ACHRS Statement: Egyptian National Security Agency’s arbitrary detentions
On November 23, Turkey was condemned by the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) for arbitrarily detaining 427 judges on suspicion of belonging to the Fethullah Gülen terrorist organization. Amman Center for Human Rights Studies condemns arbitrary detention and urges the Turkish authorities to provide fair trials to its citizens and especially to the judiciary. ACHRS calls on Turkey to respect the European Convention on Human Rights to which it is a signatory. ACHRS also calls on Turkey to respect the decisions of the court and to absolve itself from the sanctions of the court.
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On November 23, Turkey was condemned by the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) for arbitrarily detaining 427 judges on suspicion of belonging to the Fethullah Gülen terrorist organization, or FETO. FETO is accused by Ankara of having supervised the attempted putsch in 2016. According to the ECHR, these detentions were not decided “in accordance with a procedure provided by law” and were not “strictly required by the exigencies of the situation.”
ECHR recalled that “the requirements of legal certainty” are even more important when it comes to violations of the independence of the judiciary, given the importance of the judiciary in a democratic state. The court ordered Ankara to pay 5,000 euros to each of the parties concerned for moral damages.
After the failed coup of July 15, 2016, tens of thousands of people had been arrested, in unprecedented purges against alleged supporters of Fethullah Gülen. On this occasion, a decree led to the dismissal of 2,847 judges, suspected of belonging to FETO. These dismissals are “incompatible with the principle of impartiality,” ECHR recalls. In the following months, 1,393 other magistrates were dismissed, according to the Court.
Seven European judges unanimously considered that Ankara had violated the right to freedom of these judges, guaranteed by the European Convention on Human Rights ratified by the 47 member states of the Council of Europe, including Turkey since 1954.
Indeed, Arbitrary detention is a violation of the right to liberty. Article 9 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights states that “No one shall be arbitrarily arrested, detained or exiled.” The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights states “To avoid being classified as arbitrary, a detention must be appropriate, predictable, proportional, necessary – and based on justice.”
Amman Center for Human Rights Studies condemns arbitrary detention and urges the Turkish authorities to provide fair trials to its citizens and especially to the judiciary. ACHRS calls on Turkey to respect the European Convention on Human Rights to which it is a signatory. ACHRS also calls on Turkey to respect the decisions of the European Court of Human Rights and to absolve itself from the sanctions of the court.
Image Source: ANSA Med
