Strasbourg - The European Court of Human Rights asked Turkey yesterday to suspend its death sentence on the Kurdish rebel leader, Abdullah Ocalan. In a statement, the court requested Turkey to "take all necessary steps to ensure that the death penalty is not carried out so as to enable the Court to proceed effectively with the examination of the admissibility and merits of the applicant's complaints under the [European] Convention [on Human Rights]".
In February, Ocalan's lawyers lodged a request for an interim ruling by the Court, pending a full consideration of his claims against Turkey. These are that Turkey is in breach of clauses of the Convention that guarantee the right to life, the prohibition of torture and a fair trial.