) The Government
77. The Government’s main submission was that the decisive piece of evidence in the Chamber’s assessment had been an expert report drawn up on 7 May 1991, which had given rise to a dispute between the various councils and had never been treated as evidence under domestic law. The Chamber’s assessment, characterised by its failure to test the criteria of “immediacy” and “reality” in relation to the danger posed by the municipal rubbish tip, had not been sufficient to justify the finding of a violation, which had been based on the consideration that the authorities should have taken preventive measures or intervened immediately and appropriately.
In that connection, the Government argued that States should deal with problems and identify solutions to them in the context of general policies and that they were under no obligation to take preventive measures where there was no question of an immediate danger within the meaning of the Court’s case‑law.
78. With regard more especially to cases involving negligence on the part of the authorities, the Government, relying, in particular, on the decisions in Leray and Others v. France (no. 44617/98, 16 January 2001) and Álvarez Ramón v. Spain (no. 51192/99, 3 July 2001), argued that the Court had always confined itself to ascertaining whether a regulatory framework had been in place and had been complied with, without conducting a detailed examination of whether there was a causal link between the death or deaths in question and any negligent conduct. On the contrary, in such cases it had accepted the national authorities’ findings and assessment.
79. The Government submitted that, in any event, the State could not be accused in the instant case of having breached its obligation to protect the lives of the applicant’s close relatives. As they had done before the Chamber, they mentioned the efforts made by Ümraniye District Council through judicial, administrative and information channels, well before the submission of the expert report on 7 May 1991, to curb unauthorised housing, to encourage the Ümraniye slum inhabitants to find alternative accommodation and to avert the health risks in the area by constantly spraying chemicals over the municipal rubbish tip. They also drew attention to the extensive household-waste management scheme set up by the city council throughout the province of Istanbul (see paragraph 16 above).
80. Accordingly, relying on Chapman v. the United Kingdom ([GC], no. 27238/95, ECHR 2001-I), the Government criticised the Chamber’s approach, submitting that it had failed to take into account the fact that the applicant had knowingly chosen to set up home illegally in the vicinity of a rubbish tip despite the inherent risks, and that it had simply blamed the national authorities for not using the conclusions of the report of 7 May 1991 as a basis for swiftly removing thousands of citizens from their homes without any regard to humanitarian considerations, redeveloping a whole settlement and moving overnight an entire waste-disposal site that had been in operation for more than twenty years.
On that point, the Government emphasised that such large-scale tasks were a matter for policies requiring considerable reflection and investment, a lengthy planning and decision-making phase and substantial work on design and implementation. In such circumstances, the Court was not entitled to impose its own point of view as to what might have been the best policy to adopt in tackling the social and economic problems of the Ümraniye slums, including the inhabitants’ known resistance to any measure posing a potential threat to their everyday lives.
81. As regards the criminal proceedings in the instant case, the Government again emphasised the Court’s conclusions in Leray and Others (decision cited above), in which it had had no hesitation in dismissing the applicants’ complaint alleging gross negligence on the part of the French authorities resulting in the death of twenty-three people.
82. Relying on Calvelli and Ciglio and Mastromatteo (both cited above), they asserted that where an infringement of the right to life was not intentional, the positive obligation under Article 2 did not necessarily require the institution of criminal proceedings. In the instant case, criminal proceedings had been instituted, and from the opening of the investigation to the end of the proceedings the Turkish criminal justice system had demonstrated great efficiency and diligence not open to criticism under Article 2 of the Convention. In this connection, the Government disputed any allegation that the mayors in question had been granted impunity. They argued that the fact that Article 230 of the Criminal Code had been the only provision applied in the mayors’ case had been due to the “specific nature of the offence defined in that Article”, which applied solely to public officials, and that the trial court had imposed the statutory minimum penalty because there were other presumed co-principals who had not been indicted.
83. At the hearing the Government emphasised, in particular, that the fact that the applicant had – by choice – not taken part in the preliminary investigation could on no account be regarded as detrimental to the effectiveness of the criminal proceedings, especially in the light of the Court’s conclusions in Tanrıbilir v. Turkey (no. 21422/93, § 85, 16 November 2000). The applicant, who had never maintained that he had been prevented from taking part in the proceedings, was likewise in no position to argue that he had not been kept informed of a trial that had concerned two prominent political figures and had received considerable media coverage.
84. As regards the administrative remedy used to claim compensation in the instant case, the Government pointed out that the mayors in question had been shown no indulgence in those proceedings, having been ordered to pay the applicant compensation for both pecuniary and non-pecuniary damage, and that the sum awarded under that head was still available to him.
(b) The applicant
85. The applicant reiterated the arguments he had submitted before the Chamber and again asserted that the Government had tolerated the development of the Ümraniye slums and had not prevented them from spreading close to piles of waste. In his submission, they had even encouraged the situation by allowing the inhabitants to use all essential services and, with political ends in mind, had passed more than eighteen laws regularising the illegal settlements, which were viewed as breeding grounds for voters.
At the hearing the applicant’s representative produced certain official documents to counter the Government’s arguments that no public services had been available in the Ümraniye slums, asserting that the inhabitants of Gerze Street were connected to the water supply and liable for council tax. Furthermore, referring to the official map submitted to the Court (see paragraph 10 above), the representative stated that at the time there had been a post office in Adem Yavuz Street and that there had been four State schools in the area.
86. In the applicant’s submission, contrary to what had been alleged, the authorities had not made the slightest effort to inform the slum inhabitants of any dangers posed by the rubbish tip.
At the hearing his representative submitted that the Government could not evade their obligations by requiring their poorest and, indeed, least educated citizens to obtain information about environmental matters of such significance. She argued that, in order to avoid the tragedy, it would have been sufficient for the appropriate district council to have installed ventilation shafts at the rubbish tip instead of simply and ill-advisedly covering the piles of waste with earth.
87. As regards the criminal proceedings against the authorities, the applicant merely observed that their outcome, which had not indicated any desire to punish those who were guilty, had had no other effect than to offend public opinion.
88. In addition, the applicant considered that the Government could scarcely argue that the compensation proceedings had been effective when they had ended with the award, for non-pecuniary damage only, of a sum which was not only derisory but, moreover, had not yet been paid.
3. The Court’s assessment
(a) General principles applicable in the present case
(i) Principles relating to the prevention of infringements of the right to life as a result of dangerous activities: the substantive aspect of Article 2 of the Convention
89. The positive obligation to take all appropriate steps to safeguard life for the purposes of Article 2 (see paragraph 71 above) entails above all a primary duty on the State to put in place a legislative and administrative framework designed to provide effective deterrence against threats to the right to life (see, for example, mutatis mutandis, Osman, cited above, p. 3159, § 115; Paul and Audrey Edwards, cited above, § 54; İlhan v. Turkey [GC], no. 22277/93, § 91, ECHR 2000-VII; Kılıç v. Turkey, no. 22492/93, § 62, ECHR 2000-III; and Mahmut Kaya v. Turkey, no. 22535/93, § 85, ECHR 2000-III).
90. This obligation indisputably applies in the particular context of dangerous activities, where, in addition, special emphasis must be placed on regulations geared to the special features of the activity in question, particularly with regard to the level of the potential risk to human lives. They must govern the licensing, setting up, operation, security and supervision of the activity and must make it compulsory for all those concerned to take practical measures to ensure the effective protection of citizens whose lives might be endangered by the inherent risks.
Among these preventive measures, particular emphasis should be placed on the public’s right to information, as established in the case-law of the Convention institutions. The Grand Chamber agrees with the Chamber (see paragraph 84 of the Chamber judgment) that this right, which has already been recognised under Article 8 (see Guerra and Others, cited above, p. 228, § 60), may also, in principle, be relied on for the protection of the right to life, particularly as this interpretation is supported by current developments in European standards (see paragraph 62 above).
In any event, the relevant regulations must also provide for appropriate procedures, taking into account the technical aspects of the activity in question, for identifying shortcomings in the processes concerned and any errors committed by those responsible at different levels.
(ii) Principles relating to the judicial response required in the event of alleged infringements of the right to life: the procedural aspect of Article 2 of the Convention
91. The obligations deriving from Article 2 do not end there. Where lives have been lost in circumstances potentially engaging the responsibility of the State, that provision entails a duty for the State to ensure, by all means at its disposal, an adequate response – judicial or otherwise – so that the legislative and administrative framework set up to protect the right to life is properly implemented and any breaches of that right are repressed and punished (see, mutatis mutandis, Osman, cited above, p. 3159, § 115,and Paul and Audrey Edwards, cited above, § 54).
92. In this connection, the Court has held that if the infringement of the right to life or to physical integrity is not caused intentionally, the positive obligation to set up an “effective judicial system” does not necessarily require criminal proceedings to be brought in every case and may be satisfied if civil, administrative or even disciplinary remedies were available to the victims (see, for example, Vo v. France [GC], no. 53924/00, § 90, ECHR 2004-VIII; Calvelli and Ciglio, cited above, § 51; and Mastromatteo, cited above, §§ 90 and94-95).
93. However, in areas such as that in issue in the instant case, the applicable principles are rather to be found in those the Court has already had occasion to develop in relation notably to the use of lethal force, principles which lend themselves to application in other categories of cases.
In this connection, it should be pointed out that in cases of homicide the interpretation of Article 2 as entailing an obligation to conduct an official investigation is justified not only because any allegations of such an offence normally give rise to criminal liability (see Caraher v. the United Kingdom (dec.), no. 24520/94, ECHR 2000-I), but also because often, in practice, the true circumstances of the death are, or may be, largely confined within the knowledge of State officials or authorities (see McCann and Others v. the United Kingdom, judgment of 27 September 1995, Series A no. 324, pp. 47‑49, §§ 157-64, and İlhan, cited above, § 91).
In the Court’s view, such considerations are indisputably valid in the context of dangerous activities, when lives have been lost as a result of events occurring under the responsibility of the public authorities, which are often the only entities to have sufficient relevant knowledge to identify and establish the complex phenomena that might have caused such incidents.
Where it is established that the negligence attributable to State officials or bodies on that account goes beyond an error of judgment or carelessness, in that the authorities in question, fully realising the likely consequences and disregarding the powers vested in them, failed to take measures that were necessary and sufficient to avert the risks inherent in a dangerous activity (see, mutatis mutandis, Osman, cited above, pp. 3159-60, § 116), the fact that those responsible for endangering life have not been charged with a criminal offence or prosecuted may amount to a violation of Article 2, irrespective of any other types of remedy which individuals may exercise on their own initiative (see paragraphs 48-50 above); this is amply evidenced by developments in the relevant European standards (see paragraph 61 above).
