Turkey May Reconsider European Court Obligations After Kavala Ruling

A senior advisor to Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has suggested that Turkey could review its membership in the European Convention on Human Rights and the right of individuals to appeal to the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR). Mehmet Uçum, the presidential chief advisor, made the remarks in response to the ECHR’s ruling on Osman Kavala, a jailed civil society activist. In a written statement titled “The ECHR should know its limits,” Uçum argued that the court’s decisions are not “absolutely binding” on Turkey in terms of their substance. He also claimed that the ECHR has been making rulings against Turkey based on “political calculations.” The statement signals a potential shift in Turkey’s stance toward the Strasbourg-based court, which has repeatedly called for Kavala’s release. Turkey has so far refused to comply with the court’s rulings in his case.