Behind Bars, Beyond Rights
The European Court of Human Rights has quietly endorsed a troubling new practice: denying prisoners access to information based solely on format, not content. In Tergek v. Türkiye, the Court upheld a ban on photocopies and printouts, deferring to vague security concerns. Read alongside Yasak, the judgment signals a broader shift away from rigorous rights protection toward deference to state narratives. If this trend continues, the Convention's core promise — to make rights practical and effective — stands on increasingly shaky ground.