94. To sum up, the judicial system required by Article 2 must make provision for an independent and impartial official investigation procedure that satisfies certain minimum standards as to effectiveness and is capable of ensuring that criminal penalties are applied where lives are lost as a result of a dangerous activity if and to the extent that this is justified by the findings of the investigation (see, mutatis mutandis, Hugh Jordan v. the United Kingdom, no. 24746/94, §§ 105-09, 4 May 2001, and Paul and Audrey Edwards, cited above, §§ 69-73). In such cases, the competent authorities must act with exemplary diligence and promptness and must of their own motion initiate investigations capable of, firstly, ascertaining the circumstances in which the incident took place and any shortcomings in the operation of the regulatory system and, secondly, identifying the State officials or authorities involved in whatever capacity in the chain of events in issue.
95. That said, the requirements of Article 2 go beyond the stage of the official investigation, where this has led to the institution of proceedings in the national courts: the proceedings as a whole, including the trial stage, must satisfy the requirements of the positive obligation to protect lives through the law.
96. It should in no way be inferred from the foregoing that Article 2 may entail the right for an applicant to have third parties prosecuted or sentenced for a criminal offence (see, mutatis mutandis, Perez v. France [GC], no. 47287/99, § 70, ECHR 2004-I) or an absolute obligation for all prosecutions to result in conviction, or indeed in a particular sentence (see, mutatis mutandis, Tanlı v. Turkey, no. 26129/95, § 111, ECHR 2001-III).
On the other hand, the national courts should not under any circumstances be prepared to allow life-endangering offences to go unpunished. This is essential for maintaining public confidence and ensuring adherence to the rule of law and for preventing any appearance of tolerance of or collusion in unlawful acts (see, mutatis mutandis, Hugh Jordan, cited above, §§ 108 and 136-40). The Court’s task therefore consists in reviewing whether and to what extent the courts, in reaching their conclusion, may be deemed to have submitted the case to the careful scrutiny required by Article 2 of the Convention, so that the deterrent effect of the judicial system in place and the significance of the role it is required to play in preventing violations of the right to life are not undermined.
(b) Assessment of the facts of the case in the light of these principles
(i) Responsibility borne by the State for the deaths in the instant case, in the light of the substantive aspect of Article 2 of the Convention
97. In the instant case the Court notes at the outset that in both of the fields of activity central to the present case – the operation of household-refuse tips (see paragraphs 56-57 above) and the rehabilitation and clearance of slum areas (see paragraphs 54-55 above) – there are safety regulations in force in Turkey.
It must therefore determine whether the legal measures applicable to the situation in issue in the instant case call for criticism and whether the national authorities actually complied with the relevant regulations.
98. To that end, the Court considers that it should begin by noting a decisive factor for the assessment of the circumstances of the case, namely that there was practical information available to the effect that the inhabitants of certain slum areas of Ümraniye were faced with a threat to their physical integrity on account of the technical shortcomings of the municipal rubbish tip.
According to an expert report commissioned by the Third Division of the Üsküdar District Court and submitted on 7 May 1991, the rubbish tip began operating in the early 1970s, in breach of the relevant technical standards, and subsequently remained in use despite contravening the health and safety and technical requirements laid down, in particular, in the Regulations on Solid-Waste Control, published in the Official Gazette of 14 March 1991 (see paragraph 56 above). Listing the various risks to which the site exposed the public, the report specifically referred to the danger of an explosion due to methanogenesis, as the tip had “no means of preventing an explosion of methane occurring as a result of the decomposition” of household waste (see paragraph 13 above).
99. On that point, the Court has examined the Government’s position regarding the validity of the expert report of 7 May 1991 and the weight to be attached, in their submission, to the applications by Kadıköy and Üsküdar District Councils and Istanbul City Council to have the report set aside (see paragraph 14 above). However, the Court considers that those steps are more indicative of a conflict of powers between different authorities, or indeed delaying tactics. In any event, the proceedings to have the report set aside were in fact abortive, having not been pursued by the councils’ lawyers, and the report was never declared invalid. On the contrary, it was decisive for all the authorities responsible for investigating the accident of 28 April 1993 and, moreover, was subsequently confirmed by the report of 18 May 1993 by the committee of experts appointed by the Üsküdar public prosecutor (see paragraph 23 above) and by the two scientific opinions referred to in the report of 9 July 1993 by the chief inspector appointed by the Ministry of the Interior (see paragraph 28 above).
100. The Court considers that neither the reality nor the immediacy of the danger in question is in dispute, seeing that the risk of an explosion had clearly come into being long before it was highlighted in the report of 7 May 1991 and that, as the site continued to operate in the same conditions, that risk could only have increased during the period until it materialised on 28 April 1993.
101. The Grand Chamber accordingly agrees with the Chamber (see paragraph 79 of the Chamber judgment) that it was impossible for the administrative and municipal departments responsible for supervising and managing the tip not to have known of the risks inherent in methanogenesis or of the necessary preventive measures, particularly as there were specific regulations on the matter. Furthermore, the Court likewise regards it as established that various authorities were also aware of those risks, at least by 27 May 1991, when they were notified of the report of 7 May 1991 (see paragraphs 13 and 15 above).
It follows that the Turkish authorities at several levels knew or ought to have known that there was a real and immediate risk to a number of persons living near the Ümraniye municipal rubbish tip. They consequently had a positive obligation under Article 2 of the Convention to take such preventive operational measures as were necessary and sufficient to protect those individuals (see paragraphs 92-93 above), especially as they themselves had set up the site and authorised its operation, which gave rise to the risk in question.
102. However, it appears from the evidence before the Court that Istanbul City Council in particular not only failed to take the necessary urgent measures, either before or after 14 March 1991, but also – as the Chamber observed – opposed the recommendation to that effect by the Prime Minister’s Environment Office (see paragraph 15 above). The Environment Office had called for the tip to be brought into line with the standards laid down in regulations 24 to 27 of the Regulations on Solid-Waste Control, the last-mentioned of which explicitly required the installation of a “vertical and horizontal drainage system” allowing the controlled release into the atmosphere of the accumulated gas (see paragraph 56 above).
103. The city council also opposed the final attempt by the mayor of Ümraniye to apply to the courts, on 27 August 1992, for the temporary closure of the waste-collection site. It based its opposition on the ground that the district council in question was not entitled to seek the closure of the site because it had hitherto made no effort to decontaminate it (see paragraph 16 above).
Besides that ground, the Government also relied on the conclusions in Chapman, cited above,and criticised the applicant for having knowingly chosen to break the law and live in the vicinity of the rubbish tip (see paragraphs 23, 43 and 80 above).
However, those arguments do not stand up to scrutiny for the following reasons.
104. In the instant case the Court has examined the provisions of domestic law regarding the transfer to third parties of public property, whether inside or outside the “slum rehabilitation and clearance zones”. It has also studied the impact of various legislative initiatives designed to extend in practice the scope ratione temporis of Law no. 775 of 20 July 1966 (see paragraphs 54-55 above).
The Court concludes from these legal considerations that, in spite of the statutory prohibitions in the field of town planning, the State’s consistent policy on slum areas encouraged the integration of such areas into the urban environment and hence acknowledged their existence and the way of life of the citizens who had gradually caused them to build up since 1960, whether of their own free will or simply as a result of that policy. Seeing that this policy effectively established an amnesty for breaches of town-planning regulations, including the unlawful occupation of public property, it must have created uncertainty as to the extent of the discretion enjoyed by the administrative authorities responsible for applying the measures prescribed by law, which could not therefore have been regarded as foreseeable by the public.
105. This interpretation is, moreover, borne out in the instant case by the administrative authorities’ attitude towards the applicant.
The Court observes that between the unauthorised construction of the house in issue in 1988 and the accident of 28 April 1993, the applicant remained in possession of his dwelling, despite the fact that during that time his position remained subject to the rules laid down in Law no. 775, in particular section 18, by which the municipal authorities could have destroyed the dwelling at any time. Indeed, this was what the Government suggested (see paragraphs 77 and 80 above), although they were unable to show that in the instant case the relevant authorities had even envisaged taking any such measure against the applicant.
The authorities let the applicant and his close relatives live entirely undisturbed in their house, in the social and family environment they had created. Furthermore, regard being had to the concrete evidence adduced before the Court and not rebutted by the Government, there is no cause to call into question the applicant’s assertion that the authorities also levied council tax on him and on the other inhabitants of the Ümraniye slums and provided them with public services, for which they were charged (see paragraphs 11 and 85 above).
106. In those circumstances, it would be hard for the Government to maintain legitimately that any negligence or lack of foresight should be attributed to the victims of the accident of 28 April 1993, or to rely on the Court’s conclusions in Chapman, cited above, in which the British authorities were not found to have remained passive in the face of Mrs Chapman’s unlawful actions.
It remains for the Court to address the Government’s other arguments relating, in general, to: the scale of the rehabilitation projects carried out by Istanbul City Council at the time in order to alleviate the problems caused by the Ümraniye waste-collection site; the amount invested, which was said to have influenced the way in which the national authorities chose to deal with the situation at the site; and, lastly, the humanitarian considerations which at the time allegedly precluded any measure entailing the immediate and wholesale destruction of the slum areas.
107. The Court acknowledges that it is not its task to substitute for the views of the local authorities its own view of the best policy to adopt in dealing with the social, economic and urban problems in this part of Istanbul. It therefore accepts the Government’s argument that in this respect an impossible or disproportionate burden must not be imposed on the authorities without consideration being given, in particular, to the operational choices which they must make in terms of priorities and resources (see Osman, cited above, pp. 3159-60, § 116); this results from the wide margin of appreciation States enjoy, as the Court has previously held, in difficult social and technical spheres such as the one in issue in the instant case (see Hatton and Others v. the United Kingdom [GC], no. 36022/97, §§ 100-01, ECHR 2003-VIII).
However, even when seen from this perspective, the Court does not find the Government’s arguments convincing. The preventive measures required by the positive obligation in question fall precisely within the powers conferred on the authorities and may reasonably be regarded as a suitable means of averting the risk brought to their attention. The Court considers that the timely installation of a gas-extraction system at the Ümraniye tip before the situation became fatal could have been an effective measure without diverting the State’s resources to an excessive degree in breach of Article 65 of the Turkish Constitution (see paragraph 52 above) or giving rise to policy problems to the extent alleged by the Government. Such a measure would not only have complied with Turkish regulations and general practice in the area, but would also have been a much better reflection of the humanitarian considerations the Government relied on before the Court.
108. The Court will next assess the weight to be attached to the issue of respect for the public’s right to information (see paragraph 90 above). It observes in this connection that the Government have not shown that any measures were taken in the instant case to provide the inhabitants of the Ümraniye slums with information enabling them to assess the risks they might run as a result of the choices they had made. In any event, the Court considers that in the absence of more practical measures to avoid the risks to the lives of the inhabitants of the Ümraniye slums, even the fact of having respected the right to information would not have been sufficient to absolve the State of its responsibilities.
