The Peaceful Actions Platform, representing victims of mass persecution in Turkey, wrote a letter to the President of the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) expressing their concerns, disappointments, and expectations for justice regarding the judicial system in Turkey.
The Peaceful Actions Platform delivered letters written by international human rights defenders to the Council of the European Union and the European Court of Human Rights as part of the justice march in Strasbourg.
Yasemin Aydın, Coordinator of the Peaceful Actions Platform, and Rumi Ünal, Platform Spokesperson and dismissed diplomat by decree, presented a letter describing human rights violations against Gülen Movement members in Turkey to the Presidency of the Council of the European Union, where the march began.
Speaking to journalists there, Ünal emphasized that expectations have not been met since last year’s first action where demands were expressed, and that the government in Turkey has become even more authoritarian.
Ünal stated the following:
“As we did last year, we wanted to give a letter expressing our wishes and expectations to the authorities, but unfortunately the Secretary General of the Council of the European Union and the Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights said they couldn’t receive the letter in person at the moment, so we’re leaving it at the door. They told us to do it this way. The Secretary General of the Council of the European Union had responded to the letters we left last year, saying he was following these issues and treating them with sensitivity. Unfortunately, the situation in Turkey has been getting much worse since then. There are unenforced ECHR decisions.”
Noting that the number of participants in the march has increased significantly compared to last year, Ünal said, “The increase in the number of participants shows the thirst for justice in Turkey. We will continue to come here with larger crowds until these problems are resolved and European institutions speak up.”
THE SITUATION IN TURKEY IS STEADILY WORSENING
The letter draws attention to the deteriorating human rights situation in Turkey, especially the government’s repression of the Gülen Movement. It mentions various human rights violations such as mass detentions, arbitrary arrests, forced disappearances, kidnappings, malicious prosecutions, violations of the right to a fair trial, torture, ill-treatment, and harassment of individuals both inside and outside Turkey.
The letter also expresses disappointment with the European Union Commissioner’s lack of response and inaction regarding these violations, emphasizing that the Commissioner should speak out and address the persecution faced by this particular segment of Turkish society.
WE CAME TO BE THE VOICE OF HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS OF VICTIMS
At the end of the march, Aydın and Ünal reached the ECHR and delivered the letter addressed to ECHR President Siofra O’Leary to her Chief of Staff, Abel Campas.
Speaking to journalists, Aydın stated that there has been a systematic human rights violation ongoing for years in Turkey. Aydın said that United Nations bodies have characterized what’s happening in Turkey as a crime, emphasizing that the ECHR is in a position of guarantor against these violations but is moving very slowly and ignoring them.
Aydın expressed that thousands of demonstrators participating in the action called on the ECHR and the Council of Europe to put an end to this situation, saying, “Hundreds of thousands of victims cannot speak up in Turkey, we want to be their voice here. This is what being human requires.”
THE ECHR MUST ACT URGENTLY
The letter presented to the ECHR President emphasized the importance of the Yalçınkaya case and expressed disappointment with some decisions made by the Court’s Second Section that have led millions of people in Turkey to lose faith in the Court.
The letter drew attention to the Turkish Government’s repression of the Hizmet Movement following the failed coup attempt theater in 2016.
The letter criticized the ECHR’s handling of Hizmet Movement cases, emphasizing that this inadvertently supports the government’s agenda, and stressed that the Court’s reluctance to address these cases has emboldened the government to commit more crimes against humanity.
The statements in the letter are as follows:
“Victims sought justice from international bodies such as the European Court of Human Rights due to the lack of effective domestic remedies, but the Court’s actions left them on the brink of destruction. The letter expresses concerns about the purge of public officials, civil death, unlawful detentions, and the criminalization of membership in the Gülen Movement. The ECtHR is criticized for disregarding certain provisions and suggesting ineffective domestic remedies. The Court’s selective prioritization and failure to address fundamental violations are seen as a double standard and regression for victims. The letter argues that the persecutions against the Hizmet community constitute crimes against humanity and questions the Court’s indifference. Throughout the letter, the need for justice and protection of human rights is emphasized, calling on the Court to take urgent and decisive action against the Turkish government’s violations.”
