CHP's Türeli asks Akın Gürlek about cases against Turkey at the ECHR: One in every three cases

Republican People's Party (CHP) İzmir MP Rahmi Aşkın Türeli has brought the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) statistics for the 2025-2026 period to the agenda of the Grand National Assembly of Turkey. In a parliamentary question submitted for response by Minister of Justice Akın Gürlek, Türeli stated that the data regarding Turkey's case load before the ECHR and rights violations reveal a serious picture in terms of the rule of law.

Drawing attention to ECHR data, Türeli noted that as of February 28, 2026, 34.5% of the cases pending before the court were against Turkey, emphasizing that the country is in the position of being the "country with the most pending decisions." Türeli said this situation is linked specifically to the state of emergency (OHAL) policies implemented after 2016, and violations of the right to a fair trial and the right to liberty and security.

"THE RIGHT TO A FAIR TRIAL HAS BEEN OBSTRUCTED"

Türeli also raised the issue that despite the requirement to exhaust domestic legal remedies following the Köksal v. Turkey judgment delivered by the European Court of Human Rights in 2017, applications have not decreased. He stated that this situation raises questions regarding the effectiveness of the Constitutional Court and administrative judicial remedies.

The motion also pointed out that among the 66 violation judgments rendered against Turkey in 2025, the most frequent were violations of the "right to a fair trial" and the "right to liberty and security." Türeli asked whether new legal or administrative regulations would be introduced to prevent these violations from becoming systematic.

"WILL THE CASE LOAD BE REDUCED?"

Türeli stated that more than 80% of the approximately 21,900 applications pending before the ECHR are linked to post-2016 state of emergency (OHAL) practices and dismissals from professions, and asked Minister Gürlek whether there is a concrete action plan to reduce this heavy case load.

The motion also asked for the justification behind Turkey's number of ECHR applications being at much higher levels when compared to countries such as France, the UK, and Germany.

Türeli expressed that all this data should be evaluated comprehensively in terms of Turkey's position in the field of international law and the functioning of its judicial system.

The questions included in the motion submitted by Türeli for Gürlek to answer are as follows:

1. Does the fact that applications continue to accumulate instead of decreasing, despite the requirement to exhaust domestic remedies pointed out by the ECHR's 2017 Köksal v. Turkey judgment, mean that domestic legal remedies (the Constitutional Court and administrative judiciary) have lost their effectiveness?

2. What is your opinion on making legal or administrative regulations to prevent the violations of the "right to a fair trial" and the "right to liberty and security," which ranked in the top two among the 66 violation judgments rendered against Turkey in 2025, from becoming systematic?

3. Considering that more than 80% of the 21,900 pending applications before the ECHR as of February 28, 2026, stem from post-2016 state of emergency (OHAL) practices and dismissals from professions; do you have a concrete action plan or a new legal mechanism in preparation to rapidly resolve this massive case load within the domestic legal system?

4. How is Turkey having a number of applications expressed in the tens of thousands, when compared to countries such as France (703), the UK (139), and Germany (127), explained by your Ministry?

Türeli also listed his proposals for Turkey to emerge from this dire situation as follows:

1. Political Guardianship Over the Judiciary Must Be Removed: The structure of the HSK (Council of Judges and Prosecutors) must be reorganized according to democratic standards, and merit must be the basis.

2. Constitutional Loyalty Must Be Ensured: The unlawful attitude toward not implementing the decisions of the Constitutional Court (AYM) and the ECHR must be ended immediately.

3. Legal Reforms Must Be Implemented: Vague definitions in terrorism charges must be brought to international standards, and arbitrary arrests and long trial durations must be prevented.

4. Strengthened Parliamentary System: The only way for Turkey to regain its international reputation and for justice to be established equally for everyone is through a return to a democratic parliamentary system.

We present this data for the public's consideration in order to restore faith in justice and for Turkey to regain its legal security; we once again emphasize our determination to defend the rule of law.

"THE COUNTRY WITH THE MOST PENDING DECISIONS AGAINST IT"

On the other hand, in his assessment regarding the motion, Türeli stated: "The statistics for the 2025-2026 period announced by the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) reveal Turkey's decline in rule of law indices and the chronic problems in its judicial system with numerical data. The fact that one in every three cases (34.5%) pending before the ECHR as of February 28, 2026, is against Turkey shows that it reinforces our country's position as the 'country with the most pending decisions against it.' The state of emergency (OHAL) practices implemented after 2016, and violations of the right to a fair trial and the right to liberty and security, are seriously damaging Turkey's reputation in the international legal arena and its legal security."