Imamoglu's imprisoned lawyer announces: Our ECHR application regarding unlawful detention will be given priority

The ECHR has invoked Rule 41 of the Rules of Court regarding the application concerning Ekrem İmamoğlu's detention, placing the file under priority review. This step marks a first for applications from Turkey since the Osman Kavala case.

Imamoglu's imprisoned lawyer, Mehmet Pehlivan, announced the ECHR's decision on his X account as follows:follows:

"Public announcement.

We have been officially notified that our ECHR application regarding the unlawful detention of our client Ekrem Imamoglu will be reviewedon a priority basis."

This decision for priority review issued by the ECHRis a rare decisionamong applications made from Turkeyto date."

WHAT IS RULE 41 OF THE RULES OF COURT?

Rule 41 of the ECHR Rules of Court governs the determination of the order in which applications are decided.

The Court normally processes cases in chronological orderto addresswhile, in accordance with Rule 41, the case taking into account its importance and urgency, certain applications has the authority to prioritize.

The relevant provision of the article isas follows:

"The Court determines the order in which applications are to be decided, taking into accountthe importance and urgency of the case based on criteria established by the Court. However, the relevant Chamber or the President of the Chamber maydecide to grant priority to a specific application." THE KAVALA AND ALTAN EXAMPLES

The ECHR, in the cases ofOsman Kavala and the Altan brothers,

had previouslyThe Court officially applies Rule 41 to a limited number ofapplications from Turkey. The Court examines allegations regarding freedomofexpression and theright toliberty andsecurity rights.including Ahmet Altan and Mehmet Altan's applications in 2017 under Rule 41 for priority examination.,

The ECHR, in 2019, took the application regarding the detention of Osman Kavala, including the allegations under Article 18 of the European Convention on Human Rights (limitation on use of restrictions on rights) into consideration.deciding to officially handle it under priority status.

FIRST SINCE 2019

This decision regarding Ekrem İmamoğlu's applicationmarks the first time since theOsman Kavala case in 2019 that Rule 41 has been invoked in thismanner for applications made fromTurkey. carries the characteristic of being a precedent.Following the Rule 41 decision, the Court will handle the file according to an accelerated schedule.

In this context, the deadlines granted to the parties (the applicant and the government)will be shortened.The Court aims to conclude the process as quickly as possible.This development is seen as a significant step in the legal process.The legal team continues to monitor the situation closely.Further updates will be shared as they become available.and the examination of the merits of the case is being completedsooner than the standard timeframes.