A delegation led by our Co-Chair Tülay Hatimoğulları, held a series of meetings with Council of Europe officials in Strasbourg. The discussions addressed increasing authoritarianism and human rights violations in Turkey, including political repression, the failure to enforce ECHR judgments, and the appointment of government trustees in DEM Party municipalities. The delegation met with key figures, including the President of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, the Chair of the Assembly’s Monitoring Committee, and the Director General for Political Affairs and External Relations.
During the visit, the delegation attended a meeting of the Parliamentary Assembly’s Left Group, where Hatimoğulları emphasized the need for Europe to pressure Turkey to fulfill its obligations. She criticized the leniency shown toward Turkey, particularly regarding Erdoğan’s use of the migrant crisis as a bargaining tool, and called on European institutions to uphold their founding values and principles.
In her speech, Hatimoğulları raised the issue of the appointment of government trustees to replace elected mayors in DEM Party municipalities. “This violates the right to vote and to stand for election,” Hatimoğulları stated, noting the infringement on local democracy.
Addressing Mr. Abdullah Öcalan's continued isolation in İmralı Prison, she remarked, “This situation contravenes both the international conventions that Turkey has ratified and its own constitution,” adding that the European Committee for the Prevention of Torture had previously visited İmralı and produced a report that remains unpublished.
Human rights violations in Turkey’s prisons were a significant topic of discussion, alongside the issue of violence against women, particularly following Turkey’s withdrawal from the Istanbul Convention.
Finally, Hatimoğulları stressed the need for a global push for peace, particularly in the Middle East, urging collaboration to establish a peace process with democratic forces playing a crucial role.
5 October 2024