The European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) in Strasbourg, France, ruled on the application of Hidayet Karaca, CEO of the shut down Samanyolu Broadcasting Group, after 8 years. After examining the application, the Court found Hidayet Karaca right and concluded that the journalist’s rights were violated.
The ECHR ruled 8 years later in the case of Hidayet Karaca, the head of the shuttered Samanyolu Group, who has been in detention since December 14, 2014. Karaca had applied to the ECHR in 2015 after his arrest in December 2014 over a script of an episode from a TV series. In April 2016, the court posed questions to the Turkish government and Karaca to answer. The court has not issued a ruling since then.
Hidayet Karaca’s lawyers had argued in the application that several articles of the ECHR had been violated. In its judgment, the ECHR ruled that Hidayet Karaca’s rights guaranteed by the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR) had been violated and convicted Turkey. Turkey will pay Karaca 18 thousand Euros in compensation.
During this process, Karaca was sentenced to a total of 31 years and 6 months in prison, including 18 years for leading an illegal organization, 4 years and 6 months for slander and 9 years for forgery of official documents.
This decision of the European Court of Human Rights after 8 years is not enough to release Hidayet Karaca from prison.