Pierre-Henri Teitgen, one of the founding fathers of the ECHR (European Court of Human Rights), said in his famous speech to the PACE in 1949 when Europe was still recovering from the wounds of the Second World War, “No one can look many years into the future and claim their civilisation will not degenerate into totalitarianism and dictatorship and their country is free from such risks. This is why we must act first and create a consciousness and a conscience that will sound the alarm bells when the time arrives. And this special conscience can only be created through an exclusive European Supreme Court.”
Ten years after this speech, the ECHR was finally established in 1959. 47 Council of Europe members recognise the jurisdiction of the European Court of Human Rights, located in Strasbourg, France.
To move the ECHR, a petitioner must first seek their rights in their home country i.e., exhaust domestic judicial remedies. Thousands of volunteers living in Europe convened in Strasbourg on Friday 24 June,2022 to raise the voices of elderly people, pregnant women, babies, and all victims and the oppressed who are subjected to human rights violations, tortured, abducted, kidnapped, and incarcerated in prisons in Turkey, where domestic rule of law is in tatters, to the ECHR (European Court of Human Rights). The event was organised by 24 civil society organisations and the Peaceful Actions Platform with the hashtag #JusticeForALLinTurkey and the slogan “Justice for All or Justice Delayed is Not Justice”. With the participation of activists from different walks of life, messages of support from MPs from different countries and a concert by musician Suvari, colourful scenes were experienced.
To the ears of sadists, tyrants and dictators, the favourite music is the sigh and suffering of the oppressed. The oppressors derive pleasure from the agony of the oppressed and act harsher. What they dislike the most are the oppressed seeking their rights. Bent on oppression and destruction, dictators and their stooges go haywire when they see the motivation of the oppressed in claiming their rights. In Europe, the tortoise symbolises success through perseverance. During the event in Strasbourg, one demonstrator in a snail outfit was holding a placard with the slogan “ECHR, even I am faster than you”, highlighting the snail’s pace over the tortoise in slowness. Thousands called for justice with a resonant voice. Thousands seeking justice in Turkey sent messages of thanks and congratulations to the organising committee on social media.
The messages of support clearly emphasised the need for a march in quest of justice:
Costas Mavrides (Member of the European Parliament): ” There is a country in our region where being a journalist is such a dangerous profession that can end you up in prison. You can find yourself behind bars for being a pro-peace academic. In this country it suffices to be Kurdish, or more simply to be a supporter of democracy and justice, to be categorically accused of being a “terrorist” or a “traitor”. There is a country in our region where hundreds of thousands of public employees stand dismissed from their jobs without a fair trial. In this country, MPs are imprisoned, mayors are dismissed and replaced by the “pawns of the regime”. Also in this country, the judiciary has become an instrument to impose the political aspirations of the government. This is Turkey, a country ruled by a tyrannical regime and where people do not even have the hope of a fair trial. We cannot remain silent! Remaining silent is equal to being an accomplice to what is happening in Turkey and to all crimes against humanity! “
Canne Kanimba:” I am the daughter of Paul Rusesabagina. My father was kidnapped and tortured by the Rwandan dictatorship. He was accused of terrorism. Now he is illegitimately imprisoned and his voice is silenced because my father fights for democracy, justice, peace, human rights and the rule of law. He pays a price for his struggle. Nowadays, two million people in Turkey face similar, unjust accusations of ‘terrorism”. This is done to silence them and prevent them from speaking out loudly for the values we all stand for together, and I stand with you.”
Dietmar Köster (Member of the European Parliament): “The European Union must stand with all journalists, activists and organisations against injustice.”
Andrej Hunko (Member of the Council of Europe): “Hundreds of thousands of people have been convicted under the terrorism law in Turkey in recent years. This law is like a “chewing gum”, so much so you can imprison all opponents who criticise the government under this law.”
Marie Arena (Chairperson of the European Parliament Human Rights Committee): “The conditions in Turkey are massively upsetting. We visited Turkey with the Human Rights Committee (DROI) and met several members of civil society, judges, lawyers, and journalists. They all told us it was immensely tough to defend human rights there. The dismissal of thousands of judges and prosecutors by the authoritarian regime in Turkey, the imprisoned journalists, and especially political prisoners and the Kavala case worry us immensely.”
Legendary footballer Hakan Sukur: “I wish I could be with you in front of the ECHR building today. I love Turkey so much, but unfortunately, I cannot go back there. I have my indelible experiences and memories there. I miss my friends so much. There is no independent judiciary in Turkey, and without it, there is nothing to protect individuals against injustice. Ten years ago, because of objecting to the human rights violations of the current regime and for taking a stand in favour of law and justice, my family and I were targeted. I was stigmatized with black propaganda. My wife’s workplace was pelted with stones and my children were pestered. My work opportunities were usurped from me, false news was spread against me. Although there was no indictment or investigation against me, my entire assets were confiscated by the regime, like it did to several other people with opposing views. They put my beloved father in prison and made him suffer a great deal of torture despite his poor health. They even approached me with repulsive offers saying, “We will release your father once you return to Turkey”. They even arrested my lawyer whom I had authorised for legal matters. They are afraid to even mention my name on TV channels. Hundreds of thousands of people suffer the same what I went through.”
British MP Jeremy Corbyn took the stage to support the organisation and said, “Fundamental human rights must be protected wherever they are around the world. Those who challenge political tyranny must be supported.”
What Balzac says “Conscience is our unerring judge until we finally stifle it.”
