Comments
On October 17, 2019, a Chamber of the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) ruled unanimously in G.B. and Others v. Turkey that Turkey violated ECHR Article 3 (prohibition on human and degrading treatment), Article 13 (right to an effective remedy), and Articles 5(1) & (4) (right to liberty and security & right to have lawfulness of detention decided speedily by a court). According to a press release issued by the Court, the case involved the four-month detention of a mother and her three children prior to their deportation from Turkey. In particular, the "Court found that the Government had failed to disprove the applicants’ allegations that they had been detained in overcrowded dormitories, had rarely been allowed to go outside for fresh air, had constantly been exposed to cigarette smoke from other detainees and had not been given suitable food for children." These conditions were held by the Court to be "manifestly adverse even for adults." The Court awarded non-pecuniary damages in the amounts of 2,250 euros for the mother and 20,000 euros for each of the children, and 5,500 euros in costs and expenses.