The latest meeting of members of the KHRP legal team at London’s Brick Court Chambers on 17 June featured a discussion of the complexities surrounding extra-territorial jurisdiction, an issue which has been brought into particular focus in recent months amid a series of cross-border operations by Turkish forces in Northern Iraq.

Keir Starmer QC, a member of KHRP’s legal team, gave a presentation on the theme ‘Pushing the Boundaries of Extra-Territorial Jurisdiction’. Recent cases at the European Court of Human Rights have established that the Court has jurisdiction over state agents operating outside a state’s territory under certain circumstances, in particular when the state in question has ‘effective control’ over the area in which its agents are operating. But despite this recognition of extra-territorial jurisdiction in principle, in practice it remains challenging for applicants to prove that the necessary conditions apply.

In addition to Starmer’s presentation, the meeting featured opening remarks by KHRP Chairman Mark Muller QC and an overview of the organisation from Deputy Director Rachel Bernu. Legal Director Catriona Vine and Executive Director Kerim Yıldız spoke about the recent and upcoming work of the legal team and the legal department.

To read a recent article in the Guardian newspaper about cases filed by KHRP before the European Court of Human Rights concerning cross-border operations by the Turkish military in northern Iraq, click here