An international conference opened today in Istanbul to discuss the system for appeal and individual application to the Constitutional Court of Turkey. The event, which is organised in the framework of a joint project by the European Union, the Council of Europe, and Turkey on “Supporting the Individual Application to the Constitutional Court in Turkey,” brings together over 250 participants, notably representatives of Turkish higher courts, the Council of Europe, and leading national and international experts.
The high-level conference aims to facilitate discussion among legal professionals on a variety of issues regarding the individual application system and criminal law reform in Turkey. In his opening speech, Mr. Christos Giakoumopoulos, Director of the Council of Europe Human Rights Directorate, remarked that the Constitutional Court of Turkey was confronted with a tremendous number of applications (over 70,000), most of which had been lodged in connection with the state of emergency, and concerned people who were currently held in detention.
Noting that the individual application to the Constitutional Court had been “an essential feature of the Turkish system for the protection of human rights,” Mr. Giakoumopoulos also shared the view that “one can never stress enough that the individual application is only one part of a larger national system for justice and human rights, which takes an entire judiciary to achieve. […] This is why this project is attaching particular importance to judicial dialogue.”
A round table, which will be held on the 2nd and 3rd June 2017, will provide a forum to continue the discussion. Over 50 national and international experts will be called to share their comparative perspectives on issues such as case law harmonisation, the role of courts of appeals, and the right to a fair trial.
Programme of the conference and roundtable: ENG - TUR
Mr. Giakoumopoulos’ speech: ENG - TUR
The EU/CoE Joint Project “Supporting the Individual Application to the Constitutional Court in Turkey (SIAC)” aims to protect fundamental rights and freedoms by promoting judicial cooperation, and strengthening the capacity of judges, prosecutors and lawyers in Turkey on the individual application mechanism, in line with the Turkish Constitution, the European acquis and the European Convention on Human Rights.
