Türkiye

ENTRY INTO FORCE of the European Convention on Human Rights

18 May 1954

Number of implemented cases*

3876

Examples

End to voting ban for certain types of prisoners

A jailed businessman complained that Turkey’s ban on prisoners voting breached his electoral rights. The European court agreed with Ahmet Söyler, finding that the restriction violated the human rights convention because it was applied in an “automatic and indiscriminate” way. This judgment led Turkey to lift the voting ban for certain types of prisoners.

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Health reforms after a pregnant woman was denied life-saving care

Pregnant mother Menekşe Şentürk died after being denied treatment that could have saved her life. The European Court of Human Rights found that she was a victim of medical negligence. This judgment and others led Turkey to improve its healthcare system and make it more accessible for people who cannot afford urgent care.

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European court ruling ends infertility requirement for gender reassignment surgery

A Turkish court decided that Y.Y., a transgender man, was not allowed to have gender reassignment surgery because he was not infertile. The European court said this requirement was unnecessary. It found that Turkey had breached Y.Y.’s rights by denying him the chance to have surgery for many years. In response, Turkey removed the infertility requirement for gender reassignment surgery.

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The landmark judgment that inspired Europe to act on violence against women

Nahide Opuz was abused by her husband for years. The violence tragically led to the murder of her mother. The European court ruled that Turkey had not done enough to protect Nahide and her mother, and, for the first time ever, that gender-based violence is a form of discrimination. The judgment helped to inspire international efforts to prevent and combat violence against women.

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Fair trial breach leads to better access to lawyers in police custody

No lawyer was present when police interrogated 17-year-old Yusuf Salduz after he was arrested at a protest. Yusuf was convicted based on evidence that the European court ruled was unfairly gathered, in breach of his right to a fair trial. Turkey took steps to strengthen the right of access to a lawyer in police custody.

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Young woman saved from being stoned to death in Iran

Aged 24, Hoda Jabari was suspected of adultery in Iran. The crime could be punished by stoning to death. Hoda fled to Istanbul. However, the Turkish authorities decided to send her back. The European court prevented her from being returned to face a possible stoning. Hoda was allowed to stay in Turkey and eventually leave to seek a new life in Canada.

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15-year-old boy stabbed to death outside a school after authorities failed to act

The director of a school asked for the police to be present outside his school gates, due to significant problems between young people. No help was provided. 15 year-old Sedat Kayak was stabbed to death by another student just outside the school. The European court ruled that the authorities had failed in their duty to protect children. The case led to a series of reforms to help prevent school...

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New compensation rules after villagers forced from their homes to live in extreme poverty

The government evicted the inhabitants of a small village for counter-terrorism purposes. They were not allowed to return for over 10 years. In the meantime, they were given no alternative housing or money, and they lived in extreme poverty. The Strasbourg court ruled that their rights had been violated. A new law introduced compensation for damages suffered during anti-terrorist activities.

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Legal reforms to tackle delays in getting justice

Hundreds of applicants complained of excessively long proceedings in Turkish courts. One was Fatma Ormancı, whose claim that the government had failed to protect her husband from terrorism was undecided for almost 6 years. The European court found that applicants in over 280 cases faced excessively long delays in Turkish legal proceedings – leading to substantial reforms.

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* This figure includes all judgments and decisions from the European Court of Human Rights (including friendly settlements) concerning which the Council of Europe’s Committee of Ministers has decided that all necessary follow-up measures have been taken. Source: the database of the Department for the Execution of Judgments of the ECHR, HUDOC-EXEC.