Turkey reduced number of ECHR violations in 2019, minister says

Turkey saw a decline in the number of rights violations cases taken to the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) in 2019, as the number of times the Strasbourg-based court ruled that Turkey violated rights dropped to record low levels, according to the country's justice minister.

According to the figures Abdulhamit Gül provided, the ECHR's rights violations rulings against Turkey decreased to 96 from 140 in 2019, in comparison with the previous year.

"These figures decreased from 53 to 15 regarding [the right to a] free trial, from 29 to nine on [the right to] freedoms and security - including arrests - and was reduced from 11 to two concerning the right to freedom of association and assembly," Gül said.

The minister's remarks came during a meeting with the Ankara bureau chiefs of media outlets, where he made a judicial assessment of 2019.

Gül also said that in 2019, some 732 cases concerning Turkey have been finalized.

The number of pending cases against Turkey decreased to 680, a record low level in the country's history, he added.

A former report by the Justice Ministry showed that Turkey in 2018 ranked second in human rights violations, followed by Russia, which had a total of 238 rulings on rights violations.

'2019, a year of reform for Turkey'

According to the minister, 2019 was a year that saw the initiation of many reforms in Turkey.

"Last year we took really important reformist steps in our judicial system. We actualized many changes in which our citizens' access to justice and right to a free trial at a reasonable time will be strengthened," he said.

Gül also added that Turkey realized such reforms thanks to its Justice Reform Strategy Document.

The Turkish...