Turkey has taken no concrete steps for 12 years regarding the European Court of Human Rights’ (ECHR) 2014 ruling on the “right to hope” concerning Kurdish People’s Leader Abdullah Öcalan. Having placed the issue on its agenda in September 2025, the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe gave Turkey until the end of June to adopt measures addressing the violation judgments.

 

Numerous legal organizations have submitted notifications to the Committee, calling on it to once again place the “right to hope” on the agenda of its June 9–11 meeting. The organizations, which have now submitted a fourth notification to the Committee, requested that a “roadmap of sanctions” be prepared if Turkey continues to fail to implement the violation judgments.

 

 

Mehmet Öner, a member of the executive board of the Lawyers for Freedom Association (ÖHD), one of the organizations that submitted the notification, referred to the period since Abdullah Öcalan’s Call for Peace and a Democratic Society. He stated that similar processes had occurred in the past, but that the current one has been shaped by bolder steps.

 

Öner said that the Kurdish Freedom Movement responded strongly to the call and that the Kurdish people are expecting corresponding steps in return. However, he noted that the state continues to avoid taking action through various pretexts. He added that even the current atmosphere of non-conflict demonstrates the potential for major future gains and therefore requires concrete steps.

 

Stating that the “right to hope” has been discussed by themselves, Turkey and the international community since 2014, Öner said that the ECHR has continuously issued violation judgments concerning aggravated life sentences. Although they had requested information from the Ministry of Justice regarding the growing number of such cases, they had not received a response, he added, noting that they nevertheless possess approximate data through the cases they are following.

 

‘THE COMMITTEE MUST DRAW UP A ROADMAP OF SANCTIONS’

 

Öner stated that the ECHR’s violation judgments fall within the scope of violations of the right to life. Noting that they have been applying to the Committee of Ministers regarding the “right to hope” since 2021, he said: “As a result of these applications, the Committee should place the issue on its agenda. Turkey has already been granted repeated deadlines to remedy this violation, and concerns have been expressed on numerous occasions. Beyond merely expressing concern, if Turkey is not going to remedy this violation, we demand that the Committee of Ministers draw up a roadmap of sanctions.”

 

‘RECOGNITION OF STATUS IS AN INEVITABLE PATH’

 

Emphasizing that the “right to hope” should be implemented independently of the ongoing process, Öner also called for immediate changes to the execution regime. Recalling that Turkey has not yet taken any steps in this direction, Öner argued that the government is approaching the process with electoral concerns in mind.

 

“Even if they hesitate to state it openly, if the process succeeds, recognition of Mr. Abdullah Öcalan’s status is an inevitable path” he said and added: “At present, Abdullah Öcalan is the only person capable of bringing the process to a successful conclusion. Therefore, since the process is being conducted by two sides, both sides must have equal conditions. There are tens of thousands of PKK members. Some are in prison, while others are in Europe and South Kurdistan. These cadres need to participate actively in politics for the process to move forward, and they must be given that opportunity. This framework law, which has already been delayed, must be of a nature that grants such opportunities to people.”