109. In the light of the foregoing, the Court cannot see any reason to cast doubt on the domestic investigating authorities’ findings of fact (see paragraphs 23, 28 and 78 above; see also, for example, Klaas v. Germany, judgment of 22 September 1993, Series A no. 269, p. 17, §§ 29-30) and considers that the circumstances examined above show that in the instant case the State’s responsibility was engaged under Article 2 in several respects.
Firstly, the regulatory framework proved defective in that the Ümraniye municipal waste-collection site was opened and operated despite not conforming to the relevant technical standards and there was no coherent supervisory system to encourage those responsible to take steps to ensure adequate protection of the public and coordination and cooperation between the various administrative authorities so that the risks brought to their attention did not become so serious as to endanger human lives.
That situation, exacerbated by a general policy which proved powerless in dealing with general town-planning issues and created uncertainty as to the application of statutory measures, undoubtedly played a part in the sequence of events leading to the tragic accident of 28 April 1993, which ultimately claimed the lives of inhabitants of the Ümraniye slums, because the State officials and authorities did not do everything within their power to protect them from the immediate and known risks to which they were exposed.
110. Such circumstances give rise to a violation of Article 2 of the Convention in its substantive aspect; the Government’s submission relating to the favourable outcome of the administrative action brought in the instant case (see paragraph 84 above) is of no consequence here, for the reasons setout in paragraphs 151 and 152 below.
(ii) Responsibility borne by the State as regards the judicial response required on account of the deaths, in the light of the procedural aspect of Article 2 of the Convention
111. The Court considers that, contrary to what the Government suggest, it is likewise unnecessary to examine the administrative remedy used to claim compensation (see paragraphs 37, 39-40, 84 and 88 above) in assessing the judicial response required in the present case, as such a remedy, regardless of its outcome, cannot be taken into consideration for the purposes of Article 2 in its procedural aspect (see paragraphs 91-96 above).
112. The Court observes at the outset that the criminal-law procedures in place in Turkey are part of a system which, in theory, appears sufficient to protect the right to life in relation to dangerous activities: in that regard, Article 230 § 1 and Article 455 §§ 1 and 2 of the Turkish Criminal Code deal with negligence on the part of State officials or authorities (see paragraph 44 above).
It remains to be determined whether the measures taken in the framework of the Turkish criminal-law system following the accident at the Ümraniye municipal rubbish tip were satisfactory in practice, regard being had to the requirements of the Convention in this respect (see paragraphs 91-96 above).
113. In this connection, the Court notes that immediately after the accident had occurred on 28 April 1993 at about 11 a.m. the police arrived on the scene and interviewed the victims’ families. In addition, the Istanbul Governor’s Office set up a crisis unit, whose members went to the site on the same day. On the following day, 29 April 1993, the Ministry of the Interior ordered, of its own motion, the opening of an administrative investigation to determine the extent to which the authorities had been responsible for the accident. On 30 April 1993 the Üsküdar public prosecutor began a criminal investigation. Lastly, the official inquiries ended on 15 July 1993, when the two mayors, Mr Sözen and Mr Öktem, were committed for trial in the criminal courts.
Accordingly, the investigating authorities may be regarded as having acted with exemplary promptness (see Yaşa, cited above, pp. 2439-40, §§ 102-04; Mahmut Kaya, cited above, §§ 106-07; and Tanrıkulu v. Turkey [GC], no. 23763/94, § 109, ECHR 1999-IV) and as having shown diligence in seeking to establish the circumstances that led both to the accident of 28 April 1993 and to the ensuing deaths.
114. It may also be concluded that those responsible for the events in issue were identified. In an order of 21 May 1993, based on an expert report whose validity has not been challenged (see paragraph 24 above), the public prosecutor concluded that Istanbul City Council should be held liable on the ground that it had “fail[ed] to act sufficiently early to prevent the technical problems which already existed when the tip was first created in 1970 and [had] continued to increase since then, or to indicate to the district councils concerned an alternative waste-collection site, as it was obliged to do under Law no. 3030”. The order further concluded that other State authorities had contributed to aggravating and prolonging the situation: Ümraniye District Council had implemented an urban development plan that did not comply with the applicable regulations, and had not prevented illegal dwellings from being built in the area; the Ministry of the Environment had failed to ensure compliance with the Regulations on Solid-Waste Control; and the government of the time had encouraged the spread of this type of illegal dwelling by passing amnesty laws in which the occupants had been granted property titles.
The public prosecutor therefore concluded that Articles 230 and 455 of the Criminal Code (see paragraph 44 above) were applicable in respect of the authorities concerned.
115. Admittedly, the administrative bodies of investigation, which were empowered to institute criminal proceedings (see paragraph 46 above), only partly endorsed the public prosecutor’s submissions, for reasons which elude the Court and which the Government have never attempted to explain.
Indeed, those bodies, whose independence has already been challenged in a number of cases before the Court (see Güleç v. Turkey, judgment of 27 July 1998, Reports 1998-IV, pp. 1732-33, §§ 79-81, and Oğur v. Turkey [GC], no. 21954/93, §§ 91-92, ECHR 1999-III), ultimately dropped the charges against the Ministry of the Environment and the government authorities (see paragraphs 29 and 31 above) and sought to limit the charge to “negligence” as such, precluding the examination of the life-endangering aspect of the case.
However, there is no need to dwell on those shortcomings, seeing that criminal proceedings were nonetheless instituted in the Fifth Division of the Istanbul Criminal Court and that, once the case had been brought before it, that court had full jurisdiction to examine the facts as it saw fit and, where appropriate, to order further inquiries; its judgment was, moreover, subject to review by the Court of Cassation.
Accordingly, in the Court’s view, rather than examining whether there was a preliminary investigation fully compatible with all the procedural requirements established in such matters (see paragraph 94 above), the issue to be assessed is whether the judicial authorities, as the guardians of the laws laid down to protect lives, were determined to sanction those responsible.
116. In the instant case, in a judgment of 4 April 1996, the Istanbul Criminal Court sentenced the two mayors in question to suspended fines of TRL 610,000 (an amount equivalent at the time to approximately 9.70 euros) for negligent omissions in the performance of their duties within the meaning of Article 230 § 1 of the Criminal Code (see paragraph 23 above). Before the Court, the Government attempted to explain why that provision alone had been applied in respect of the two mayors and why they had been sentenced to the minimum penalty applicable (see paragraph 82 above). However, it is not for the Court to address such issues of domestic law concerning individual criminal responsibility, that being a matter for assessment by the national courts, or to deliver guilty or not-guilty verdicts in that regard.
Having regard to its task, the Court would simply observe that in the instant case the sole purpose of the criminal proceedings in issue was to establish whether the authorities could be held liable for “negligence in the performance of their duties” under Article 230 of the Criminal Code, which provision does not in any way relate to life-endangering acts or to the protection of the right to life within the meaning of Article 2.
Indeed, it appears from the judgment of 4 April 1996 that the trial court did not see any reason to depart from the reasoning set out in the committal order issued by the administrative council, and left in abeyance any question of the authorities’ possible responsibility for the death of the applicant’s nine relatives. The judgment of 4 April 1996 does, admittedly, contain passages referring to the deaths that occurred on 28 April 1993 as a factual element. However, that cannot be taken to mean that there was an acknowledgment of any responsibility for failing to protect the right to life. The operative provisions of the judgment are silent on this point and, furthermore, do not give any precise indication that the trial court had sufficient regard to the extremely serious consequences of the accident; the persons held responsible were ultimately sentenced to derisory fines, which were, moreover, suspended.
117. Accordingly, it cannot be said that the manner in which the Turkish criminal justice system operated in response to the tragedy secured the full accountability of State officials or authorities for their role in it and the effective implementation of provisions of domestic law guaranteeing respect for the right to life, in particular the deterrent function of the criminal law.
118. In short, it must be concluded in the instant case that there has also been a violation of Article 2 of the Convention in its procedural aspect, on account of the lack, in connection with a fatal accident provoked by the operation of a dangerous activity, of adequate protection “by law” safeguarding the right to life and deterring similar life-endangering conduct in future.
II. ALLEGED VIOLATION OF ARTICLE 1 OF PROTOCOL No. 1
119. The applicant asserted that the State should be held accountable for the national authorities’ negligent omissions that had resulted in the loss of his house and all his movable property, and complained that he had not been afforded redress for the damage sustained. He alleged a violation of Article 1 of Protocol No. 1, which provides:
“Every natural or legal person is entitled to the peaceful enjoyment of his possessions. No one shall be deprived of his possessions except in the public interest and subject to the conditions provided for by law and by the general principles of international law.
The preceding provisions shall not, however, in any way impair the right of a State to enforce such laws as it deems necessary to control the use of property in accordance with the general interest or to secure the payment of taxes or other contributions or penalties.”
120. The Government denied that there had been any violation on that account.
A. Applicability: whether there was a “possession”
1. The Chamber judgment
121. The Chamber considered that the fact that the applicant had occupied land belonging to the Treasury for approximately five years could not confer on him a right that could be regarded as a “possession”. However, it considered that the applicant had been the owner of the structure and fixtures and fittings of the dwelling he had built and of all the household and personal effects which might have been in it, notwithstanding the fact that the building had been erected in breach of the law.
The Chamber accordingly concluded that the dwelling built by the applicant and his residence there with his close relatives represented a substantial economic interest and that that interest, which the authorities had allowed to subsist over a long period of time, amounted to a “possession” within the meaning of the rule laid down in the first sentence of Article 1 of Protocol No. 1.
2. Submissions of those appearing before the Court
(a) The Government
122. As they had done before the Chamber, the Government submitted that neither the unauthorised dwelling built by the applicant nor the fact that the building had unlawfully occupied land belonging to the Treasury could in themselves give rise to a “right of property” or constitute a “possession” within the meaning of Article 1 of Protocol No. 1. No such recognition had ever been forthcoming under domestic law, either explicitly or tacitly, and the Government observed that the applicant had, moreover, been unable to produce any documents or title deeds in support of his claims. In that connection, the applicant had been mistaken in relying on the laws for the regularisation of illegal dwellings, since those laws had not on any account had the effect of giving him title to publicly owned land, which, pursuant to the Land Registry Act (Law no. 3402), was inalienable and could not be acquired by adverse possession.
The Government relied on Chapman, cited above, and argued that in the instant case the Court should not be unduly prompted by considerations extraneous to the legal situation before it to conclude that the applicant’s actions could give rise to a substantive interest protected by Article 1 of Protocol No. 1, a finding that would effectively remove him from the scope of domestic law and reward him for acting unlawfully.
(b) The applicant
123. The applicant reiterated the arguments he had submitted before the Chamber and, referring to his earlier explanations (see paragraph 85 above), argued that in the instant case there had been sufficient evidence, supported by the authorities’ manifest tolerance and a series of unequivocal administrative and legislative measures, for each inhabitant of the Ümraniye slums to have been able to claim a legitimate right to the property in issue.
