Akkoç v. Turkey
Encyclopedia
Akkoç v. Turkey 2000, Nos. 22947 & 8/93, ECHR 2000-X, was a decision by the European Court of Human Rights
(ECHR) on the extent of the right to life
.
The case involved the Kurd
Zübeyir Akkoç in Turkey
who belonged to an outlawed trade union
. Both the union member and his wife received death threat
s, and eventually the man was killed. His widow thus took the case to court, charging that the Turkish government was responsible. The government was not found guilty of murder. However, on the right to life, the ECHR found that the Turkish government knew about the death threats and failed to protect the victim. Thus, the right to life had been violated. In addition, the state's investigation of the murder was found to be so negligent as to also be an infringement of the right to life.
With respect to international human rights law, it is noted that a government's responsibility regarding the right to life is not "passive." There should be laws against murder
. Akkoç is a case that examined the "potential grey area" of the "extent to which a State can protect an individual against criminal behaviour."
European Court of Human Rights
The European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg is a supra-national court established by the European Convention on Human Rights and hears complaints that a contracting state has violated the human rights enshrined in the Convention and its protocols. Complaints can be brought by individuals or...
(ECHR) on the extent of the right to life
Right to life
Right to life is a phrase that describes the belief that a human being has an essential right to live, particularly that a human being has the right not to be killed by another human being...
.
The case involved the Kurd
Kurds in Turkey
Ethnic Kurds compose a significant portion of the population in Turkey . Unlike the Turks, the Kurds speak an Indo-European language...
Zübeyir Akkoç in Turkey
Turkey
Turkey , known officially as the Republic of Turkey , is a Eurasian country located in Western Asia and in East Thrace in Southeastern Europe...
who belonged to an outlawed trade union
Trade union
A trade union, trades union or labor union is an organization of workers that have banded together to achieve common goals such as better working conditions. The trade union, through its leadership, bargains with the employer on behalf of union members and negotiates labour contracts with...
. Both the union member and his wife received death threat
Death threat
A death threat is a threat of death, often made anonymously, by one person or a group of people to kill another person or groups of people. These threats are usually designed to intimidate victims in order to manipulate their behavior, thus a death threat is a form of coercion...
s, and eventually the man was killed. His widow thus took the case to court, charging that the Turkish government was responsible. The government was not found guilty of murder. However, on the right to life, the ECHR found that the Turkish government knew about the death threats and failed to protect the victim. Thus, the right to life had been violated. In addition, the state's investigation of the murder was found to be so negligent as to also be an infringement of the right to life.
With respect to international human rights law, it is noted that a government's responsibility regarding the right to life is not "passive." There should be laws against murder
Murder
Murder is the unlawful killing, with malice aforethought, of another human being, and generally this state of mind distinguishes murder from other forms of unlawful homicide...
. Akkoç is a case that examined the "potential grey area" of the "extent to which a State can protect an individual against criminal behaviour."