Turkey
Osman Kavala is a Turkish philanthropist and human rights defender who has contributed to the establishment of numerous NGOs in Turkey since the 1990s. These organisations currently operate in human rights, cultural and social studies, historical reconciliation and environmental protection.
EIN is providing advice concerning the implementation process and the drafting of submissions to a number of NGOs working on Mr Kavala’s case. EIN campaigns for the immediate release of Mr Kavala and the implementation of the judgment in all of its forms.
According to the Committee to Protect Journalists, Turkey has more journalists in prison than any other country in the world. Ahmet Şık is a prominent Turkish investigative journalist, who was arrested and detained for his journalism in 2011.
Serious and continuing problems with freedom of expression in Turkey have been revealed by the Court’s judgments since 1998. The case of Nedim Şener is one example. He was arrested and detained for over a year, as a result of his work as an investigative journalist.
On 22 April 2000, Oya Ataman took to Sultanahmet Square,Istanbul, in protest against prison conditions in Turkey. Despite posing no threat to public order, Turkish authorities subjected Oya and several of her colleagues to arbitrary arrest and repelled them with pepper spray, a nerve agent capable of causing respiratory problems, nausea, vomiting and spasms.
In December 2006, The European Court found a violation of article 11 of the European Convention of Human Rights, protecting the right to peaceful assembly.
Sources of Statistics: Council of Europe Annual Reports on the Implementation of Judgments and HUDOC EXEC.
European Implementation Network
EIN works with NGOs and others across Europe, to make judgments of the European Court of Human Rights provide real protections of fundamental rights.
Making human rights a reality
