Court seals decision on detentions

ANKARA

A decision by the Turkish Constitutional Court stating that lengthy pre-trial detentions were “unconstitutional,” in response to four individual applications, has been finalized by being published in the official gazette yesterday, including the justified decisions.

The decision, announced late July 2, is expected to impact the course of key trials in Turkey such as the “Balyoz” (Sledgehammer) coup plot case; the Ergenekon coup plot case; cases against suspected members of the outlawed Kurdistan Communities Union (KCK), the alleged urban wing of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK); and a case against those involved in a harsh army-led campaign that forced the resignation of the government in June 1997, in an event known as the “Feb. 28 process.”

Furthermore, it will help harmonize Turkish law with verdicts from the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR).

While the court ruled on four cases, it rejected an application from a defendant over lack of territorial jurisdiction due to the timing of the applicant’s arrest as part of the Balyoz case. The court ruled that the application was submitted before the Constitutional Court started admitting applications on Sept. 23, 2012.