Lawyer Hatice Yıldız: The European Court of Human Rights has issued 893 rulings finding violations against Türkiye

Attorney Hatice Yıldız announced on June 23, 2026, that the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) had found violations in 893 applications filed against Türkiye. According to the published judgments, the Court concluded that violations occurred under Article 6 of the European Convention on Human Rights, which protects the right to a fair hearing, and Article 7, which safeguards the principle of legality in criminal law.

According to information shared by Yıldız, the ECHR reviewed the applications through three distinct case groups. In Kılıçarslan and Others v. Türkiye, the Court found violations of both Articles 6 and 7 for 595 applicants. In Çalı and Others v. Türkiye, it identified violations of Article 6 affecting 264 applicants. Meanwhile, in Dönmez and Others v. Türkiye, the Court ruled that Article 7 had been violated in relation to 34 applicants.

Findings Related to Article 6

The Article 6 rulings focused on the right to a fair trial. The Court assessed issues surrounding the collection, handling, and presentation of ByLock-related evidence during criminal proceedings. It also examined whether defendants were given a meaningful opportunity to challenge that evidence and whether domestic courts provided sufficient reasoning in their judgments.

Additional scrutiny was directed at procedural safeguards, access to evidence, and the ability of defense lawyers to effectively contest the prosecution’s claims.

Findings Related to Article 7

The Article 7 judgments concerned the principle that criminal liability must be based on laws that were clear and foreseeable at the time of the alleged conduct. The Court evaluated cases in which activities that were lawful when performed later became central elements of criminal prosecutions.

Among the issues examined were banking transactions involving Bank Asya, enrollment of children in specific educational institutions, and membership in legally operating associations or trade unions. The Court reviewed whether such activities could lawfully be treated as evidence of criminal responsibility under the Convention.

Combined Violations in 595 Applications

The largest group of cases, Kılıçarslan and Others v. Türkiye, resulted in findings that both the right to a fair trial and the principle of legality had been violated. The ECHR emphasized the necessity of demonstrating individual criminal responsibility through concrete and individualized evidence rather than relying solely on generalized assumptions.

In reaching its conclusions, the Court referred to principles established in earlier judgments, including Yüksel Yalçınkaya v. Türkiye and Şaban Yasak v. Türkiye.

Reopening of Domestic Proceedings

The ECHR did not award non-pecuniary damages in these cases. Instead, it indicated that reopening domestic judicial proceedings could constitute an appropriate means of remedying the identified violations.

The 893 violation rulings issued on June 23, 2026, represent one of the most extensive groups of ECHR decisions concerning applications from Türkiye in recent years and are expected to be closely examined by legal professionals and judicial authorities.