Erdoğan vs. the Council of Europe

President Recep Tayyip Erdogan of Turkey has been involved in several disputes with the Council of Europe. Here are some of the reasons why:

– **Disregard for the court’s judgments**: Erdogan increasingly views the court as an annoyance whose judgments can be disregarded[1]. He has also said that Turkey will not respect the Council of Europe if it does not respect Turkish courts[2].

– **Failure to implement court’s judgment**: The Council of Europe referred a case to the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) to determine whether Turkey has failed to meet its obligation to implement the court’s judgment in line with the European Convention on Human Rights. Erdogan dismissed the ECHR decision and the Council of Europe’s initiation of disciplinary action against Turkey[4].

– **Autocratic powers**: Erdogan seeks to transform Turkey from a parliamentary system to an executive presidency, which would give him autocratic powers. The Council of Europe condemned this move as excessive[3].

– **Discomfort with Turkey’s Western vocation**: Erdogan is uncomfortable with Turkey’s longstanding Western vocation, symbolized by its membership in NATO as well as in the Council of Europe. These values and institutions are an impediment to his one-man rule as well as his ideological goal[4].

– **Violation of human rights and democratic safeguards**: Erdogan’s government is dismantling human rights protections and democratic norms in Turkey on a scale. He is targeting any institution or part of society that stands in the way of his wide-ranging effort to reshape Turkey’s society[6].

Citations:
[1] https://www.economist.com/europe/2023/10/03/turkeys-president-picks-a-fight-with-the-council-of-europe
[2] https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/turkeys-erdogan-says-will-not-respect-council-europe-after-kavala-move-2022-02-03/
[3] https://www.theguardian.com/world/2017/mar/14/erdogan-turkey-referendum-diplomatic-row
[4] https://www.brookings.edu/articles/erdogans-problem-is-not-with-sweden-and-finland-but-with-turkeys-western-vocation/
[5] https://www.politico.eu/article/turkey-why-the-eu-loves-recep-tayyip-erdogan-elections/
[6] https://www.hrw.org/news/2021/03/24/turkey-erdogans-onslaught-rights-and-democracy