On 5 May KHRP legal team member Jemima Stratford travelled to Yüksekova, Hakkari in south-east Turkey to deliver a one-day training seminar entitled “How to Bring a Claim before the European Court of Human Rights”. The training followed a request from the Hakkari Bar Association for KHRP to pass on its expertise in European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) litigation to local activists and practitioners. The diverse audience of over 30 was made up of lawyers, members of local government, journalists, trade union representatives and members of non-governmental organisations, including representatives of a women’s rights organisation. The Mayor of Yüksekova kindly arranged the venue for the seminar and welcomed the participants.

Participants expressed much interest in the training, engaging in enthusiastic discussions during the workshops and actively taking part in the question and answer sessions. While the seminar covered a variety of subjects, discussion focused particularly on questions of village destruction/evacuation and the ECtHR’s requirement of exhaustion of domestic remedies. Participants also discussed the excessive length of domestic and ECtHR proceedings; an especially acute problem given the pressure applicants face to accept inadequate compensation from the state for extra-judicial killings. Several participants expressed their frustration with the language requirements of the Court, adding that cases should be available on the Court’s website in Turkish. Participants also discussed specific cases, including that of one participant, a teacher, which is now pending before the Grand Chamber.

Given the good attendance and lively participation, the training washailed as a big success, and made an important contribution to KHRP’s aim of transferring its skills and expertise to the Kurdish regions.

Pictured: Jemima Stratford, Cihan Huroğlu (translator), Nevzat Anuk (Chair of Hakkari Bar)