European Council Doesn't Respect Turkish Courts, President Erdoan: Nor Will We Respect Them

Presiden Turki Recep Tayyip Erdogan. (Wikimedia Commons/Kremlin.ru/Russian Presidential Executive Office)

JAKARTA - Turkey will not respect the European Council if it does not respect Turkish courts, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on Thursday, when asked about the decision to refer the case against Osman Kavala back to Europe's top court.

Kavala, one of Turkey's most notorious detainees, has been held for more than four years without sentence.

The European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) ruled more than two years ago that Kavala should be released immediately and said his detention had silenced him. However, Turkey has not implemented the decision.

The council said on Thursday its committee had referred the case to the ECHR to determine whether Turkey had failed to fulfill its obligations regarding the implementation of the court's decision in accordance with the European Convention on Human Rights.

Referral to the ECHR is the next step in the breach process, which could result in Turkey's suspension from the Council of Europe, even though it was a founding member.

"The committee finds, by failing to ensure Kavala's immediate release, Turkey refuses to comply with the Court's final decision in its case," it said in a statement.

At a news conference, President Erdogan said Turkey would not admit those who did not recognize its trial.

"What the ECHR said, what the Council of Europe said, this doesn't really concern us, because we expect our courts to be respected," he said.

"To those who do not show this respect, forgive us, but we will also not respect them," said President Erdogan.

The Foreign Ministry said on Wednesday, Turkey had implemented the ECHR ruling with Kavala being detained for a different judicial process.

To note, Kavala was acquitted in 2020 of charges related to the 2013 national protests. Hours later, another court ordered his detention on charges of trying to overthrow the constitutional order, linked to the 2016 coup attempt, which the ECHR also says has no basis.

The court later ruled to acquit him of the charges, but ordered his detention on espionage charges in the same case, a move that critics said was aimed at evading the ECHR ruling.