PRESS RELEASE OF THE TURKISH PENAL CODE WOMEN’S PLATFORM
  
The latest ruling of the European Human Rights Court has sentenced Turkey on the ground that it proved profoundly inefficient to provide against both domestic violence and discrimination against women. In order to make sure that this would be the last ruling against Turkey;
 
We URGE all authorities, political parties, nongovernmental organizations, the public and all media institutions TO TAKE ACTION in order to realize the urgent and indispensable political will to FINALLY ensure actual gender equality, to plan and implement all necessary measures and mechanisms and call the government to duty.
 
We’ve been saying this for years; finally EHRC has also confirmed it:
 
For many years in Turkey
 
-         Violence against women has remained unpunished
-         It’s perpetrators have been almost granted impunity
-         The state and the authorities have been negligent in protecting the victims
-         The discriminatory judicial passivity in Turkey has created a climate that is conducive to violence against women.
 
These facts have once again been revealed with the EHRC decision.
 
The unanimous decision of the European Human Rights Court, which constitutes a precedent case for the 47 member states of the European Council, states the following:
 
-         Because of the responsibility imposed by the international legal principal “due diligence”, it’s the PRIMARY DUTY of the STATE to protect all women from violence whether there is a complaint or not; prosecute and punish perpetrators of such crimes; provide all the assistance (psychological, legal, medical etc) needed for such women as well as ensure all means to redress grievances and compensate non-pecuniary and pecuniary damages.
 
-         All the legal reforms in Turkey have (so far) been insufficient to realize gender equality. The political authority in Turkey seems to be reluctant, indecisive and inconsiderate to implement actual gender equality, causing a delay in the execution of all positive amendments in relevant regulations and leaving their implementation to arbitrary practices of public officers.
 
We call the government to urgently take action to improve the implementation of legal reforms, to adopt necessary measures to ensure the realization of (women’s) rights, to complete and improve all regulations so that women will be treated as equal citizens in all aspects of life and to mobilize all resources to achieve this!

To read the judgement summary please click below:
http://cmiskp.echr.coe.int/tkp197/view.asp?item=1&portal=hbkm&action=html&highlight=33401/02&sessionid=24880719&skin=hudoc-pr-en

To read the judgement summary in French please click below:
http://cmiskp.echr.coe.int/tkp197/view.asp?item=2&portal=hbkm&action=html&highlight=33401/02&sessionid=24880719&skin=hudoc-pr-en

PRESS COVERAGE OF WWHR-NEW WAYS′ REACTION TO THE RULING:

Rights groups say Opuz’s children urgently need protection
(Today′s Zaman, 23 June 2009)
http://www.todayszaman.com/tz-web/detaylar.do?load=detay&link=178796
Women’s groups urge mobilization on gender equality
(Today′s Zaman, 12 Haziran 2009)
http://www.todayszaman.com/tz-web/detaylar.do?load=detay&link=177819
ECHR Decree Forces Turkey to Protect Women
(Bianet News, 11 June 2009)
http://bianet.org/english/gender/115126-echr-decree-forces-turkey-to-protect-women
Woman still threatened by husband despite European court′s landmark ruling
(Today′s Zaman, 11 June 2009)
http://www.todayszaman.com/tz-web/detaylar.do?load=detay&link=177751
EU: Mehr Schutz für türkische Frauen
(Nurnberger Nachrichten, 10 June 2009)
http://www.nn-online.de/artikel.asp?art=1032780&kat=3
Türkei wegen Gewalt gegen Frauen am Pranger
(NETZEITUNG, 10 June 2009)
http://www.netzeitung.de/politik/ausland/1377359.html
European court ruling against domestic violence welcomed in Turkey
(Earth Times, 10 June 2009)
http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/272570,european-court-ruling-against-domestic-violence-welcomed-in-turkey.html
Rights court censures Turkey over attitude to domestic violence
(The Irish Times, 10 June 2009)
http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/world/2009/0610/1224248534629.html
Turkey breached human rights by not protecting wife
(The Independent, 10 June 2009)
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/turkey-breached-human-rights-by-not-protecting-wife-1701107.html
Court: Turkey failed to protect woman in domestic abuse case
(CNN, 9 June 2009)
http://www.cnn.com/2009/WORLD/europe/06/09/turkey.women.ruling/index.html?iref=24hours
Turkey to Pay Damages for Violating the Right to Life by Failing to Prevent Domestic Violence
(Impunity Watch Europe, 9 June 2009)
http://www.impunitywatch.com/impunity_watch_europe/2009/06/by-nima-nayebiimpunity-watch-reporter-europestrasbourg-france---in--its-first-ruling-against-a-country-for-failing-to-p.html