At the hearing the applicant’s representative also referred to Law no. 4706 (see paragraph 55 above), which she submitted was sufficient in itself to refute the argument that nobody could acquire State property. She further explained that, while her client had not yet taken the necessary steps to benefit from Law no. 775, there was nothing to prevent him from doing so at a later stage, for example under the new Law no. 4706.
3. The Court’s assessment
124. The Court reiterates that the concept of “possessions” in the first part of Article 1 of Protocol No. 1 has an autonomous meaning which is not limited to ownership of physical goods and is independent from the formal classification in domestic law: the issue that needs to be examined is whether the circumstances of the case, considered as a whole, may be regarded as having conferred on the applicant title to a substantive interest protected by that provision (see, mutatis mutandis, Zwierzyński v. Poland, no. 34049/96, § 63, ECHR 2001-VI). Accordingly, as well as physical goods, certain rights and interests constituting assets may also be regarded as “property rights”, and thus as “possessions” for the purposes of this provision (see Iatridis v. Greece [GC], no. 31107/96, § 54, ECHR 1999-II, and Beyeler v. Italy [GC], no. 33202/96, § 100, ECHR 2000-I). The concept of “possessions” is not limited to “existing possessions” but may also cover assets, including claims, in respect of which the applicant can argue that he has at least a reasonable and “legitimate expectation” of obtaining effective enjoyment of a property right (see, for example, Prince Hans-Adam II of Liechtenstein v. Germany [GC], no. 42527/98, § 83, ECHR 2001-VIII).
125. It was not disputed before the Court that the applicant’s dwelling had been erected in breach of Turkish town-planning regulations and had not conformed to the relevant technical standards, or that the land it had occupied belonged to the Treasury. However, the parties disagreed as to whether the applicant had had a “possession” within the meaning of Article 1 of Protocol No. 1.
126. Firstly, with regard to the land on which the dwelling in issue had been built, which had thus been occupied until the accident of 28 April 1993, the applicant stated that there had been nothing to prevent him at any time from taking steps to acquire ownership of the land in accordance with the relevant procedure.
However, the Court cannot accept this somewhat speculative argument. Indeed, in the absence of any detailed information from the parties, it has been unable to ascertain whether the Kazım Karabekir area was actually included in a slum-rehabilitation plan, contrary to what appears to have been the case for the Hekimbaşı area (see paragraph 11 above), or whether the applicant satisfied the formal requirements under the town-planning legislation in force at the material time for obtaining the transfer of title to the publicly owned land he was occupying (see paragraph 54 above). In any event, the applicant admitted that he had never taken any administrative steps to that end.
In those circumstances, the Court cannot conclude that the applicant’s hope of having the land in issue transferred to him one day constituted a claim of a kind that was sufficiently established to be enforceable in the courts, and hence a distinct “possession” within the meaning of the Court’s case-law (see Kopecký v. Slovakia [GC], no. 44912/98, §§ 25-26, ECHR 2004-IX).
127. That said, a different consideration applies in respect of the applicant’s dwelling itself.
It is sufficient in this connection for the Court to refer to the reasons set out above, which led it to conclude that the State authorities had tolerated the applicant’s actions (see paragraphs 105-06 above). Those reasons are plainly valid in the context of Article 1 of Protocol No. 1 and support the conclusion that the authorities also acknowledged de facto that the applicant and his close relatives had a proprietary interest in their dwelling and movable goods.
128. On this point, the Court cannot accept that they can be criticised in this way for irregularities (see paragraph 122 above) of which the relevant authorities had been aware for almost five years.
It does, admittedly, accept that the exercise of discretion encompassing a multitude of local factors is inherent in the choice and implementation of town and country planning policies and of any resulting measures. However, when faced with an issue such as that raised in the instant case, the authorities cannot legitimately rely on their margin of appreciation, which in no way dispenses them from their duty to act in good time, in an appropriate and, above all, consistent manner.
That was not the case in this instance, since the uncertainty created within Turkish society as to the implementation of laws to curb illegal settlements was surely unlikely to have caused the applicant to imagine that the situation regarding his dwelling was liable to change overnight.
129. The Court considers that the applicant’s proprietary interest in his dwelling was of a sufficient nature and sufficiently recognised to constitute a substantive interest and hence a “possession” within the meaning of the rule laid down in the first sentence of Article 1 of Protocol No. 1, which provision is therefore applicable to this aspect of the complaint.
B. Compliance
1. The Chamber judgment
130. The Chamber, after emphasising the key importance of the right enshrined in Article 1 of Protocol No. 1, considered that genuine, effective exercise of that right did not depend merely on the State’s duty not to interfere and could require positive measures of protection.
In that connection, the Chamber held that the administrative authorities’ conduct in failing to take all the measures necessary to avoid the risk of a methane explosion, and hence the ensuing landslide, also ran counter to the requirement of “practical and effective” protection of the right guaranteed by Article 1 of Protocol No. 1.
It considered that such a situation amounted to a clear infringement of the applicant’s right to the peaceful enjoyment of his “possessions” and was to be regarded as “interference” that was manifestly not justified under Article 1 of Protocol No. 1, seeing that the negligent omissions of the authorities that had resulted in the deprivation of possessions in the instant case had breached Turkish administrative and criminal law.
2. Submissions of those appearing before the Court
(a) The Government
131. The Government drew the Court’s attention to the fact that in its judgment of 18 June 2002 the Chamber had been unable to cite a single precedent in which it had been found that the State had a positive obligation in a situation comparable to that complained of by the applicant. In their submission, it was regrettable that, in reaching its conclusion, the Chamber had chosen to refer to a case in which there had been no recognised right of property.
The Government argued that such a conclusion was tantamount to criticising the Turkish authorities for having refrained on humanitarian grounds from destroying the applicant’s house and for not having suspected that that decision would be construed as implicit recognition of a title that, from a legal perspective, was null and void.
In any event, the Government considered that the applicant could not claim to be the victim of a violation of Article 1 of Protocol No. 1, since the administrative authorities had awarded him substantial compensation for pecuniary damage and he had been provided with subsidised housing at a modest price.
(b) The applicant
132. The applicant’s submissions before the Court were based on Chapman, cited above. He considered that in that case the Court had examined the situation of a person who had knowingly turned a deaf ear to the warnings she had received and to the penalties lawfully imposed on her with a view to protecting the environmental rights of others. The circumstances of the present case were quite different, as the Government had been criticised precisely for their authorities’ inaction or negligence in applying the law.
3. The Court’s assessment
133. The Court considers that the complexity of the factual and legal position in issue in the instant case prevents it from falling into one of the categories covered by the second sentence of the first paragraph or by the second paragraph of Article 1 of Protocol No. 1 (see Beyeler, cited above, § 98), bearing in mind, moreover, that the applicant complained not of an act by the State, but of its failure to act.
It considers, therefore, that it should examine the case in the light of the general rule in the first sentence of the first paragraph, which lays down the right to the peaceful enjoyment of possessions.
134. In that connection, the Court would reaffirm the principle that has already been established in substance under Article 1 of Protocol No. 1 (see Bielectric S.r.l. v. Italy (dec.), no. 36811/97, 4 May 2000). Genuine, effective exercise of the right protected by that provision does not depend merely on the State’s duty not to interfere, but may require positive measures of protection, particularly where there is a direct link between the measures an applicant may legitimately expect from the authorities and his effective enjoyment of his possessions.
135. In the present case there is no doubt that the causal link established between the gross negligence attributable to the State and the loss of human lives also applies to the engulfment of the applicant’s house. In the Court’s view, the resulting infringement amounts not to “interference” but to the breach of a positive obligation, since the State officials and authorities did not do everything within their power to protect the applicant’s proprietary interests.
In arguing that the Turkish authorities cannot be criticised for having refrained on humanitarian grounds from destroying the applicant’s house (see paragraphs 80 and 131 above), the Government’s submissions would appear to be directed towards the issue of “legitimate aim” for the purposes of paragraph 2 of Article 1 of Protocol No. 1.
136. The Court cannot, however, accept that argument and, for substantially the same reasons as those given in respect of the complaint of a violation of Article 2 (see paragraphs 106-08 above), finds that the positive obligation under Article 1 of Protocol No. 1 required the national authorities to take the same practical steps as indicated above to avoid the destruction of the applicant’s house.
137. Since it is clear that no such steps were taken, it remains for the Court to address the Government’s submission that the applicant could not claim to be the victim of a violation of his right to the peaceful enjoyment of his possessions as he had been awarded substantial compensation for pecuniary damage and had been able to acquire subsidised housing on very favourable terms.
The Court does not agree with that submission. Even supposing that the advantageous terms on which the flat in question was sold could to a certain extent have redressed the effects of the omissions observed in the instant case, they nonetheless could not be regarded as proper compensation for the damage sustained by the applicant. Accordingly, whatever advantages may have been conferred, they could not have caused the applicant to lose his status as a “victim”, particularly as there is nothing in the deed of sale and the other related documents in the file to indicate any acknowledgment by the authorities of a violation of his right to the peaceful enjoyment of his possessions (see, mutatis mutandis, Amuur v. France, judgment of 25 June 1996, Reports 1996-III, p. 846, § 36, and Dalban v. Romania [GC], no. 28114/95, § 44, ECHR 1999-VI).
As regards the compensation awarded for pecuniary damage, it is sufficient to observe that the sum has still not been paid even though a final judgment has been delivered (see paragraph 42 above), a fact that cannot be regarded as anything other than interference with the right to enforcement of a claim that has been upheld, which is likewise protected by Article 1 of Protocol No. 1 (see Antonakopoulos and Others v. Greece, no. 37098/97, § 31, 14 December 1999).
However, the Court considers that it is not necessary for it to examine this issue of its own motion, having regard to its assessment under Article 13 of the Convention.
138. There has accordingly been a violation of Article 1 of Protocol No. 1 in the instant case.
III. ALLEGED VIOLATION OF ARTICLE 13 OF THE CONVENTION
139. The applicant maintained that the domestic remedies of which he had availed himself had failed him. Their ineffectiveness had given rise to a breach of Article 13 of the Convention, which provides:
“Everyone whose rights and freedoms as set forth in [the] Convention are violated shall have an effective remedy before a national authority notwithstanding that the violation has been committed by persons acting in an official capacity.”
140. The Government contested this complaint, pointing to the outcome of both the criminal and the administrative proceedings at domestic level.
