Thousands Participate in Strasbourg Demonstration Demanding Enforcement of ECtHR Judgments on Turkey

Approximately 4,500 to 5,000 individuals gathered in front of the Council of Europe and the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) to participate in a peaceful demonstration organized under the title “Justice for Everyone.” The event, now in its fourth consecutive year, was organized by the Peaceful Actions Platform and aimed to draw attention to ongoing human rights violations in Turkey and the country’s persistent non-compliance with ECtHR rulings.

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Protesters called for the immediate enforcement of legally binding ECtHR judgments, particularly in politically significant cases such as those of Osman Kavala, Selahattin Demirtaş, Can Atalay, Yüksel Yalçınkaya and Ekrem İmamoğlu. Demonstrators emphasized that the continued disregard for these decisions constitutes a breach of the European Convention on Human Rights and undermines the credibility of the Council of Europe.

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Participants Include Victims of the Post-2016 Crackdown and Their Families

The majority of participants consisted of individuals who were dismissed from public service, subjected to politically motivated investigations or detentions, or forced to leave Turkey following the government purges that began after the failed coup attempt in 2016. The event also drew support from human rights activists and European officials.

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Speeches during the demonstration included testimonies from families of individuals who died in prison or experienced severe rights violations:

• Sevda Güven, widow of a teacher who died in custody, cited psychological torture and prolonged detention as contributing factors to her husband’s death.

• Nurten Ateş spoke about her husband, who died from COVID-19 in prison after being denied medical care.

• Harun Ataç shared how his young son was denied access to life-saving treatment abroad due to Ataç’s dismissal from public service by emergency decree.​