The Council of Europe Programme Office in Ankara has recently organised a “Visibility Week”, with a variety of events to raise awareness of how the Council of Europe´s work affect people´s lives in Türkiye. An event on family law discussed issues affecting the lives of vulnerable groups; law students from seven universities were invited to an open office day to hear about cooperation projects supporting the implementation of the European Convention on Human Rights and what this means for people in practice; and a roundtable event looked at issues concerning the rights of asylum seekers, refugees and migrants.
The International Symposium on Family Law (1-3 November) gathered 320 national and international participants to discuss the work of family courts in protecting the rights of women, children and other family members in the context of international standards. Participants discussed issues affecting the lives of vulnerable groups in family disputes, including shortcomings in divorce proceedings. The need for legal amendments in areas requiring enhancement of the effectiveness of family courts and upholding the rights of family members in divorce procedures were also debated. Eight panel sessions were based on the results of the work implemented jointly by the Justice Academy and the Council of Europe. The Symposium was organised withing the EU-CoE Joint Project “Improving the Effectiveness of Family Courts: Better Protection of the Rights of Family Members”.
An Open Office Day was organised on 2 November 2023, gathering 120 law students from seven different universities to hear about the activities of the office and cooperation projects to support the implementation of the European Convention on Human Rights and the impact it has on the lives of citizens. The information sharing session focused on two major examples of cooperation projects currently implemented by the Office: EU-CoE Joint Project Strengthening the Criminal Justice System and the Capacity of Justice Professionals on Prevention of the European Convention on Human Rights Violations in Türkiye and the EU-CoE Joint Project Supporting the Effective Implementation of Turkish Constitutional Court Judgments in the Field of Fundamental Rights.
On 3-4 November 2023, a roundtable event to discuss the rights of asylum seekers, refugees and migrants under the European Convention on Human Rights was organized in Ankara. The event brought together over 70 legal professionals of the Justice Academy and various judicial institutions across Türkiye, as well as lawyers from the European Court of Human Rights and representatives from the Council of Europe and the UNHCR. Participants discussed in detail the case-law of the European Court of Human Rights, with a view to improving the protection of migrants and refugees in Türkiye. Specifically, they discussed the terms of admission to the territory, procedural safeguards against deportation and administrative detention. The President of the Justice Academy of Türkiye, Muhittin Özdemir, stated that the “concept we call justice is as old as humanity. People are at the center of justice, and people are the ones who distribute it. With people at its center, such an important concept becomes the basis of every societal issue.” The rountable meeting was organised by Council of Europe and the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) in co-operation with the Justice Academy of Türkiye.
