News Center- A top administrative court in Turkey ruled on Tuesday that Turkish President Erdoğan’s decision to pull the country out of the Istanbul Convention was lawful, rejecting petitions seeking its cancellation.

On 20 March 2021, Tayyip Erdoğan announced the country's withdrawal from the Council of Europe’s Istanbul Convention by presidential decree.

Several women’s groups and other organizations had petitioned the Council of State, arguing that Turkey’s withdrawal from the Istanbul Convention through a presidential decree was unlawful. The court ruled on Tuesday by a vote of three to two to reject the petitions.

Referring to the Turkey’s Action Plan on Human Rights, the court decision says, “In our domestic law, there are many regulations, primarily the Constitution and Law No 6284, preventing violence against women and domestic violence and protecting victims of violence, and it is understood that the practices based on these regulations are also implemented in accordance with the determined plan.”

The court ruled that the Erdoğan’s decision to withdraw from the Istanbul Convention was lawful, rejecting petitions seeking its cancellation.