NEWS CENTER - Amnesty International warned the Constitutional Court to consider the decisions of the ECtHR, warning that the HDP case's conclusion with a decision to close it would lead to "violation of rights".

 

Amnesty International has released a statement regarding the closure case against the Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP) in the Constitutional Court (AYM). Pointing out that HDP is the second largest opposition party in Turkey, the statement warned that the conclusion of the lawsuit against the party with a decision to close would “infringe the rights to freedom of expression and association”.

 

The statement said: "As the country prepares for the critical elections following the devastating earthquakes of February 6, the closure of the HDP and the imposition of political bans on hundreds of HDP members in the past clearly violate Turkey's international obligations."

 

Amnesty International pointed out that restrictions on the right to freedom of association can only be brought about by clear and accessible legislation and can only be justified if they serve one or more of the purposes permitted under international human rights law and are necessary and proportionate to that legitimate aim.

 

THE JUDICIARY GENERAL PROSECUTOR SHOULD WITHDRAW THE CASE

 

The statement said: "Amnesty International calls on the Turkish authorities to fulfill their obligations under international human rights law and to comply with the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR), its protocols and previous European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) judgments in order to ensure that these rights are duly protected. In particular, the Chief Public Prosecutor of the Court of Cassation should withdraw the lawsuit filed against the HDP with a request for closure, taking into account the previous decisions of the ECtHR in which Turkish authorities have found violations of the right to organize due to similar circumstances in which political parties have been closed in recent years."

 

The organization also urged the Constitutional Court to take into account the many binding decisions of the ECtHR in the past that are relevant to the present case.

 

The statement stated:"The Constitutional Court should ensure that the standards set by the ECtHR in its relevant decisions applicable to this case are followed in order to ensure that people in the country can exercise their rights to freedom of expression and association freely and safely without fear of reprisals."