The regional meeting on the execution of violation judgments of the Constitutional Court and the elimination of the consequences of the violations found was held in İstanbul on 14 February 2022, within the scope of the Project Supporting the Effective Implementation of the Constitutional Court Judgments in the field of Fundamental Rights, which is supported by the Council of Europe. Among those attending the meeting were President of the Constitutional Court Mr. Zühtü Arslan, Head of Programme Office in Ankara (Council of Europe) Mr. Cristian Urse, Vice President of the Council of Judges and Prosecutors Mr. Mehmet Akif Ekinci, İstanbul Chief Public Prosecutor Mr. Şaban Yılmaz and Chief Judge of the İstanbul Regional Court of Appeal Mr. Murat Boylu.

In his opening remarks, President Arslan, pointing to the protection of fundamental rights and freedoms as the main priority for all societies, stated that the primary objective was to ensure the effective implementation of individual application mechanism and to prevent further violations.

President Arslan also noted that the well-functioning of this mechanism, as an effective remedy, was dependent not only on the Constitutional Court’s endeavours but also on the responsiveness of the legislature, the executive, the judicial bodies and the administrative authorities in this sense as well as the realisation of erga omnes effect of individual application by these bodies.

Emphasising that individual application mechanism was actually a significant acquisition for Turkey for the protection and maintenance of legal system, rights and freedoms, President Arslan stated that it was among the most important institutions placed at the disposal of the society; however, it was incumbent on all of us to secure its continuous availability and maintenance as an effective and well-functioning remedy.

President Arslan further expressed his belief that such meetings and mutual dialogues would contribute to the future operation of individual application mechanism in a more thriving manner.