ECHR’s Turkey files pile up: 40 percent of applications are pending

Data on applications and violations concerning Turkey at the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) has revealed that Turkey stands out significantly in the Court's current caseload. According to ECHR data, 6,743 applications concerning Turkey were taken under review in 2025.

This figure placed Turkey in the top spot for the number of applications. Turkey was followed by Poland with 3,303 applications, Italy with 2,421, Ukraine with 2,299, and Romania with 1,962. Thus, the number of applications under review concerning Turkey exceeded double that of second-place Poland.

According to a report by Batuhan Serim from Cumhuriyet, the total number of applications under review across the ECHR also rose from 28,800 in 2024 to 31,800 in 2025. The Court reported that applications concerning Turkey, Poland, and Italy were particularly influential in this increase. Turkey has held the top spot in terms of the number of applications under review in data released since 2020.

VIOLATIONS FOUND IN 66 OF 74 RULINGS

In 2025, the ECHR concluded a total of 9,865 applications made against Turkey. Of these applications, 6,302 were found inadmissible or struck out of the list of cases. The remaining 3,563 applications were concluded with a judgment.

Because multiple applications can be addressed in the same ruling, these files were evaluated in 74 rulings. The ECHR ruled that there was at least one human rights violation in 66 of these 74 rulings. It was stated that these rulings covered a total of 3,552 applications.

In 2025, the highest number of violation rulings against Turkey were issued regarding the right to a fair trial. The ECHR ruled that the right to a fair trial was violated in 24 rulings. The number of violation rulings regarding the right to liberty and security was 21.

Violations were identified in 8 rulings each regarding the length of proceedings and the right to an effective remedy. Violation rulings were issued in 5 cases regarding the prohibition of discrimination, 3 regarding freedom of expression, and 2 regarding the right to property. 2 violation rulings were also recorded under other articles of the Convention.

40 PERCENT SHARE IN PENDING CASES

ECHR data dated June 30, 2026, showed that 22,600 of the total 56,500 applications awaiting conclusion before the Court were against Turkey. According to this table, Turkey alone accounted for 40 percent of pending applications.

Turkey was followed in pending applications by Russia with 6,650 applications and an 11.8 percent share. Poland ranked third with 3,700 applications and a 6.5 percent share. It was noted that there were 3,400 pending applications concerning Ukraine and 2,800 concerning Italy.

According to information provided by the ECHR, approximately 85 percent of the applications awaiting conclusion against Turkey are linked to issues arising from the state of emergency period declared after July 15, 2016. These files include topics such as the legality of arrests, allegations of ill-treatment, dismissals from public office, conditions of detention, the fairness of criminal proceedings, the principle of "no punishment without law," and property rights.

News Source: 12punto