In a jointly signed letter sent to Ian Borg, Chairman of the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe (CoE), Turkey was criticized for failing to implement the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) rulings on the “Right to Hope.” Signatories representing trade unions and organizations from Basque Country, Catalonia, Galicia, and various regions of Spain called on the Committee of Ministers to take urgent action regarding Turkey.
The letter drew attention to the European Court of Human Rights’ March 2014 ruling in Abdullah Öcalan v. Turkey (No. 2) case, in which the court found that life sentences without the possibility of parole violated Article 3 of the European Convention on Human Rights, and called on Turkey to undertake the necessary legal reforms.
Noting that Turkey had been given one year to implement the decisions during the September 2024 talks, the letter harshly criticized Ankara’s new action plan, which stated that prisoners serving aggravated life sentences, including Abdullah Öcalan, would not be granted the “Right to Hope.” The letter emphasized that this stance was contrary to the decisions of the European Court of Human Rights.
The signatories stated that Turkey, as a member of the Council of Europe and a candidate country for the EU, must fulfill its obligations, and called on the Committee of Ministers to take immediate action in line with the decisions taken at the September 2024 meeting.
The letter emphasized that the implementation of the “Right to Hope” is critical for the peace and democratization process in Turkey. Referring to Öcalan’s call for the dissolution of the PKK and disarmament on February 27, 2025, it noted that this step is important both for Turkey’s democratization and for a political solution to the Kurdish question.
Signatories:
OSTA–Aragón (Aragon Workers’ Union Organization)
LAB–País Vasco (Langile Abertzaleen Batzordeak) (Basque Country Patriotic Workers’ Committees)
Intersindical Solidària–Valencia (Valencia Solidarity Trade Union Confederation)
ELA–País Vasco (Eusko Langileen Alkartasuna) (Basque Workers’ Solidarity)
CUT–Aragón (Colectivo Unitario de Trabajadores) (Aragon United Workers’ Collective)
IAC–Catalunya (Intersindical Alternativa de Catalunya) (Catalonia Alternative Trade Union Confederation)
CSI–Asturias (Corriente Sindical de Izquierda) (Asturias Left Trade Union Movement)
CIG–Galicia (Confederación Intersindical Galega) (Galician Trade Union Confederation)
ESK–País Vasco (Euskal Sindikatua Konfederazioa) (Basque Country Trade Union Confederation)
CGT Burgos (General Confederation of Labor) (General Labor Confederation, Burgos Branch)
Colombia Humana – Madrid (Human Colombia – Madrid)
RAM (Rojava Azadi Madrid)
Confederación Intersindical (Confederation of Trade Unions)