Türkiye · European Court of Human Rights
Opuz v. Turkey: domestic violence as discrimination
ECHR judgment · 9 June 2009 · Editorial source review: 7 October 2026
Content note: gender-based violence, sexual violence and loss of life. No graphic descriptions. Find support
Domestic violence is not simply a private dispute outside the responsibility of the state. This landmark judgment examined failures to protect a woman and her mother from repeated violence.
The legal finding
The European Court of Human Rights found violations of the right to life, the prohibition of inhuman or degrading treatment, and the prohibition of discrimination in connection with those rights. The applicant’s mother had been killed. The Court examined the authorities’ response to a known history of violence.
The wider significance
The discrimination finding connected institutional passivity with the unequal impact of domestic violence on women. The case remains an important reference for understanding states’ positive obligations. Its reasoning must be read with later case law and the facts of any individual situation.
Sources & further reading
This is a dated English-language briefing, not a live legal record. Original publications may have later updates. Send a correction or a newer source.
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