Ocalan verdict angers Turkey
Turkey is planning an appeal after judges ruled that the country had violated the human rights of jailed Kurdish rebel leader Abdullah Ocalan. The Turkish foreign ministry declared that the European Court of Human Rights had not “thoroughly considered” aspects of the case and that the judges’ reasoning was therefore not “sound”. The court ruled that Ocalan, who is serving a life sentence as the sole inmate on the prison island of Imrali, did not receive a fair trial. The ruling is not binding, but Turkey will come under immense pressure to hold a retrial if the European Court’s 17-member Grand Chamber upholds the verdict on appeal. Analysts say that pressure will be all the greater given European Union concerns about Turkey’s human rights record and Ankara’s keenness to join the Western club. Full Story