The Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe placed the issue of the “right to hope” for Abdullah Öcalan on its agenda during its meeting on 15–17 September 2025 and gave Turkey time until June to implement the decision on the “right to hope.”
Lawyers from the Asrın Law Office submitted a petition to the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe regarding Öcalan’s “right to hope.”
The petition included the following points:
– The government has taken no steps so far in line with the ruling of the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) in the Öcalan case No. 2 (concerning Article 3 of the ECHR and the right to hope for prisoners sentenced to aggravated life imprisonment). Therefore, we propose that this recommendation be addressed at the 1537th meeting of your committee. The warning signal prepared for Turkey should be revised and announced to the public.
– Despite more than 12 years having passed, no steps have been taken regarding general measures. Therefore, under Article 46/4 of the Convention (if a state party to the European Convention on Human Rights fails to comply with the Convention, the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe may initiate an infringement procedure to determine whether a violation has occurred), an infringement procedure should be initiated.
– The Turkish government should apply release laws according to the principles stated in the decisions of the European Court of Human Rights, without any discrimination in Turkish law based on the crimes concerned, and should amend laws that prevent this. The government should also be called upon to take action on this matter.
– The example concerning Turkey, known as the Gurban Group, should be strengthened and maintained within the framework of the procedure.
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