The right to peaceful assembly in Turkey: the Oya Ataman case

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The right to peaceful assembly in Turkey: the Oya Ataman case

On 22 April 2000, Oya Ataman took to Sultanahmet Square,Istanbul, in protest against prison conditions in Turkey.  Despite posing no threat to public order, Turkish authorities subjected Oya and several of her colleagues to arbitrary arrest and repelled them with pepper spray, a nerve agent capable of causing respiratory problems, nausea, vomiting and spasms.

In December 2006, The European Court found a violation of article 11 of the European Convention of Human Rights, protecting the right to peaceful assembly.

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Failure to investigate alleged ill-treatment by police officials in Croatia: the Durdevic case

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Failure to investigate alleged ill-treatment by police officials in Croatia: the Durdevic case

On 16th June 2009, Danijel Đurđević—alongside his mother Katica Đurđević—were brutally beaten. They alleged that the attack had been carried out by Croatian police.

In its judgment, the European Court of Human Rights ruled that the state had failed in its duty to carry out an investigation into allegations of ill-treatment by state officials. The state attorney general had lacked both transparency and independence.

The allegation of police ill-treatment has still never been properly investigated - along with three other similar cases, where violations were found by the European Court.

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Government surveillance in Romania: the case of whistle-blower Constantin Bucur

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At a press conference in May 1996, Constantin Bucur publicly revealed allegations that the Romania authorities had been illicitly intercepting the phone calls of journalists, politicians and members of civil society. He was sentenced to two years’ imprisonment. After the European Court of Human Rights ruled in his favour and found a lack of protections against unjustified government surveillance, citizens still wait for effective reforms.

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Georgiy Gongadze and freedom of expression in Ukraine

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Georgiy Gongadze and freedom of expression in Ukraine

Georgiy Gongadze—a journalist and longtime critic of human rights practices in Ukraine—was kidnapped and brutally murdered in 2000. The European Court of Human Rights found that the authorities had failed to take seriously the numerous threats that Georgiy had encountered in the run up to his death. The case remains unimplemented, because journalists in Ukraine continue to be threatened and assaulted on a regular basis - and the Gongadze case has never been properly investigated. EIN member the Ukrainian Helsinki Human Rights Union advocates for the full implementation of the case, through the establishment of proper protections of all journalists.

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Peaceful assembly in Ukraine: the Vyerentsov case

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Peaceful assembly in Ukraine: the Vyerentsov case

In October 2010, Oleksiy Vyerentsov was arrested and sentenced to three days administrative detention. His crime: organising a peaceful demonstration in protest against corruption in the Ukrainian prosecution service. Left with inadequate time to prepare his defence, and deprived of the opportunity to consult with a lawyer, Oleksiy decided to lodge a complaint with the European Court of Human Rights.

In its judgment, the Court found several violations of the European Convention including the right to peaceful assembly and the right to a fair trial.

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