521 judgments by the human rights court not implemented by Turkey

A spokesperson for the Council of Europe (CoE) provided an overall account of judgments by the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) which Turkish authorities have not implemented yet. The spokesperson told Reuters on Thursday that the ECHR rulings awaiting implementation by Turkey amounts to 521 as of 8 November.

ECHR data shows that it delivered a total of 3,820 judgments regarding Turkey between 1959 and 2021, and 3,385 of those include rights violations. It signifies a record number of cases among the 46 members states that signed the European Convention on Human Rights.

The CoE Committee of Ministers has launched infringement proceedings against Ankara after Turkish authorities insisted on not complying with a ECHR ruling regarding the case of human rights defender Osman Kavala. ECHR judges had concluded in December 2019 that the European Convention on Human Rights was violated in the Kavala case, and called for Kavala’s immediate release. The ECHR stated that Kavala’s arrest was based on political motives, without any reasonable evidence backing the charges. Kavala has not been released despite the ruling.

The ECHR had similarly ruled earlier in the case of Selahattin Demirtas, the imprisoned former co-chair of the pro-Kurdish Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP), that he should be immediately released. It stated that his incarceration "pursues the ulterior purpose of stifling pluralism and limiting freedom of political debate." The ruling has been dismissed by Turkish authorities.

It is the second time that infringement proceedings have been launched against a member state. In the previous process of proceedings, Azerbaijani officials eventually executed a ruling by the ECHR that had earlier been ignored.

Asked about potential measures, the CoE spokesperson said it was for the Committee to decide on steps and their timing.