STRASBOURG, France,— The European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) has rejected a petition for a temporary injunction on frequent days-long curfews that the Turkish government has enforced in southeastern Kurdish towns since late July 2015.
The petition lodged against Turkey by Diyarbakir Bar lawyer Neşet Girasun and Batman Bar lawyer Erkan Şenses in the name of five individuals who live in areas such as the Cizre district of Şırnak province and the Sur district of Diyarbakır province in Turkish Kurdistan — some of the areas most affected by curfews — requested the court for a temporary injunction against the curfews.
The court ruled that the data at hand was not enough for the court to render a decision regarding the curfews but noted that a new petition may be filed by the applicants should the situation change, according to a press statement by the lawyers.
The Ministry of Justice sent a defense statement to the court regarding the curfews on Jan. 8. Turkish media reported on Tuesday that the court decision noted that even though the situation in which the applicants found themselves is dire, the court trusts that the Turkish authorities will provide the necessary care and assistance to the applicants should they request it.
Last Tuesday the ECtHR court condemned Turkey for dissolving a moderate pro-Kurdish political party in 2009 for alleged ties to PKK rebels, saying the party did not promote violence nor warrant such a severe sanction.
The judges ruled that Turkey had violated the right to freedom of assembly and association by ordering the dissolution of the Party for a Democratic Society (DTP), part of the pro-Kurdish left-wing movement, which lost its seats in parliament, the European Court for Human Rights (ECHR) said in a statement.
Violence has escalated sharply since a cease-fire between the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) and Turkish security forces came to an end in July.
Since the settlement process ended, curfews have been imposed in 17 southeastern Kurdish districts, and nearly 200,000 residents have been forced to leave their homes due to fighting and curfews.
The PKK took up arms in 1984 against the Turkish state, which still denies the constitutional existence of Kurds, to push for greater autonomy for the Kurdish minority who make up around 22.5 million of the country’s 78-million population, in Turkish Kurdistan. The conflict has left tens of thousands dead.
Copyright ©, respective author or news agency, cihan.com.tr | Ekurd.net
Related posts:
What makes a good NATO ally? The Case of Turkey
Business with ISIS – Updated
Turkey’s AKP reportedly considers house arrest for jailed PKK leader: daily
Kurdish protest for Abdullah Ocalan disrupts European Parliament
HRW: Displaced Arabs in Iraqi Kurdistan, cordoned off, detained
Human rights groups call on Turkey to free top Kurdish politician Selahattin Demirtas after European court ruling
The US should stop deferring to Turkey on the PKK
Cultural and Physical Genocide: The Kurdish Case in Turkey
