European rights court rejects 'FETO teacher' case

By Omer Aydin

STRASBOURG, France (AA) – The European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) on Thursday said a case brought by a Turkish teacher dismissed over alleged terror links was inadmissible.

Akif Zihni, who had been a high-school teacher in Turkey's northern Trabzon province, was dismissed earlier this year following accusations of being linked to Fetullah Terrorist Organization (FETO).

The Turkish government accuses FETO of masterminding the defeated July 15 coup plot, which cost hundreds of lives in a bloody night of violence.

Zihni had complained of suffering discrimination on account of his dismissal, said he had not been informed about the nature of the accusation against him and alleged he was dismissed for acts which were not offences at the time.

The former teacher also complained of a violation of the right to the presumption of innocence.

However, the ECHR said Zihni's application had been rejected as he had not applied individually to Turkey's Constitutional Court, meaning all domestic remedies had yet to be exhausted.

According to the court decision, a Turkish constitutional amendment in 2012 means applicants cannot make a complaint before all domestic legal options are exhausted.

Thursday’s court ruling could be a precedent for similar cases.

The ECHR suggested countries might take these kinds of decisions during states of emergency due to national security concerns and said domestic legal routes should be tried first.