Council of Europe urges Moldova to complete investigation into 2018 expulsion of Turkish teachers

The Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe has adopted a new decision on the implementation of the judgment in the case of Ozdil during the 1553rd meeting held from 9–11 March 2026. The document concerns the extrajudicial transfer of several Turkish teachers from the Republic of Moldova to Türkiye in September 2018 and calls on the Moldovan authorities to speed up the investigation of the case and to send a clear message of zero tolerance for such practices, according to the Council of Europe's press release.

The decision was adopted in a symbolic context, as the Republic of Moldova currently holds the rotating presidency of the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe, the Council of Europe’s decision-making body responsible for supervising the execution of judgments delivered by the European Court of Human Rights.

The Deputies of the Committee of Ministers recalled that the case concerns the unlawful, unnecessary and arbitrary deprivation of liberty of the applicants, as well as the violation of their right to respect for private and family life, after they were transferred from the Republic of Moldova to Türkiye in circumvention of all guarantees provided by domestic and international law.

The situation of the applicants

As regards individual measures, the Committee noted that four of the applicants – Müjdat Çelebi, Riza Doğan, Mehmet Feridun Tüfekçi and Sedat Hasan Karacaoğlo – have been released from detention in Türkiye and can currently enter and leave the Republic of Moldova without restrictions. In these circumstances, the Deputies considered that no further individual measures are necessary in respect of them.

By contrast, the situation of the fifth applicant, Yasin Özdil, remains a concern. The Committee invited the Moldovan authorities to continue diplomatic efforts to obtain up-to-date information on his situation and to facilitate the transfer of the execution of his sentence to the Republic of Moldova, should he express such a wish.

The investigation must be completed

As regards general measures, the Committee of Ministers underlined that a thorough and transparent investigation is essential to prevent similar violations in the future. The Deputies noted that more than five years have passed since the first-instance judgment in the criminal case against the former head of the Intelligence and Security Service, without the proceedings being completed.

In this context, the authorities in Chișinău were invited to conclude these proceedings without further delay and to inform the Committee about their outcome. The Committee also requested that the investigation into the involvement of any potential high-ranking officials in organising the extralegal transfer be accelerated and that the circumstances of the case be fully clarified.

Legislative changes and parliamentary oversight

The decision also refers to certain legislative developments. The Committee noted with interest the amendments adopted in 2023 concerning the mechanisms for oversight and accountability of the actions of the Intelligence and Security Service. At the same time, the authorities were invited to finalise and adopt the regulation governing the activity of the parliamentary subcommittee responsible for oversight of the intelligence services, stressing the importance of genuine and effective parliamentary control.

At the same time, the Committee of Ministers strongly urged the Moldovan authorities to send a clear message at the highest political level regarding the absolutely unacceptable nature of arbitrary detentions and extrajudicial transfers.

The authorities of the Republic of Moldova were invited to submit up-to-date information on all these aspects by no later than 12 September 2026.

Case background

In its judgment of 11 June 2019, the European Court of Human Rights found that the extralegal transfer of the five applicants from the Republic of Moldova to Türkiye in September 2018 constituted an unlawful, unnecessary and arbitrary deprivation of liberty, as well as a violation of their right to respect for private and family life.

The Court held that the operation was designed in such a way that the persons concerned were taken by surprise, without being given time or the opportunity to defend themselves, with all guarantees provided by domestic and international law being circumvented.

Reaction of civil society

Human rights organisations Promo-LEX Association and the Legal Resources Centre from Moldova welcomed the fact that many of the concerns they expressed in their communications to the Committee of Ministers were reflected in the decision adopted.

Representatives of the two organisations welcomed the clarification of the situation of the four released applicants, but stressed that the situation of Yasin Özdil remains worrying and requires intensified diplomatic efforts.

At the same time, the organisations expressed concern that, more than seven years after the 2018 extralegal transfer, the criminal proceedings have not been completed and the investigation into the involvement of high-ranking officials has not yielded tangible results.

According to Promo-LEX and LRCM, the systematic delays in these proceedings undermine efforts to establish the truth and prevent similar abuses in the future. The two organisations announced that they will continue to monitor the implementation of the Court’s judgment and to submit updated observations to the Committee of Ministers.

The 2018 SIS operation that led to Moldova’s condemnation by the ECHR

The case originates in events of September 2018, when several Turkish citizens working within the Orizont lyceum network in the Republic of Moldova were detained by officers of the Intelligence and Security Service and declared undesirable persons on grounds of national security. The operation was carried out swiftly, in various locations in Chișinău and other cities, and the persons concerned were escorted directly to the airport and put on a plane bound for Türkiye, without having the possibility to challenge the decision or to benefit from the legal procedures provided by national legislation and international treaties.

The expulsion prompted harsh criticism from human rights organisations and civil society, which accused the authorities of organising an extralegal transfer. Subsequently, the European Court of Human Rights found that the operation had been planned in such a way that the persons concerned were taken by surprise and had no time to defend themselves before the courts, with all procedural guarantees provided by domestic and international law being bypassed. The Court held that the Republic of Moldova had violated the right to liberty and security and the right to respect for private and family life of those expelled.