Öcalan v. Turkey: Some Comments

Abstract

In the Öcalan case the European Court of Human Rights found itself faced with several issues that asked for a new interpretation of the European Convention on Human Rights. It had to decide on the extraterritorial scope of the Convention, on the question whether Abdullah Öcalan was arrested lawfully or illegally abducted, and on the death penalty. This article analyzes the decisions taken by the Court and puts them in a perspective of international law beyond the European Convention.