Top Turkish court finds violation of rights in passport cancellation of dismissed academicians
The Turkish Constitutional Court has found a violation of rights in the cancellation of passports of eight academicians who were sacked from their state jobs via decree laws during the state of emergency rule.
Duvar English
The Turkish Constitutional Court has ruled that the authorities' move to cancel the passports of eight academicians who were expelled from their state jobs via state of emergency decrees (KHK) was a violation of the “right to private life.”
The top court ordered the state to pay 13,500 liras to each of the applicants, among whom are Prof. Dr. Ramazan Danış and Baran Alp Uncu, according to reporting by online news outlet T24.
The eight academicians’ passports were cancelled after their dismissal from the state with decree laws issued in the aftermath of the 2016 failed coup attempt.
The academicians filed lawsuits with local courts for renewal of their passports, but their appeals were turned down, as a result of which they applied to the Constitutional Court.
In its ruling, the top court recalled that there is no international travel ban decision on the academicians and that lower courts have failed to do enough research and analysis to protect the academicians’ rights.
“There is no judiciary decision banning the applicants from going abroad. Taking into account the fact that the applicants have strong professional connections to the countries they want to go to, the implementation of the measure (refusal to renew the passports) cannot be considered to be a compulsory and moderate measure in a democratic society,” the Constitutional Court said.
The top court also sent a copy of its decision to lower courts for a retrial to take place.