Council of Europe Secretary General Thorbjorn Jagland

The spokesperson of Council of Europe Secretary General Thorbjorn Jagland has warned that Turkey risks further appeals to the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) if it does not see effective domestic legal remedy for those dismissed or detained under state of emergency measures.

Council of Europe Secretary General Thorbjorn Jagland has stressed the importance of "justice starting to work" in Turkey, adding that he is concerned by the current situation regarding fundamental rights in the country. 

Turkey's EU Minister Ömer Çelik will travel to Brussels and Strasbourg on May 9, where he is expected to hold meetings with the bloc's foreign affairs chief Federica Mogherini, European Commission Vice-President Frans Timmermans, and Council of Europe Secretary General Thorbjorn Jagland, after a period of high tension between the EU and Ankara. 

Council of Europe Secretary General Thorbjorn Jagland has warned Ankara of the risk of increasing the number of appeals at the European Court of Human Rights due to harsh state of emergency measures, raising concern about disproportionate measures taken by decree laws. 

The release of two prominent Turkish journalists, who had been arrested and detained for months over a story on state-owned trucks allegedly carrying weapons to Syria, has been met with praise by the international community. 

Representatives from around 80 countries, including 21 presidents, three deputy presidents, and five prime ministers, will attend controversially rescheduled events in Turkey on April 24 to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the Gallipoli campaign during the First World War.

The separation of powers between the executive, the legislature and the judiciary is an indispensable principle in any democracy, Council of Europe Secretary General Thorbjorn Jagland has said during a visit to Turkey, adding that the country?s Constitutional Court must remain free.