In recent years, human rights violations have increasingly been reported in Turkey. Various international bodies and courts have confirmed this, sometimes even in very sharp terms. That is why we have taken the initiative to set up a “Turkey Tribunal.”

Judicial independence and Access to Justice

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Judical Independence and Access to Justice

This report aims to provide an answer to the key questions addressed to the Turkey Tribunal about Judical independence and access to justice.
Judical Independence and Access to Justice

These questions are:

  • 01

    Can we evaluate the judiciary system of Turkey as corresponding to internationally protected standards of independence and impartiality?

  • 02

    Can we evaluate the judicial system of Turkey as ensuring full access to justice and effective judicial protection in case of human rights violations?

The Turkey Tribunal (The Tribunal) is an Opinion Tribunal. It is neither a regular court subject to a State’s judicial system, nor a court established by a Treaty or an international organisation. It is a Tribunal established by civil society and serves as an instrument and platform to give recognition, visibility and a voice to people who allegedly suffer(ed) violations of their fundamental rights.
TurkeyTribunal 2021 Rapporteur

Intervention of the Rapporteur - Luca Perilli

Turkey Tribunal
The Witnesses

The Witnesses

Witnesses described their experiences with full clarity.

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The Ruin of Rule of Law in Turkey

Since July 2016, the 96-year old Republic of Turkey, under the rule of its President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan1 , has gained the fame of a Country where fundamental rights and liberties are trampled: in the last five years, more than 300 journalists, party co-chairs and tens of elected mayors of HDP (the pro-Kurdish People’s Democratic Party), thousands of judges, prosecutors and lawyers, the head of the dissolved association of judges (YARSAV) and President of Progressive Lawyers Association (ÇHD) as well as more than 263,000, including academicians, writers and free minds, have been detained upon the allegation of terrorism-related charges.
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The Turkey Tribunal (The Tribunal) is an Opinion Tribunal. It is neither a regular court subject to a State’s judicial system, nor a court established by a Treaty or an international organisation. It is a Tribunal established by civil society and serves as an instrument and platform to give recognition, visibility and a voice to people who allegedly suffer(ed) violations of their fundamental rights.

* Please note that all Turkey Tribunal steering committee members, judges, rapporteurs, witnesses participate in Turkey Tribunal on voluntary basis, and no one of them will be paid for their contributions to the tribunal. All the proceeds raised through our fundraising will go to logistics, accommodation, venue for the tribunal and such costs during the tribunal hearings in Geneva in September 2021. Following the hearings in Geneva, the remaining funds will be directed to the financing of International Criminal Court application by our team of experts.