Turkey’s Erdogan says will not respect Council of Europe after Kavala move

ANKARA (Reuters) – Turkey will not respect the Council of Europe if it does not respect Turkish courts, President Tayyip Erdogan said on Thursday, when asked about a decision to refer the case against philanthropist Osman Kavala back to a top court.

The Council of Europe’s Committee of Ministers decided on Wednesday to refer to the European Court of Human Rights the question of whether Turkey violated the European Convention on Human Rights by not releasing Kavala.

The move is the next step in “infringement proceedings,” which could result in Turkey’s suspension from the Council of Europe, of which it is a founding member.