Rıza Mahmut Türmen (born 17 June 1941,

Istanbul ) , postal_code_type = Postal code , postal_code = 34000 to 34990 , area_code = +90 212 (European side) +90 216 (Asian side) , registration_plate = 34 , blank_name_sec2 = GeoTLD , blank_i ...

, Turkey), is a former judge of the

European Court of Human Rights The European Court of Human Rights (ECHR or ECtHR), also known as the Strasbourg Court, is an international court of the Council of Europe which interprets the European Convention on Human Rights. The court hears applications alleging that ...

and currently an MP for Izmir in the

Turkish Parliament The Grand National Assembly of Turkey ( tr, ), usually referred to simply as the TBMM or Parliament ( tr, or ''Parlamento''), is the unicameral Turkish legislature. It is the sole body given the legislative prerogatives by the Turkish Consti ...

, with the Republican People's Party. He graduated from Istanbul University law faculty in 1964. He took a master's degree in at

McGill University McGill University (french: link=no, Université McGill) is an English-language public research university located in Montreal, Quebec Montreal ( ; officially Montréal, ) is the second-most populous city in Canada and most populous ...

, Montreal, before doing his doctorate at Ankara University faculty of political science. Türmen has held various positions at the Turkish Ministry of Foreign Affairs, which he joined in 1966. In 1978, he was appointed Turkey's representative to the

International Civil Aviation Organization The International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO, ) is a specialized agency of the United Nations that coordinates the principles and techniques of international air navigation, and fosters the planning and development of international a ...

. He was ambassador to

Singapore Singapore (), officially the Republic of Singapore, is a sovereign island country and city-state in maritime Southeast Asia. It lies about one degree of latitude () north of the equator, off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, bor ...

in 1985. From 1989 to 1994 he worked in Ankara as the Director General responsible for the Council of Europe,

United Nations The United Nations (UN) is an intergovernmental organization whose stated purposes are to maintain international peace and security, develop friendly relations among nations, achieve international cooperation, and be a centre for harmoniz ...

Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe The Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) is the world's largest regional security-oriented intergovernmental organization with observer status at the United Nations. Its mandate includes issues such as arms control, pro ...

and human rights. From 1995 to 1996 he was ambassador to Switzerland at Bern. Between 1996 and 1997, Türmen was the

Permanent Representative A permanent representative is a diplomat who is the head of a country’s diplomatic mission to an international organisation. Organizations that receive permanent representatives from their member states include the United Nations, the World Tr ...

of Turkey to the Council of Europe. From 1998 to 2008, he was the Turkish judge for the European Court of Human Rights. Since his retirement he has written a column for the Turkish newspaper '' Milliyet''. Rıza Türmen is also known as a campaigner for the

independence of the judiciary Judicial independence is the concept that the judiciary should be independent from the other branches of government. That is, courts should not be subject to improper influence from the other branches of government or from private or partisan inter ...

in Turkey. He is married to Dr Tomris Türmen. The couple has one daughter.

Awards

* Turkish Bar Association ''Lawyer of the Year'', 2009 * Middle East Technical University ''Distinguished Service Award'', 2009 * Turkish Journalists Association ''Freedom of the Press Award'', 2009

Articles and publications

"Contemporary issues in human rights", Perceptions, Journal of International Affairs, 1997

"On multiculturalism", Perceptions, Journal of International Affairs, 1998-1999

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Turmen, Riza 1941 births Living people Judges of the European Court of Human Rights Turkish judges Turkish diplomats Turkish journalists Academics from Istanbul Istanbul University Faculty of Law alumni McGill University alumni Ankara University Faculty of Political Sciences alumni Deputies of Izmir Contemporary Republican People's Party (Turkey) politicians Milliyet people Permanent Representatives of Turkey to the International Civil Aviation Organization Ambassadors of Turkey to Singapore Ambassadors of Turkey to Switzerland Members of the 24th Parliament of Turkey Turkish judges of international courts and tribunals