The 47 member states of the Council of Europe have reaffirmed their support for the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR) and given their backing to a series of measures to improve the implementation of judgments from the Strasbourg court.
Government representatives unanimously adopted the Brussels Declaration, together with an accompanying action plan, at the end of a two-day conference held in the Belgian capital, as part of the country’s chairmanship of the Council of Europe.
However, it turned out that Turkey didn’t implement 1,241 ECHR ruling out of 2,400 verdicts. Turkey ranked as the second country to do so after Italy.
Dink case and others
Among the rulings that have not been implemented by Turkey included the case of Hrant Dink, an Armenian journalist who was murdered in 2007 and whose murder case gave a sense of impunity as many claimed that those responsible haven’t been found.
Other cases include the verdicts related to the removal religion in identity cards, compulsory religion classes as well as property issues in Northern Cyprus.
Jagland: we have shared responsibility
The Secretary General of the Council of Europe, Thorbjørn Jagland, said: “Europe has the best system of international human rights protection anywhere in the world, which is something we can all be proud of.
“The Council of Europe, the court and the member states have a shared responsibility for making sure that the system works effectively and continues to protect some 820 million people across the continent.”(EÖ/BM)
* Click here to read the article in Turkish.
