Human rights specialists Birnberg Peirce and Brick Court Chambers’ Sir Sydney Kentridge QC have won a European court victory for a Kurdish leader sentenced to death in Turkey. The European Court of Human Rights found that Abdullah Ocalan’s sentence amounted to inhuman treatment. The court also said that his right to a fair trial had been violated and said a retrial would be an appropriate form of redress. It directed that costs of e120,000 (£82,500) be paid to Ocalan’s lawyers. First revealed on www.thelawyer.com 18 May