Erdogan on Sahin Verdict: Double Standard

Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan yesterday alluded that European Court of Human Rights' (ECHR) decision in Leyla Sahin's headscarf case is political and amounts to a double standard.

Erdogan evaluated the ECHR's decision and reacted to those who identify the verdict with the EU struggle. "I have a case in ECHR. It has been 4 years since I applied to the court. The case has not come before them yet.

"But the case of the person in Imrali came in front of them instantly and they decided stay execution. When I said this to the human rights activists in the European Parliamentary, one of them said, 'I was not a parliamentarian at that time. I appoligize right now.' Upon that I said, 'But this simple excuse is not enough. Do you defend that? I will belive your sincerity when you defend it.'" (YE)