A. The Chamber judgment
141. The Chamber took the view that its conclusion on the applicant’s complaints under Article 2 of the Convention and Article 1 of Protocol No. 1 made it unnecessary to consider again in the context of Article 13 his allegations of deficiencies in the criminal and administrative proceedings. In the specific circumstances of this case, neither the criminal-law process nor the administrative-law action had complied with the procedural obligations under Article 2 or proved capable of affording appropriate redress for the applicant’s complaints. In the first place, the criminal proceedings were conducted in such a way that the focus was shifted from the all-important life-endangering aspect of the case to a determination of whether or not the mayors could be held liable for “negligence in the performance of their duties”. Secondly, the compensation awarded to the applicant by the administrative court did not at all correspond to the applicant’s real loss. Lastly, not only had the proceedings lasted an unreasonably long time, the award eventually made to the applicant had never in fact been paid.
B. The parties’ submissions
1. The Government
142. The Government took issue with the Chamber’s criticism of the criminal proceedings brought against the mayors. They insisted that it was for the domestic authorities alone to determine the nature of any criminal charges to be laid against a defendant. Likewise, it did not fall to the Court in Strasbourg to question the verdict reached by a domestic court on the basis of the material before that court, unless it intended to go so far as to substitute what it considered to be a proper verdict. The Government observed that neither the Convention nor its case-law compelled the authorities to secure the conviction of a defendant. The Chamber’s suggestion that the verdict handed down against the mayors was tantamount to granting them almost total impunity had ignored both this point and the national authorities’ discretion to classify criminal charges in the light of the circumstances of a particular case, including situations like the one obtaining in the present case, where the applicant had never complained that the mayors were guilty of unlawful killing through negligence.
143. For the Government, the same “fourth instance” considerations applied to the decision reached by the administrative court on the applicant’s compensation claim. The amount awarded was in fact substantial, bearing in mind that the applicant had been rehoused on very favourable terms. He had in fact capitalised on his new dwelling, firstly by renting it out for 48.46 United States dollars (USD) per month, compared with the USD 17.50 which he was paying back to the authorities, and then by agreeing to sell it for 20,000 German marks, a price which was far in excess of the house’s value when it was first allocated to him (TRL 125,000,000). The Government further contended that, contrary to the Chamber’s finding, the compensation claim had been determined within a reasonable time, and certainly within a much shorter time-frame than, for example, in Calvelli and Ciglio (cited above), where the Court had found that the period of six years and three months taken to determine a civil claim for death by negligence could not be said to raise an issue under Article 2. Moreover, the applicant had not sought to collect the money awarded.
2. The applicant
144. The applicant in essence agreed with the Chamber’s conclusions on the shortcomings it had identified in the criminal and administrative proceedings. However, he maintained that the ineffectiveness of these procedures should also be seen as giving rise to a breach of Article 13 of the Convention in combination with Article 2 and Article 1 of Protocol No. 1.
C. The Court’s assessment
1. Principles applicable in the instant case
145. Article 13 of the Convention requires domestic legal systems to make available an effective remedy empowering the competent national authority to address the substance of an “arguable” complaint under the Convention (see Z and Others v. the United Kingdom [GC], no. 29392/95, § 108, ECHR 2001-V). Its object is to provide a means whereby individuals can obtain appropriate relief at national level for violations of their Convention rights before having to set in motion the international machinery of complaint before the Court (see Kudła v. Poland [GC], no. 31210/96, § 152, ECHR 2000-XI).
146. However, the protection afforded by Article 13 does not go so far as to require any particular form of remedy, Contracting States being afforded a margin of discretion in conforming to their obligations under this provision (see, for example, Kaya v. Turkey, judgment of 19 February 1998, Reports 1998-I, pp. 329-30, § 106).
147. The nature of the right at stake has implications for the type of remedy the State is required to provide under Article 13. Where violations of the rights enshrined in Article 2 are alleged, compensation for pecuniary and non-pecuniary damage should in principle be possible as part of the range of redress available (see Paul and Audrey Edwards, cited above, § 97; Z and Others v. the United Kingdom, cited above, § 109; and T.P. and K.M. v. the United Kingdom [GC], no. 28945/95, § 107, ECHR 2001-V).
On the other hand, as the Court has noted above (see paragraph 96), neither Article 13 nor any other provision of the Convention guarantees an applicant a right to secure the prosecution and conviction of a third party or a right to “private revenge” (see Perez, cited above, § 70).
148. It is true that it has found on occasion a violation of Article 13 in cases involving allegations of unlawful killing by or with the connivance of the members of the security forces (see, for example, the case-law referred to in Kılıç, cited above, § 73) on account of the authorities’ failure to carry out a thorough and effective investigation capable of leading to the identification and punishment of those responsible (see Kaya, cited above, pp. 330-31, § 107). However, it is to be observed that those cases, arising out of the conflict in south-east Turkey in the 1990s, were characterised by the absence of any such investigations into the applicants’ complaints that a close relative had been unlawfully killed by members of the security forces or had died in suspicious circumstances.
It was precisely this element which led the Court to find that the applicants in those cases had been deprived of an effective remedy, in that they had not had the possibility of establishing liability for the incidents complained of and, hence, of seeking appropriate relief, whether by applying to join criminal proceedings as an intervening party or by instituting proceedings before the civil or administrative courts. In other words, there was a close procedural and practical relationship between the criminal investigation and the remedies available to those applicants in the legal system as a whole (see, for example, Salman v. Turkey [GC], no. 21986/93, § 109, ECHR 2000-VII).
However, for the Court, and seen from the standpoint of the interests of the deceased’s family and their right to an effective remedy, it does not inevitably follow from the above-mentioned case-law that Article 13 will be violated if the criminal investigation or resultant trial in a particular case do not satisfy the State’s procedural obligation under Article 2 as summarised in, for example, Hugh Jordan, cited above (see paragraph 94).
What is important is the impact the State’s failure to comply with its procedural obligation under Article 2 had on the deceased’s family’s access to other available and effective remedies for establishing liability on the part of State officials or bodies for acts or omissions entailing the breach of their rights under Article 2 and, as appropriate, obtaining compensation.
149. The Court has held that, in relation to fatal accidents arising out of dangerous activities which fall within the responsibility of the State, Article 2 requires the authorities to carry out of their own motion an investigation, satisfying certain minimum conditions, into the cause of the loss of life (see paragraphs 90, and 93-94 above). It further observes that, without such an investigation, the individual concerned may not be in a position to use any remedy available to him for obtaining relief, given that the knowledge necessary to elucidate facts such as those in issue in the instant case is often in the sole hands of State officials or authorities.
Having regard to these considerations, the Court’s task under Article 13 in the instant case is to determine whether the applicant’s exercise of an effective remedy was frustrated on account of the manner in which the authorities discharged their procedural obligation under Article 2 (see, mutatis mutandis, Aksoy v. Turkey, judgment of 18 December 1996, Reports 1996-VI, p. 2286, § 95; Aydın v. Turkey, judgment of 25 September 1997, Reports 1997-VI, pp. 1895-96, § 103; and Kaya, cited above, pp. 329‑30, § 106).
2. Application of these principles in the instant case
(a) As regards the complaint under Article 2 of the Convention
150. The Court has already examined the various procedures in place in Turkey and has concluded that in the present case the right to life was inadequately protected by the proceedings brought by the public authorities under the criminal law, despite the findings of the official investigations which established the facts and identified those responsible for the accident of 28 April 1993 (see paragraphs 113-14 above).
However, having regard to the adequacy and the findings of those investigations, the Court considers that the applicant was in a position to use the remedies available to him under Turkish law in order to obtain redress.
151. On 3 September 1993, several months after the investigation had ended (see paragraph 29 above), the applicant, represented by a lawyer, chose to sue four State authorities in the administrative courts, claiming that he had sustained pecuniary and non-pecuniary damage on account of the death of nine of his close relatives and the loss of his house and household goods. The effectiveness of this remedy did not depend on the outcome of the pending criminal proceedings, nor was access to it hindered by acts or omissions on the part of the authorities (see Kaya, cited above, pp. 329-30, § 106).
The administrative courts dealing with his case were indisputably empowered to assess the facts established thus far, to apportion liability for the events in issue and to deliver an enforceable decision. The administrative-law remedy used by the applicant was, on the face of it, sufficient for him to enforce the substance of his complaint regarding the death of his relatives and was capable of affording him adequate redress for the violation of Article 2 found above (see paragraph 118 above; see also Paul and Audrey Edwards, cited above, § 97, and Hugh Jordan, cited above, §§ 162-63).
However, it remains to be determined whether this remedy was also effective in practice, in the circumstances of the present case.
152. Like the Chamber, the Grand Chamber is not persuaded that this was so. It endorses various criticisms made by the Chamber as to the ineffectiveness of the compensation proceedings (see paragraph 76 above) and, like the Chamber, considers it decisive that the damages awarded to the applicant – solely in respect of the non-pecuniary damage resulting from the loss of his close relatives – have never in fact been paid to him.
Of relevance in this connection is the Court’s case-law to the effect that the right to a court as guaranteed by Article 6 also protects the execution of final, binding judicial decisions, which, in States that accept the rule of law, cannot remain inoperative to the detriment of one party (see, for example, Hornsby v. Greece, judgment of 19 March 1997, Reports 1997-II, pp. 510‑11, § 40, and Immobiliare Saffi v. Italy [GC], no. 22774/93, § 66, ECHR 1999-V). It has not been explained to the Court’s satisfaction why the award has not been paid. It considers that the applicant cannot be reproached for not having taken personal steps to enforce the award, given the time taken by the administrative court to decide his compensation claim and the fact that the amount awarded for non-pecuniary damage was not even subject to default interest. The timely payment of a final award of compensation for anguish suffered must be considered an essential element of a remedy under Article 13 for a bereaved spouse and parent (see, mutatis mutandis, Paul and Audrey Edwards, cited above, § 101).
Although the Government have contested the Chamber’s conclusion that the proceedings should have been concluded sooner, the Grand Chamber likewise finds that a period of four years, eleven months and ten days to reach a decision indicates a lack of diligence on the part of the domestic court, especially in view of the applicant’s distressing situation. After all, it is clear from the decision of 30 November 1995 that the domestic court based itself entirely on the expert report commissioned by the public prosecutor. However, that report was already available as far back as May 1993 (see paragraph 23 above).
153. For the Court, these reasons suffice to conclude that the administrative proceedings failed to provide the applicant with an effective remedy for the State’s failure to protect the lives of his close relatives.
154. That said, the Government accused the applicant of having never made any effort to take part effectively in the above-mentioned criminal proceedings in order to raise his complaints and to seek redress (see paragraph 83 above). Having examined the provisions of Turkish law on intervening-party applications (see paragraphs 47 and 48 above), the Court accepts that this possibility, as a component of criminal proceedings, should in principle be taken into consideration for the purposes of Article 13.
However, the Court considers that in the instant case the applicant, who chose to avail himself of an administrative-law remedy which appears to have been effective and capable of directly redressing the situation of which he complained, cannot be criticised for not having sought redress in the criminal courts (see, mutatis mutandis, Manoussakis and Others v. Greece, judgment of 26 September 1996, Reports 1996-IV, pp. 1359-60, § 33, and Aquilina v. Malta [GC], no. 25642/94, § 39, ECHR 1999-III), a remedy which, in any event, could not be used if an action for damages was already pending (see paragraph 48 above).
