On 18 October 2024, a press briefing was held in Ankara within the framework of the Communication Strategy developed as a part of the Project on "Supporting the Effective Implementation of Turkish Constitutional Court Judgments in the Field of Fundamental Rights", a joint initiative by the Constitutional Court and the Council of Europe.

The President of the Turkish Constitutional Court Mr. Kadir Özkaya, Vice-Presidents Mr. Hasan Tahsin Gökcan and Mr. Basri Bağcı participated in the event which garnered substantial attention from the media.

In his opening remarks, President Özkaya expressed his sincere belief that the meeting would flourish the communicative cooperation between the Constitutional Court and the press. Pointing out the pivotal role the Court plays in upholding and enhancing the standards of fundamental rights and freedoms, Mr. Özkaya indicated: "The Constitutional Court has defined the standards for constitutional rights and freedoms, including but not limited to right to property, freedom of expression, right to education and right to trade-union freedom, within the scope of individual applications. It has thus ensured the functioning of the individual application procedure as an effective remedy."

President Özkaya emphasized that, since the introduction of the individual application mechanism, the number of cases filed before the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) against Türkiye has noticeably decreased, and so have the violation judgments rendered by the ECHR against the latter. Describing the individual application mechanism as a major milestone and success story in Türkiye’s legal history, he recalled that one of the shareholders of this success story is the press. In this regard, President Özkaya further stated: "As crucial as the decisions issued by the Constitutional Court, it is just as important that these decisions are accurately conveyed to the public."

President Özkaya also pointed to the often complex and lengthy nature of judicial rulings, filled with abstract statements and legal terminology, which sometimes led to misunderstandings or misinterpretations. Stressing the importance of collaboration with press members to ensure the accurate and smooth publicizing of rulings, President Özkaya assured the press that the Court was willing to offer any necessary assistance and support to facilitate the correct understanding and communication of its decisions.

Concluding his speech, President Özkaya provided information about the structure and functioning of the Constitutional Court, followed by a question and answer session with press members.

Following President Özkaya's remarks, the session proceeded with an informative panel moderated by Secretary General Murat Azaklı, who provided a detailed overview of the Court's structure, workload, and the objective impact of individual application rulings. Chief rapporteur-judges from various units then presented their respective working principles and procedures. Accordingly, Mr. Mehmet Sadık Yamlı, Chief Rapporteur-Judge for Commissions, was first to address the admissibility criteria for individual applications. Subsequently, Mr. Akif Yıldırım, Chief Rapporteur-Judge for the Sections, clarified frequently misunderstood concepts such as "dismissal of application", "inadmissibility", and "right violations." Mr. Volkan Has, Chief Rapporteur-Judge for the Plenary, elaborated on the examination of abstract and concrete review actions within the framework of the constitutionality review mechanism. Mr. Abdullah Çelik, Chief Rapporteur-Judge of the Research and Case-Law Unit, provided a comprehensive assessment of the Court’s working principles and procedures. Deputy Secretary General Mr. Mücahit Aydın shared insights into the Court's international activities and its relations with the Council of Europe. The meeting concluded with a question and answer session.