Article 11 of the European Convention on Human Rights

The European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) on Dec. 19 ordered Turkey to pay compensation to three citizens following their application over a violation of the right to freedom of assembly in suppressed protests in the southern province of Adana.

The Turkish government has claimed that prominent imprisoned Cumhuriyet reporter Ahmet Şık was not arrested for his journalistic activities, in its defense submitted to the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) on Nov. 27.

A complaint filed by main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) to the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) over the April 16 constitutional referendum was deemed “inadmissible” on Nov. 30.

The European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) has set Dec. 5 as the deadline for Turkey to submit its defense in cases against jailed journalists, after the country on Nov. 7 requested an extension for the deadline.

The European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) has rejected Turkey’s request for additional time to submit its defense in cases against jailed daily Cumhuriyet journalists.

A Council of Europe working group and the Turkish Justice Ministry met in the capital Ankara between Sept. 7 and 8 to discuss the issue of freedom of speech and fight against terrorism in the country, the council said in a statement on Sept. 8.

The European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) ruled on July 18 that a Turkish court granting the National Intelligence of Turkey (MİT) permission to intercept all domestic and international communications between April 8 and May 30, 2005 constituted a violation of privacy in breach of the law.

The European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) will give priority to applications regarding press freedom and journalists, in line with a recent amendment to its bylaw, according to a May 31 report by Deutsche Welle.

As if our current issues were not enough, I am concerned that we may soon be facing a legal crisis in Turkey.

 If the country is dragged into a clash with the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR), both diplomatic relations and economic ones will be harmed.  

Remarks made by European Council Secretary General Thorbjorn Jagland, who says the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) may process applications on the jailed journalists and politicians in Turkey before awaiting a verdict from the Constitutional Court, should be treated as a very serious warning.