155. In short, there has been a violation of Article 13 of the Convention as regards the complaint under Article 2.
(b) As regards the complaint under Article 1 of Protocol No. 1
156. The Court observes that, in the administrative proceedings examined above, the applicant also obtained compensation for the destruction of household goods, save the domestic electrical appliances which the domestic court held that he could not have owned (see paragraph 40 above). It considers that it does not have to comment on the adequacy of the award made by the domestic court or the manner of its assessment. As it has already noted, the fact is that the decision on compensation was long in coming and the award has never been paid. Consequently, the applicant was denied an effective remedy for the alleged breach of his right under Article 1 of Protocol No. 1.
Whilst it is true that the Government have requested the Court to take account of the advantages which have accrued to the applicant through the provision to him of subsidised housing, the Court considers that this is a matter which should be taken up under Article 41 of the Convention. In any event, in so far as these advantages have proved incapable of removing fromthe applicant his status as the victim of an alleged violation of Article 1 of Protocol No. 1 (see paragraph 137 above), they cannot a fortiori deprive him of his right to an effective remedy in order to obtain redress for that alleged violation.
157. For the above reasons, the Court considers that there has also been a violation of Article 13 of the Convention as regards the complaint under Article 1 of Protocol No. 1.
IV. ALLEGED VIOLATIONS OF ARTICLES 6 AND 8 OF THE CONVENTION
158. The applicant complained of the excessive length of the proceedings in the administrative court and submitted that they could not be regarded as fair, given the biased judgment in which they had culminated. He relied on Article 6 § 1 of the Convention, the relevant part of which provides:
“In the determination of his civil rights and obligations ..., everyone is entitled to a fair and public hearing within a reasonable time by an independent and impartial tribunal established by law. ...”
The applicant lastly complained that the circumstances of the case had also infringed his right to respect for his private and family life as enshrined in Article 8 of the Convention, the relevant parts of which provide:
“1. Everyone has the right to respect for his private and family life ...
2. There shall be no interference by a public authority with the exercise of this right except such as is in accordance with the law and is necessary in a democratic society in the interests of national security, public safety or the economic well-being of the country, for the prevention of disorder or crime, for the protection of health or morals, or for the protection of the rights and freedoms of others.”
159. The Government objected that those complaints were manifestly ill-founded and stressed that neither any lack of diligence nor any interference could be attributed to the Turkish authorities in connection with the provisions relied on.
160. Having regard to the particular circumstances of the present case and to the reasoning which led the Court to find a violation of Article 13 of the Convention taken together with Article 1 of Protocol No. 1 (see paragraph 156 above), the Court considers that it is not necessary to examine the case under Article 6 § 1 as well (see, mutatis mutandis, Immobiliare Saffi, cited above, § 75).
The same applies to the complaint under Article 8 of the Convention, which concerns the same facts as those examined under Article 2 and Article 1 of Protocol No. 1. Having regard to its findings of a violation of those provisions, the Court considers that it is likewise unnecessary to examine that complaint separately.
V. APPLICATION OF ARTICLE 41 OF THE CONVENTION
161. Article 41 of the Convention provides:
“If the Court finds that there has been a violation of the Convention or the Protocols thereto, and if the internal law of the High Contracting Party concerned allows only partial reparation to be made, the Court shall, if necessary, afford just satisfaction to the injured party.”
A. Damage
1. The parties’ submissions
(a) The applicant
162. Before the Court, the applicant reiterated the claims he had made before the Chamber. Accordingly, he claimed:
(i) 2,000 United States dollars (USD) for funeral expenses for his nine close relatives who had died;
(ii) USD 100,000 for the loss of financial support as a result of the death of his wife and his concubine, who had worked as cleaners on daily contracts;
(iii) USD 150,000 for loss of the financial support which his seven children could have given him had they remained alive;
(iv) USD 50,000 for the loss of financial support suffered by his three surviving children as a result of their mother’s death;
(v) USD 98,000 for the destruction of his dwelling and movable property.
The applicant also claimed, on his own behalf and on behalf of his three surviving children, USD 800,000 for non-pecuniary damage.
(b) The Government
163. As their main submission, the Government maintained that no redress was necessary in the instant case. In the alternative, they asked the Court to dismiss the applicant’s claims, which they considered to be excessive and based on notional estimates.
With regard to pecuniary damage, they submitted that a newspaper cutting could not be used to substantiate claims for funeral expenses. With regard to the alleged loss of financial support, they confined themselves to the submission that the claim was purely speculative.
With regard to the dwelling and movable property, the Government pointed out that the applicant had not submitted any evidence in support of his claim. Arguing that the applicant had never acquired title to the slum dwelling in question, they reiterated that he had been offered a much more comfortable flat in the district of Alibeyköy for a sum which at the material time had been equivalent to USD 9,237 (9,966 euros (EUR)), only one quarter of which had been paid immediately. In that connection they submitted examples of advertisements for similar flats in that district at prices of, on average, between 11,000,000,000 and 19,000,000,000 Turkish Liras (TRL) (approximately EUR 7,900 and EUR 13,700 respectively). With regard to the movable property, the Government submitted catalogues of such items and stressed the need to take account of the compensation awarded by the administrative court under that head.
With regard to non-pecuniary damage, the Government submitted that the claim was excessive and likely to lead to unjust enrichment, contrary to the spirit of Article 41 of the Convention. In that connection, they accused the applicant of deliberately choosing not to claim payment of the compensation awarded by the administrative court under that head in the hope of increasing his chances of being awarded a higher sum by the Court.
2. The Chamber judgment
164. Making its assessment on an equitable basis, the Chamber awarded the applicant EUR 21,000 for pecuniary damage and EUR 133,000 for non‑pecuniary damage, having regard to the distress he had undoubtedly experienced as a result of the Turkish justice system’s unsatisfactory response to the deaths, and the suffering consequently endured by his three surviving children.
3. The Court’s assessment
165. The Court has found a violation of the right to protection of life enshrined in Article 2 of the Convention and of the right to peaceful enjoyment of possessions as protected by Article 1 of Protocol No. 1. It has also found a violation of the right to a domestic remedy, as set forth in Article 13 of the Convention, in respect of both complaints.
(a) Pecuniary damage
166. The Grand Chamber observes, as the Chamber did, that the applicant undoubtedly suffered loss as a result of the violations found and that there is a clear causal link between those violations and the pecuniary damage alleged, which may include compensation for loss of sources of income (see Salman, cited above, § 137, and Z and Others v. the United Kingdom, cited above, § 119). However, none of the applicant’s claims under this head has been duly documented. The alleged damage includes components which cannot be calculated precisely or are based on such limited evidence that any assessment will inevitably involve a degree of speculation (see, among other authorities, Sporrong and Lönnroth v. Sweden (Article 50), judgment of 18 December 1984, Series A no. 88, pp. 14-15, § 32, and Akdivar and Others v. Turkey (Article 50), judgment of 1 April 1998, Reports 1998-II, p. 718, § 19).
The Court will therefore assess on an equitable basis the applicant’s claims in respect of pecuniary damage, having regard to all the information in its possession, as required by Article 41.
167. With regard, firstly, to the reimbursement of funeral expenses, the applicant produced an article from the 9 April 2001 issue of the daily newspaper Sabah, which reported that another victim of the accident of 28 April 1993, a Mr C. Öztürk, had had to spend TRL 550,000,000 on the burial of his wife and four children. The Government contested the evidential value of that information but did not adduce any other evidence to clarify the matter.
The Court considers that this claim is not unreasonable since the applicant had to bury nine of his close relatives. It therefore awards in full the amount claimed under this head, namely USD 2,000.
168. As to the alleged loss of financial support, no itemised particulars have been submitted in respect of this claim. However, the Grand Chamber agrees with the Chamber’s view that in the instant case each member of the household must, in one way or another, have provided a contribution, if only an accessory one, to the sustenance of all, although the prospect of future financial support by the seven minor children who died in the accident appears too distant.
All things considered, the Court considers that an aggregate sum of EUR 10,000 should be awarded under this head.
169. As to the alleged loss resulting from the destruction of the applicant’s dwelling, the Court observes at the outset that, in the absence of any substantiation, the sum claimed would appear excessive. In this connection, it considers that the economic interest which the subsidised housing acquired by the applicant may have represented should be taken into account in the assessment of damage (see paragraph 156 above), although this task is complicated both by the constant fluctuation in the rates of exchange and inflation in Turkey and by the transactions carried out by the applicant in relation to his flat (see paragraph 30 above).
The Chamber’s assessment was based on the assumption that the value of the applicant’s dwelling that was destroyed amounted to 50% of the cost of decent housing offered at the time by Istanbul City Council in the Çobançeşme area. The Grand Chamber notes in this connection that, according to a list drawn up on 20 March 2001 by the city council, the council was offering housing in the Çobançeşme area for approximately TRL 10,400,000,000, which on that date was equivalent to EUR 11,800.
That information apart, the Court observes, again on the basis of its own – inevitably approximate – calculations, that on 13 November 1993, when the contract for the sale of the flat to the applicant was signed, the agreed price of TRL 125,000,000 was equivalent to approximately EUR 8,500, a quarter of which (EUR 2,125) was paid immediately. The remainder (equivalent to EUR 6,375) was to be paid in 120 monthly instalments of TRL 732,844. On 13 November 1993 the monthly instalments were equivalent to approximately EUR 53. However, on 24 March 1998, the date on which the applicant promised to sell his flat to E.B., the instalments corresponded to only EUR 3. According to calculations on the basis of the exchange rates in force between 13 November 1993 and 24 March 1998, the average value of the instalments was EUR 15. As there is no reason to believe that the applicant continued to pay the instalments after 24 March 1998, it can be presumed that by that date he must have paid, in addition to the down payment, the equivalent of approximately EUR 780 in monthly instalments towards the purchase of the flat, making a total of approximately EUR 3,000, which is significantly lower than the initial value of the flat.
It should also be borne in mind that from at least February 1995 onwards, if not well before that date, the flat in question had been let to a certain H.Ö. for a monthly rent of TRL 2,000,000 (approximately EUR 41). In the thirty‑seven months during which the flat was leased, ending on 24 March 1998 when the undertaking to sell it was signed, the applicant must therefore have received a minimum of approximately EUR 1,500 in rent, whereas during the same period he had had to pay only EUR 550 in monthly instalments.
Furthermore, on signing the undertaking to sell the flat, the applicant received 20,000 German marks from E.B.; that sum, equivalent at the time to EUR 10,226, is significantly higher than any amount the applicant would ultimately have had to spend on the purchase of his flat.
