A mechanism inspired by the European Court of Human Rights, the individual application system enables any person in Turkey to lodge a complaint with the Constitutional Court if he or she considers that his or her rights and freedoms have been violated. The European Union, the Council of Europe and the Republic of Turkey have been working together to support the remedy, which lies front and centre of the domestic system of human rights protection.
The conference, which takes place in presence of high-level national and European judges, will examine the current impact of the individual application system in Turkey. It will look at the road ahead for over 39,000 pending cases and discuss ways of ensuring effectiveness of the national remedy.
The Council of Europe and the Turkish Constitutional Court have been partners ever since the establishment of the individual application system. The joint project on “Supporting the Individual Application to the Constitutional Court in Turkey” has been a catalyst for cooperation, which has delivered multiple activities to spread knowledge about human rights, and promote exchange and dialogue among over 6,500 legal professionals at all levels. The project has aimed to facilitate contacts with the European Court of Human Rights and other European Constitutional Courts. It has contributed to harmonised approaches within the national judiciary and equipped Turkish lawyers with tools and know-how to file effective applications.
Infographics on project results for judges and prosecutors and lawyers
Speech by Judge Robert Spano, Vice-President of the European Court of Human Rights
Speech by Gianni Buquicchio, President of the Venice Commission of the Council of Europe
