Tuğrul Türkeş reacts to Mehmet Uçum's ECHR remarks: 'A mental blackout'

AKP Ankara MP Tuğrul Türkeş has reacted to the discussions regarding a potential withdrawal from the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR), which resurfaced following the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) ruling on the “Kavala No. 2” case concerning Osman Kavala.

In a written statement titled “On Turkey’s Legal Policy Regarding European Court of Human Rights Rulings,” Türkeş criticized the discussions that followed comments made by Chief Advisor to the President Mehmet Uçum regarding the ECtHR. Reminding that Turkey’s ties with the Council of Europe and the ECHR date back many years, Türkeş emphasized that these achievements should not be disregarded.

Stating that Turkey has been a member of the Council of Europe and a party to the ECHR for over 70 years, Türkeş noted that the right to individual application was accepted in 1987, and the compulsory jurisdiction of the ECtHR was accepted in 1990.

“A MENTAL BLACKOUT” REACTION

Türkeş stated that Turkey must pursue a multidimensional foreign policy due to its geographical location, historical background, and geopolitical interests. Noting that relations with Europe are an indispensable element of this policy, Türkeş said that issues such as the European Union, the ECHR, and the ECtHR cannot be treated as if they are insignificant.

According to Türkeş, disregarding the accumulated experience in this field could lead to risks of legal, economic, and political instability in the long term. The AKP deputy described such an approach as “literally a mental blackout.”

Emphasizing law and justice in his statement, Türkeş noted that a legal order that functions equally for everyone is a fundamental condition for development, prosperity, and social progress. Arguing that cases like that of Osman Kavala and similar ones could be resolved within the existing legal rules through “national law,” Türkeş stated that there should be no need for the intervention of external authorities for this.

Türkeş stated that if the current Constitution and laws were applied to everyone equally, fairly, and transparently, such problems might not occur, adding that this was the reason he had taken initiatives on this matter approximately two years ago.

Stating that legal decisions should be evaluated outside of political and ideological debates, Türkeş said that the issue is not limited to Osman Kavala alone, and that the real issue is the expectation of justice for all citizens of the Republic of Turkey. Türkeş described the possibility of Turkey ceasing to be a party to the ECHR as “nonsense,” and characterized the act of high-level officials voicing this possibility as a “Kafkaesque absurdity.”