In the light of the foregoing, assuming that the market value of the applicant’s slum dwelling may be estimated according to the criterion adopted by the Chamber and that he must have spent a certain amount on accommodation while his flat was being let out, there is still no reason for the Court to conclude that those circumstances resulted in a loss greater than the profit the applicant seems to have made from the transactions relating to his flat.
There is therefore no need to afford redress to the applicant for the destruction of his dwelling, the finding of a violation constituting in itself sufficient just satisfaction.
170. As to the value of the movable property lost in the accident of 28 April 1993, the Court notes that on 30 November 1995 the Istanbul Administrative Court awarded the applicant compensation of TRL 10,000,000 under this head (equivalent at the time to approximately EUR 208). In making that award, however, the court refused to take into account any electrical appliances allegedly owned by the applicant, on the ground that his dwelling did not have electricity (see paragraph 40 above). Furthermore, the compensation awarded has never been paid to the applicant. The Court refers to its conclusions on these particular points (see paragraphs 152, 153 and 156 above) and considers that the outcome of the administrative proceedings cannot be taken into account for the purposes of Article 41 of the Convention.
Accordingly, and despite the lack of any indication by the applicant of the nature and quantity of the movable property which he may have owned, the Court has undertaken a careful examination of the household items in the catalogues submitted to it, bearing in mind the methods of calculation adopted in previous similar cases (see Akdivar and Others (Article 50), cited above, and Menteş and Others v. Turkey (Article 50), judgment of 24 July 1998, Reports 1998-IV, p. 1693, § 12).
Consequently, having regard to the living conditions of a household on a low income, the Grand Chamber agrees with the Chamber that considerations of equity justify an aggregate award of EUR 1,500 under this head.
(b) Non-pecuniary damage
171. With regard to non-pecuniary damage, the Grand Chamber sees no reason to depart from the Chamber’s position. It acknowledges that the applicant undoubtedly suffered as a result of the violations it has found of Articles 2 and 13 of the Convention. The Court agrees with the Government, however, that the amounts claimed under this head are excessive. Being called upon to make an equitable assessment, it has to take into account the particular circumstances of the case, including the suffering which must also have affected the applicant’s three surviving children, Hüsamettin, Aydın and Halef Öneryıldız, born on 10 October 1980, 10 October 1981 and 10 July 1982 respectively.
Like the Court’s findings of a violation, the decisions given by the Turkish courts after the judgment on the merits have admittedly afforded the applicant a measure of reparation for non-pecuniary damage, although they have not fully redressed the damage sustained under that head. The Court considers, however, that the TRL 100,000,000 (equivalent at the time to approximately EUR 2,077) awarded to the applicant by the administrative courts in compensation for non-pecuniary damage cannot be taken into consideration under Article 41, seeing that the authorities have never paid that sum and that, in the very particular circumstances of the case, the applicant’s decision not to initiate enforcement proceedings in order to obtain the sum cannot be regarded as a waiver of his entitlement to it (see, mutatis mutandis, Neumeister v. Austria (Article 50), judgment of 7 May 1974, Series A no. 17, p. 16, § 36).
All things considered, and having regard to its relevant case-law concerning the application of Article 41 in respect of the minor children or relatives of victims of violations of Article 2 (see Çakıcı v. Turkey [GC], no. 23657/94, §§ 8 and 130), the Court decides to award Mr Maşallah Öneryıldız and his three surviving adult children, Hüsamettin, Aydın and Halef Öneryıldız, EUR 33,750 each for non-pecuniary damage, making an aggregate sum of EUR 135,000.
B. Costs and expenses
1. The parties’ submissions
172. The applicant claimed USD 50,000 in respect of legal fees only, including USD 20,000 for the work done by his representative in the written and oral proceedings before the Grand Chamber. He asserted that the presentation of his case before the national courts and the Strasbourg institutions had entailed more than 330 hours’ work at a rate of USD 150 per hour, in accordance with the Istanbul Bar’s scale of minimum fees.
173. The Government submitted that the applicant’s claims for costs and expenses were again excessive and unjustified.
2. The Chamber judgment
174. In the proceedings before the Chamber, the applicant claimed USD 30,000 in legal fees and USD 790 for sundry expenses. In the absence of any receipts or other vouchers, the Chamber held that it was not satisfied that the applicant had incurred those expenses and awarded him EUR 10,000, less the EUR 2,286.50 paid by the Council of Europe in legal aid.
3. The Court’s assessment
175. The applicant has continued to receive legal aid in the proceedings under Article 43 of the Convention. In addition to the EUR 2,286.50 he had already received from the Council of Europe, he was granted EUR 1,707.34 for the preparation of his case after it had been referred to the Grand Chamber.
The Court has consistently held that costs and expenses will not be awarded under Article 41 unless it is established that they were actually incurred, were necessarily incurred and are also reasonable as to quantum (see Sahin v. Germany [GC], no. 30943/96, § 105, ECHR 2003-VIII). In the instant case the applicant has not substantiated his claims by relevant documents or provided detailed explanations as to the work done by his representative on issues relating to Articles 2 and 13 of the Convention and Article 1 of Protocol No. 1, the provisions found to have been breached.
In accordance with Rule 60 § 2 of the Rules of Court, the Court cannot therefore allow the applicant’s claim as it stands. However, the applicant must have incurred some costs for the work done by his lawyer in representing him in the written and oral proceedings before the two Convention bodies (see, mutatis mutandis, Labita v. Italy [GC], no. 26772/95, § 210, ECHR 2000-IV). The Court is prepared to accept that in the present case, which is indisputably complex, that task took the number of hours claimed. That said, it reiterates that, as regards fees, it does not consider itself bound by domestic scales and practices, although it may derive some assistance from them (see, for example, Tolstoy Miloslavsky v. the United Kingdom, judgment of 13 July 1995, Series A no. 316-B, p. 83, § 77).
Making its assessment on an equitable basis, the Court considers it reasonable to award the applicant EUR 16,000, less the EUR 3,993.84 paid by the Council of Europe in legal aid for the proceedings as a whole before the Convention institutions.
C. Default interest
176. The Court considers it appropriate that the default interest should be based on the marginal lending rate of the European Central Bank, to which should be added three percentage points.
FOR THESE REASONS, THE COURT
1. Holds unanimously that there has been a violation of Article 2 of the Convention in its substantive aspect, on account of the lack of appropriate steps to prevent the accidental death of nine of the applicant’s close relatives;
2. Holds by sixteen votes to one that there has also been a violation of Article 2 of the Convention in its procedural aspect, on account of the lack of adequate protection by law safeguarding the right to life;
3. Holds by fifteen votes to two that there has been a violation of Article 1 of Protocol No. 1;
4. Holds by fifteen votes to two that there has been a violation of Article 13 of the Convention as regards the complaint under the substantive head of Article 2;
5. Holds by fifteen votes to two that there has also been a violation of Article 13 of the Convention as regards the complaint under Article 1 of Protocol No. 1;
6. Holds unanimously that no separate issue arises under Article 6 § 1 or Article 8 of the Convention;
7. Holds unanimously
(a) that the respondent State is to pay, within three months, the following amounts, exempt from any taxes or duties, to be converted into Turkish liras at the rate applicable at the date of settlement:
(i) to the applicant, Mr Maşallah Öneryıldız:
– USD 2,000 (two thousand United States dollars) and EUR 45,250 (forty-five thousand two hundred and fifty euros) for pecuniary and non-pecuniary damage;
– EUR 16,000 (sixteen thousand euros) for costs and expenses, less the EUR 3,993.84 (three thousand nine hundred and ninety‑three euros eighty-four cents) already received from the Council of Europe;
(ii) to each of his adult sons, Hüsamettin, Aydın and Halef Öneryıldız, EUR 33,750 (thirty-three thousand seven hundred and fifty euros) for non-pecuniary damage;
(b) that from the expiry of the above-mentioned three months until settlement simple interest shall be payable on the above amounts at a rate equal to the marginal lending rate of the European Central Bank during the default period plus three percentage points;
8. Dismisses unanimously the remainder of the applicant’s claims for just satisfaction.
Done in English and in French, and delivered at a public hearing in the Human Rights Building, Strasbourg, on 30 November 2004.
Luzius Wildhaber, President
Paul Mahoney, Registrar
In accordance with Article 45 § 2 of the Convention and Rule 74 § 2 of the Rules of Court, the following separate opinions are annexed to this judgment:
(a) partly dissenting opinion of Mr Türmen;
(b) partly dissenting opinion of Mrs Mularoni.
L.W.
P.J.M.
PARTLY DISSENTING OPINION OF JUDGE TÜRMEN
I agree with the majority that there has been a violation of Article 2 in its substantive aspect as the authorities failed to take appropriate steps to safeguard the lives of those within their jurisdiction.
However, I regret that I am unable to agree with the majority that there have also been violations of Article 2 in its procedural aspect, Article 1 of Protocol No. 1 and Article 13.
1. Article 2 (procedural aspect)
The judgment did not find any problem with the investigation (paragraph 113), which identified those responsible for the incident and brought them to justice. The two mayors were convicted under Article 230 of the Turkish Criminal Code.
However, the majority found a violation of the procedural aspect of Article 2 on the ground that the trial courts did not secure the full accountability of State officials and did not implement effectively the provisions of domestic law – that is, because the national courts applied Article 230 of the Criminal Code (negligence in the performance of public duties) and not Article 455 (death through carelessness or negligence).
I do not agree with this conclusion for the following reasons.
First of all, the majority are of the opinion that there has been a violation of the procedural aspect of Article 2, not because of the lack of an effective investigation, but because of the judicial proceedings or, more precisely, the application of domestic legislation. This is a wholly new approach, which does not have any precedent in the Court’s case-law. If the majority hold the view that the remedy that exists under domestic law is not an effective one, then this raises a problem under Article 13, not under Article 2.
Secondly, it seems contradictory to state, on the one hand, that the investigation is an effective one and, on the other, that the decision of the domestic court violates the Convention.
Such an approach ignores the fact that the decision of the domestic court is based on the facts that are determined by the investigation. How is it then possible for the Court to criticise the decision of the domestic court while accepting the effectiveness of the investigation? In circumstances where the investigation is effective, to conclude that the procedural aspect of Article 2 has been violated would require an examination of the facts, which would make the Court a fourth-instance court. It is well-established case-law that the establishment of the facts and the interpretation and application of domestic law are a matter for the national authorities (see, inter alia, Kemmache v. France (no. 3), judgment of 24 November 1994, Series A no. 296‑C, pp. 86-87, § 37, and Kaymaz v. Turkey (dec.), no. 37053/97, 16 March 2000).
Thirdly, the majority do not attach any weight to the fact that the applicant by his own behaviour contributed to the creation of a risk to life and caused the death of nine members of his own family. It is not contested that the applicant (a) built an illegal dwelling on land that did not belong to him, and (b) did so at a very close distance to the rubbish tip.
