Europe's top rights court 'not fair' in decisions: Turkish president

By Diyar Guldogan

ANKARA (AA) - The Turkish president on Thursday criticized the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) for not taking "fair" decisions about Türkiye.

"The ECHR is not fair in its decisions, but political. When it comes to Türkiye, it makes politically driven decisions..." Recep Tayyip Erdogan said at a ceremony in the capital Ankara marking the opening of the new judicial year.

Important reforms, he said, have been made to strengthen the rule of law in Türkiye in the past 20 years.

"Such topics as people's rights and freedoms, women's rights, children's rights, and improving our justice system have been the most important elements of our reforms," the president explained.

Speaking at the same event, Mehmet Akarca, president of the Turkish Court of Cassation, said the Turkish judiciary is "sensitive" to the fundamental rights and freedoms protected by the European Convention on Human Rights and the Turkish Constitution.

Previously, Turkish Justice Minister Bekir Bozdag said Türkiye expects the European Council and EU institutions to have a "fair and impartial" approach to the country as part of legal cooperation.

Türkiye has the highest compliance rate with the ECHR decisions compared to other countries, Bozdag said, adding: "The total compliance rate of the countries that have committed to comply with the ECHR decisions is 80.14%, while Türkiye has a rate of 87.90%. We have complied and implemented the decisions of the ECHR."