Lawsuit filed against Süleyman Soylu reaches the ECHR!
Following the breaking of Aydın Aydoğan's arm during a police intervention at a Saturday Mothers protest, the Constitutional Court ruled that the law enforcement officers had committed a rights violation. However, the case regarding former Interior Minister Süleyman Soylu was transferred to the Grand National Assembly of Turkey (TBMM) after the Chief Public Prosecutor's Office issued a decision of 'lack of jurisdiction.' After the petition was rejected in Parliament due to a lack of a majority, Aydoğan took the petition regarding Soylu to the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR).
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Aydın Aydoğan, whose arm was broken during a police intervention at a protest the Saturday Mothers attempted to hold on August 25, 2018, had filed a criminal complaint against both the law enforcement officers and the then-Minister of Interior, Süleyman Soylu.
The file concerning the law enforcement officers was initially dismissed, and the case was taken to the Constitutional Court (AYM). The AYM ruled that there had been a violation of rights, citing the disproportionate force used by law enforcement and the obstruction of the right to assembly and demonstration. In the case regarding Soylu, the Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor's Office issued a decision of "lack of jurisdiction" and sent the file to the Parliamentary Bureau of the Ankara Chief Public Prosecutor's Office.
As reported by Cengiz Karagöz from Cumhuriyet, the Ankara Chief Public Prosecutor's Office also issued a "lack of jurisdiction" decision for the petition in question and referred the matter to the TBMM. Aydoğan then submitted a petition to Parliament for the prosecution of Soylu. However, the petition was rejected on the grounds that a parliamentary majority could not be secured. Following the rejection of the petition in Parliament, Aydoğan took the Soylu file to the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR).
"I BELIEVE A POSITIVE DECISION WILL EMERGE"
Stating that he learned that under Article 106 of the Constitution, a decision by a 3/5 or 2/3 majority of the Parliament is required to open an investigation into Soylu, and that the authority in this matter lies with the TBMM, Aydoğan said, "I submitted a petition to Parliament regarding this, but the Parliament, to which the authority in the case filed against Soylu was transferred, rejected the case. Soylu committed a crime by targeting all Saturday Mothers and human rights defenders in the public eye. Since I have exhausted domestic legal remedies, I am going to the ECHR. I believe a positive decision will emerge from the ECHR."