The 2024 Winter Session of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE), is taking place in Strasbourg from 22 to 26 January.

One of the themes discussed was the allegation of systemic torture in places of detention in Europe. In a report by the same title – Allegations of systemic torture and inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment in places of detention in Europe – the following was stated in regard to Turkey: “The Assembly is also concerned about reports indicating that despite the “zero tolerance” message given by the authorities, there has been a rise in the use of torture and ill-treatment in police custody and prison over the past years, overshadowing Turkey’s earlier progress in this area. The Assembly welcomes recent decisions delivered by the Constitutional Court finding violations of the prohibition of ill-treatment and ordering new investigations into complaints and encourages other domestic courts to follow this case law.”

The report also wrote: “As regards the conditions of detention and isolation of Mr Öcalan, raised by NGOs before the Committee of Ministers in the context of the execution of the case of Öcalan (No. 2), the Committee of Ministers has noted that the Court is currently seized of a new application concerning his detention conditions, which are also being monitored by the CPT which holds regular visits to the İmralı Prison. I am particularly worried about the continuing detention of Mr Osman Kavala and Mr Selahattin Demirtaş despite clear judgments of the Court finding violations of the Convention and ordering their release. The Council of Europe should closely monitor their cases, including any possible risks of ill-treatment they might face while in detention.”

The resolution, adopted by the PACE general assembly, became official with the approval of 66 out of 67 parliamentarians.