The negligence of the authorities and that of the applicant constitute essential elements of causality. They are both conditions sine qua non of the harm caused. Neither of them alone would have been sufficient to cause the harm. The death of nine people was due to the negligence of both the authorities and the applicant.
Apart from this, an independent offence was committed by the mayors, namely negligence in the performance of their duties. The Fifth Division of the Istanbul Criminal Court, in its judgment of 4 April 1996, took all these elements into account and decided to apply Article 230 of the Criminal Code (negligence in the performance of public duties) and not Article 455 (homicide by negligence). In fact, both mayors were convicted under Article 230. The Court of Cassation upheld the judgment. The judgment speaks of the responsibility of both mayors and of the applicant for the death of nine people. The judges of the Istanbul Criminal Court also took into consideration the experts’ report, which apportioned liability for the accident as follows: 2/8 to Istanbul City Council, 2/8 to Ümraniye District Council and 2/8 to the slum inhabitants “for putting the members of their families in danger by settling near a mountain of waste” (see paragraph 23 of the judgment).
It is therefore not true that, as is stated in paragraph 116 of the judgment, the domestic court in its judgment did not acknowledge “any responsibility for failing to protect the right to life”. The domestic court weighed up the responsibilities of the applicant and the mayors and reached a conclusion within its margin of appreciation. This is also admitted by the majority, when it is stated in paragraph 116 that “it is not for the Court to address such issues of domestic law concerning individual criminal responsibility, that being a matter for assessment by the national courts, or to deliver guilty or not-guilty verdicts in that regard”.
However, such an express confirmation of the boundaries between the national courts and the Strasbourg Court, which is in line with the Court’s case-law, makes it more difficult to understand the reason for finding a violation of the procedural aspect of Article 2. In the opinion of the majority, issues of domestic law concerning individual criminal responsibility are a matter for assessment by the national courts, but if the national court decides for good reasons to apply one Article of the Criminal Code rather than another, this may constitute a lack of protection by law safeguarding the right to life.
Fourthly, it is not clear from the judgment why the majority decided to change the principles established in the Court’s case-law regarding the absence of a criminal-law remedy in cases of unintentional loss of life. In Calvelli and Ciglio v. Italy ([GC], no. 32967/96, ECHR 2002-I), Mastromatteo v. Italy ([GC], no. 37703/97, ECHR 2002-VIII), and Vo v. France ([GC], no. 53924/00, ECHR 2004-VIII), the Court expressed the view that “if the infringement of the right to life or to personal integrity is not caused intentionally, the positive obligation imposed by Article 2 to set up an effective judicial system does not necessarily require the provision of a criminal-law remedy in every case”. In this particular case, the majority have departed from that case-law. In paragraph 93 of the judgment, the majority express the view that “in areas such as that in issue [it may be presumed that what is meant is environmental damage], the applicable principles are rather to be found ... in relation notably to the use of lethal force”.
Both in Calvelli and Ciglio and in the present case, what is in issue from the perspective of criminal law is death caused by negligence. As far as the degree of negligence is concerned, it is difficult to make a distinction between the negligence of a gynaecologist who knew that the birth of the child carried a high risk since the mother was a level-A diabetic and the foetus was too large for a natural birth, and yet not only failed to take precautionary measures but was also absent during the birth (Calvelli and Ciglio), and that of two mayors who ought to have known from the experts’ report that the rubbish tip carried a high risk and yet failed to take any measures to prevent such an accident.
2. Article 1 of Protocol No. 1
In respect of Article 1 of Protocol No. 1, I fully subscribe to the views expressed by Judge Mularoni in paragraph 2 of her partly dissenting opinion.
It is noteworthy that the Court, immediately after Kopecký v. Slovakia ([GC], no. 44912/98, ECHR 2004-IX), where it consolidated its case-law regarding the meaning of “possession” under the Convention, has now introduced a new criterion for the determination of a possession – the tolerance of the national authorities. Such a new concept, I fear, may lead to undesirable consequences, such as extending the Convention’s protection to illegally constructed buildings, and may encourage illegal situations.
3. Article 13
The judgment, having examined the effectiveness of the criminal-law remedy under Article 2, limits the scope of its examination of the Article 13 complaint to the effectiveness of the administrative-law remedy.
In a judgment of 30 November 1995, the Istanbul Administrative Court ordered the national authorities to pay the applicant and his children 100,000,000 Turkish liras (TRL) for non-pecuniary damage and TRL 10,000,000 for pecuniary damage. The decision was served on the applicant.
As is clearly stated in the Chamber’s judgment, “... the applicant has never requested payment of the compensation awarded him, a fact that he did not dispute moreover” (paragraph 117 of the Chamber judgment; this fact has been omitted in the Grand Chamber’s judgment).
The applicant did not complain about the non-payment of the compensation because he did not wish to receive it. Had he contacted the mayor’s office and given his bank account number, he would have received the compensation awarded. How is it possible for the authorities to make the payment without any knowledge of the applicant’s address or bank account?
It is therefore not correct to hold the Government responsible for the non-payment of the compensation.
As to the length of the administrative court proceedings, the majority express the view that the proceedings lasted four years, eleven months and ten days, which renders the administrative court remedy ineffective.
I do not agree with this view.
The proceedings lasted four years and eleven months before four levels of jurisdiction. The facts of the case reveal that there were not any significant periods of inactivity attributable to the national courts.
The majority hold the view that there was “a lack of diligence on the part of the domestic court”. However, no reason is given for this conclusion. It is reached without examining the court proceedings and without applying the Court’s well-established criteria regarding the length of proceedings, namely the complexity of the case, the conduct of the applicant and the conduct of the judicial authorities.
In conclusion, there has been no violation of Article 13.
4. Article 41
I agree with the amount of just satisfaction to be paid to the applicant. However, I disagree with the reasoning in calculating the award. It seems that, in calculating the amount, all nine members of the applicant’s household have been given equal weight and are described as “close relatives” of the applicant (paragraph 167 of the judgment).
However, reading paragraph 3 of the judgment, it becomes clear that one of these “close relatives”, Sıdıka Zorlu, was the “concubine” of the applicant. This is perhaps the first time that the Court, in deciding the amount to be paid by way of just satisfaction, has taken into account an applicant’s concubine and given her the same weight as his wife and children. Such an approach may have undesirable implications for the Court’s case‑law in the future.
PARTLY DISSENTING OPINION OF JUDGE MULARONI
(Translation)
1. I fully agree with the reasoning and conclusions of the majority regarding Article 2 of the Convention in both its substantive and its procedural aspects.
2. However, I consider that Article 1 of Protocol No. 1 is not applicable in the present case. This provision guarantees the right of property. In its case-law, the Court has clarified the concept of possessions, which may cover both “existing possessions” and assets, including claims, in respect of which the applicant can argue that he has at least a “legitimate expectation” of obtaining effective enjoyment of a property right. By way of contrast, the hope of recognition of a property right which it has been impossible to exercise effectively cannot be considered a possession within the meaning of Article 1 of Protocol No. 1 (see, among other authorities, Marckx v. Belgium, judgment of 13 June 1979, Series A no. 31, p. 23, § 50; Prince Hans-Adam II of Liechtenstein v. Germany [GC], no. 42527/98, § 83, ECHR 2001-VIII; and Kopecký v. Slovakia [GC], no. 44912/98, § 35, ECHR 2004-IX).
It was not disputed before the Court that the applicant’s dwelling had been erected in breach of Turkish town-planning regulations and had not conformed to the relevant technical standards, or that the land it had occupied belonged to the Treasury (see paragraph 125 of the judgment). The applicant was unable to prove that he had a property right over the land in question or that he could legitimately have applied to have the property transferred to him under section 21 of Law no. 775 of 20 July 1966 or the successive amendments to that law.
The majority acknowledge that “the Court cannot conclude that the applicant’s hope of having the land in issue transferred to him one day constituted a claim of a kind that was sufficiently established to be enforceable in the courts, and hence a distinct ‘possession’ within the meaning of the Court’s case-law” (see paragraph 126 of the judgment in fine). However, instead of drawing the appropriate conclusions from this reasoning and finding that Article 1 of Protocol No. 1 was not applicable, they adopted a new admissibility criterion for this Article: the relevant authorities’ tolerance of the applicant’s actions for almost five years, leading to the conclusion that those authorities acknowledged de facto that the applicant and his close relatives had a proprietary interest in their dwelling and movable goods (see paragraph 127), which was of a sufficient nature and sufficiently recognised to constitute a substantive interest and hence a “possession” within the meaning of the rule laid down in the first sentence of Article 1 of Protocol No. 1 (see paragraph 129).
I am unable to agree with this reasoning.
In my opinion, neither implicit tolerance nor other humanitarian considerations can suffice to legitimise the applicant’s action under Article 1 of Protocol No. 1. Nor should these factors be used by the Court to justify a conclusion which is tantamount to removing applicants (Mr Öneryıldız in this case, but also any future applicants who have erected buildings illegally) from the ambit of national town-planning and building laws and, to an extent, indirectly condoning the spread of these illegal dwellings.
I consider that the majority’s conclusion that Article 1 of Protocol No. 1 is applicable might have paradoxical effects. I am thinking, for example, of the splendid villas and hotels built illegally on the coast or elsewhere which, under national legislation, cannot be acquired by adverse possession; will the mere fact that the relevant authorities have tolerated such buildings for five years now be sufficient to maintain that those who built them in flagrant breach of the law have an arguable claim under Article 1 of Protocol No. 1? Such a conclusion would make it much more difficult for the authorities (at either national or local level) to take any action to ensure compliance with town-planning laws and regulations where, for instance, they have inherited an illegal situation as a result of a period of administration by less scrupulous authorities.
Lastly, I find it hard to accept that where buildings have been erected in breach of town-planning regulations, States henceforth have a positive obligation to protect a right of property that has never been recognised in domestic law and should not be, since in many cases it could be exercised to the detriment of the rights of others and the general interest.
I have therefore concluded that Article 1 of Protocol No. 1 is not applicable and, consequently, has not been breached.
I should add that even if I had concluded that Article 1 of Protocol No. 1 was applicable – which, I repeat, I did not – I would have considered, unlike the majority (see paragraph 137 of the judgment), that the applicant could no longer claim to be a victim. In my view, the allocation of subsidised housing on very favourable terms may be regarded as an acknowledgment in substance of a violation of Article 1 of Protocol No. 1, such a measure being probably the best form of redress conceivable in the present case.
3. Having regard to the circumstances of the case and to the reasoning which led the Court to find a violation of Article 2 of the Convention in its procedural aspect, I consider that it was not necessary to examine the case under Article 13 as regards the complaint under the substantive head of Article 2.
4. In view of my conclusions under Article 1 of Protocol No. 1, I consider that there was no violation of Article 13 as regards the complaint under Article 1 of Protocol No. 1.