A COLCHESTER lawyer is fighting an international human rights case which could change electoral law across Europe.Tony Fisher of Fisher Jones Greenwood represented Kurdish MPs Mehmet Yumak and Resul Sadak at the Grand Chamber of the European Court in Strasbourg in a landmark case that challenges an electoral rule in Turkey.
A COLCHESTER lawyer is fighting an international human rights case which could change electoral law across Europe.
Tony Fisher of Fisher Jones Greenwood represented Kurdish MPs Mehmet Yumak and Resul Sadak at the Grand Chamber of the European Court in Strasbourg in a landmark case that challenges an electoral rule in Turkey.
“In Turkey, a political party has to gain 10% of the national vote before any of its candidates can take up any seats in the Turkish parliament. This means that parties who represent significant minorities such as the Kurdish people cannot get elected to parliament event if they win a large number of individual seats,” he said.
“As a result, more than 45% of the votes cast in Turkey's 2002 national election were ignored and MPs such as Mr Yumak and Mr Sadak were not able to take their seats in parliament and represent the people who voted for them.”
If an appeal decision goes in their favour, this could have significant implications in a large number of European states, he said.
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