31/01/2023 Monitoring
In a declassified information note, the co-rapporteurs of the Monitoring Committee for Türkiye, John Howell (United Kingdom, EC/AD) and Boriss Cilevičs (Latvia, SOC), confirmed their readiness to continue a constructive dialogue with the Turkish authorities following their visit to the country and their meeting, on 13 January 2023 at Marmara prison, with Osman Kavala, who has been detained since 2017 despite two judgments of the European Court of Human Rights.
Recalling the ongoing judicial proceedings in Türkiye and the infringement procedure launched in February 2022 by the Committee of Ministers, the rapporteurs called on Türkiye to take the necessary steps to implement the Strasbourg Court's judgments. They again underlined that the resolution of Mr Kavala's case lies in the hands of the Turkish judiciary, adding that “Mr Kavala's conviction is not final. He is still presumed innocent under Turkish law; his release can and should take place without delay.”
“We hope that the resolution of Mr Kavala's case and his release will also pave the way for a legal solution to the cases of his co-defendants, but also to many other cases where rights violations have been found,” Mr Howell and Mr Cilevičs added.