As part of the Council of Europe Visibility Week, a Regional Meeting on “Violation Judgments on Individual Application and Elimination of the Consequences of Violations” in courts of general jurisdiction and administrative justice took place in Diyarbakır. It brought together members of the Turkish Constitutional Court, the Court of Cassation and the Council of State with representatives of the Regional Court of Appeal, administrative courts and first-instance courts from the Southeastern Anatolia region. The event gathered a large number of civil, criminal, and administrative court judges and prosecutors from Diyarbakır and neighbouring provinces.

In the opening speeches, the President of the Constitutional Court of Türkiye emphasised the importance of effective implementation of Constitutional Court judgments in safeguarding fundamental rights. The President of the Court of Cassation underlined the fact that when the Constitutional Court of Türkiye renders a judgment, all judicial bodies should abide by it and shared his aspiration for an impactful decrease in the number of violation judgments in Türkiye.

 The two-day event began with the regional meeting on ‘Violation Judgments on Individual Application and Elimination of the Consequences of Violations’ in courts of general jurisdiction. On the second day, the same topic was discussed in the context of administrative justice. During the thematic sessions, members of the regional and first instance courts and rapporteur judges of the Constitutional Court discussed case law concerning violation judgments, challenges in retrials and reinvestigations, as well as implementation-related problems.

Judges and prosecutors shared experiences, best practices and recommendations to strengthen the effective execution of the Constitutional Court’s judgments in both general and administrative jurisdictions.

Following the thematic sessions, participants worked in groups on the right to a fair trial in civil and criminal proceedings, right to life, personal liberty and security, respect for private life and on the right to property, guided by rapporteur judges of the Constitutional Court. These discussions, based on Constitutional Court’s case law, fostered dialogue between the Constitutional Court, appellate and first-instance courts. The meeting confirmed a shared commitment to strengthening fundamental rights in Türkiye in line with European standards.

The event was an important contribution to the Council of Europe Visibility Week, further raising awareness of the Council of Europe’s work in Türkiye and of the activities of the Council of Europe Programme Office in Ankara.

The Joint Programme on “Supporting the Effective Implementation of Turkish Constitutional Court Judgments in the Field of Fundamental Rights” is co-funded by the European Union and the Council of Europe and implemented by the Council of Europe. The Turkish Constitutional Court is the end beneficiary of the Project.