COPENHAGEN

The European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) on Tuesday ruled against Denmark for violating the right to life in the 2011 death of Turkish inmate Ekrem Sahin, state news outlet DR reported.

This marks the first time Denmark has been found guilty by the ECHR for infringing on the right to life, according to Tobias Stadarfeld Jensen, the late Sahin’s legal counsel.

“They lacked control over the risk posed by their use of force and were not adequately updated on proper procedures. This judgment is a significant defeat for Denmark, a country that considers itself advanced in prison management,” Jensen stated.

The court’s judgment cites Articles 2 and 3 of the European Convention on Human Rights, covering the right to life and the prohibition of inhuman or degrading treatment. It highlights claims from Sahin’s mother, Mrs. Kalkan, that prison staff were not given clear instructions on leg lock restraints. The use of this method on Sahin for 13 minutes was deemed excessive.

The court agreed with the family’s argument that prison authorities failed to provide clear guidelines on restraining prisoners with chest-down leg locks and that staff training was insufficient.

Ekrem Sahin, 23, lost consciousness and was hospitalized in Odense University Hospital. After three days in a coma, Sahin passed away six months before his scheduled release.

His organs were sent to Türkiye for autopsy after Danish authorities initially claimed heart failure as the cause of death, a claim the family challenged.