For the third year running, Turkey has had more violations of the European Convention of Human Rights than any other country.
ECHR: power to the people
Reforms are desperately needed by the European Court of Human Rights – the supra-national court for citizens in 47 countries, which belong to the Council of Europe.
Strategic Litigations Centre in several cases raised two problems related to prompt access to legal assistance.
The detention of a person who is ill may engage Article 3 (prohibition of inhuman or degrading treatment) of the Convention. Article 3 requires States to ensure that every prisoner is detained in conditions that are compatible with respect for human dignity.
Forced feeding and compulsory medical intervention
The Court has repeatedly held that the right of any person charged with a criminal offence to be effectively defended by a lawyer is a fundamental element of a fair trial.
The growing number of complaints lodged every year with the European Court of Human Rights and the growing backlog has led to the realization that a reform of the system is necessary.
On 21 April 2011 the ECtHR published its judgment in the case Nechiporuk and Yonkalo v. Ukraine.
The paper „European Court of Human Rights Jurisprudence on the Right to Legal Aid” was prepared by the staff of the Open Society Justice Initiative and the Public Interest Law Institute.