European court deems rebel's Turkish trial unfair

Kurdish rebel leader Abdullah Ocalan did not receive a fair trial in Turkey, Europe’s top human rights court ruled today in a decision that will put pressure on Ankara as it prepares for membership negotiations with the European Union.

The European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg ruled that Turkish authorities breached international treaties by denying Ocalan the right to a fair and independent trial and barring his legal representative from contacting him after he was detained.