All HDP deputies ask one question to parliament: Is Turkey not bound by ECHR rulings?

All HDP deputies submitted a parliamentary question, asking whether Turkey is bound by the rulings issued by the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR). The question was submitted to draw attention to the fact that former HDP co-chair Selahattin Demirtaş remains imprisoned.

Wednesday January 20 2021 04:08 pm

Duvar English

All deputies of the pro-Kurdish Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP) have asked whether Turkey is bound by the rulings of the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) as the party's former co-chair remains imprisoned.

"Is the Turkish Republic not bound by ECHR rulings?" asked 56 lawmakers in a parliamentary question with the demand to receive an answer from Vice President Fuat Oktay, Justice Minister Abdülhamit Gül and Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu.

The deputies reminded Oktay and the ministers that a month has passed since the ECHR ruling regarding Selahattin Demirtaş, who has been imprisoned since Nov. 4, 2016.

The ECHR ruled in December that Turkey must immediately release Demirtaş, saying the justification for his four years in prison was a cover for limiting pluralism and debate.

The Grand Chamber of the ECHR said Demirtaş - who is charged with terrorism-related offenses - had had his rights violated under five different categories, including freedom of expression and liberty.

Demirtaş's lawyers called the ruling "historic" and Western allies urged Ankara to act. But while such rulings are legally binding, Turkey has not implemented them in several past instances.

Similar to his previous remarks on ECHR rulings, President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan on Dec. 22 said that the court acts against Turkey and "protects its own men."

Topics Selahattin Demirtaş Turkish Parliament HDP Turkish government European Court of Human Rights-Turkey