The Council of Europe has initiated rarely used infringement proceedings against Turkey after Ankara’s failure to release businessman and philanthropist Osman Kavala despite a European Court of Human Rights’ judgement ordering his immediate release.

The procedure may eventually lead to withholding Turkey’s voting rights in the council or even suspension of its membership. The latter would mean breaking one of the key links of Turkey, whose accession talks with the European Union have been at a standstill for years, to European institutions.

The Council of Europe's Committee of the Ministers, which concluded its three-day meeting on Dec. 2, voted overwhelmingly to initiate infringement proceedings, Euronews reported from Strasbourg. The committee, which consists of permanent representatives of the 47 member states, will make an official statement tomorrow, Dec. 3. 

Euronews said that more than the necessary two-thirds voted for starting the process against Turkey. It was not immediately reported which countries voted on the side of Turkey, but it was previously reported that Azerbaijan, which faced a similar procedure in 2017 for keeping an opposition deputy behind bars, would vote against the infringement proceedings.