This week, researcher Juliana Cano Nieto is back in Turkey, witnessing the successes and challenges of the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender human rights movement. Activists have achieved ever-increasing visibility; at the same time violence, particularly against Turkey's transgender communities, remains a fact of life.
The Dublin system fails to consider the legitimate interest asylum seekers have in choosing where to apply and unfairly allocates the burden of processing claims to the states on the EU's external frontiers.
With Croatia given a likely date for EU membership in the European Commission's 5 November progress report, it was not surprising that a Turkish journalist would ask Olli Rehn, the European enlargement commissioner, to give a date to Turkey, which became a candidate for EU membership the same year as Croatia.
The June 29 European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) judgment in Leyla Sahin v Turkey Court was disappointing for Human Rights Watch, but much more disappointing for the thousands of women who face the choice of being denied higher education under Turkey’s headscarf ban, or having to go through higher education dressed in a manner that offends their conscience. They may feel rather badly let down by the human rights machinery.
ISTANBUL -- Now that Turkey's government has been swept from power, the international community is asking what the newly elected leaders mean for the future of human rights and especially Turkey's relationship with its European neighbors.
Sir, Your newspaper suggested that Human Rights Watch had not fully appreciated the momentousness of Turkey's recent constitutional changes. Human Rights Watch will loudly welcome genuine reform in Turkey whenever it happens - but it has not happened yet.
Sir, Your newspaper suggested that Human Rights Watch had not fully appreciated the momentousness of Turkey's recent constitutional changes ("Turkey approves reforms to ease curbs on human rights", October 4). Human Rights Watch will loudly welcome genuine reform in Turkey whenever it happens - but it has not happened yet.
National Program article 1.2.1 deals with Freedom of Thought and Expression. Where the European Union
(E.U.) document called for action to strengthen guarantees related to the right to freedom of expression, the
National Program merely undertakes to "review" legislation. Moreover, the proviso that Article 312 of the Turkish
Criminal Code (which deals with incitement to hatred on the basis of race or religion) will be reviewed "without
prejudice to values protected therein" echoes the preamble to this section, which emphasizes adherence to the
secular and unitary character of the Republic. The formulation is far from clear but suggests that references to
political or cultural organization on the basis of ethnic or religious identity will continue to be criminalized.
This week, researcher Juliana Cano Nieto is back in Turkey, witnessing the successes and challenges of the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender human rights movement. Activists have achieved ever-increasing visibility; at the same time violence, particularly against Turkey's transgender communities, remains a fact of life.
The Dublin system fails to consider the legitimate interest asylum seekers have in choosing where to apply and unfairly allocates the burden of processing claims to the states on the EU's external frontiers.
With Croatia given a likely date for EU membership in the European Commission's 5 November progress report, it was not surprising that a Turkish journalist would ask Olli Rehn, the European enlargement commissioner, to give a date to Turkey, which became a candidate for EU membership the same year as Croatia.
The June 29 European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) judgment in Leyla Sahin v Turkey Court was disappointing for Human Rights Watch, but much more disappointing for the thousands of women who face the choice of being denied higher education under Turkey’s headscarf ban, or having to go through higher education dressed in a manner that offends their conscience. They may feel rather badly let down by the human rights machinery.
ISTANBUL -- Now that Turkey's government has been swept from power, the international community is asking what the newly elected leaders mean for the future of human rights and especially Turkey's relationship with its European neighbors.
Sir, Your newspaper suggested that Human Rights Watch had not fully appreciated the momentousness of Turkey's recent constitutional changes. Human Rights Watch will loudly welcome genuine reform in Turkey whenever it happens - but it has not happened yet.
Sir, Your newspaper suggested that Human Rights Watch had not fully appreciated the momentousness of Turkey's recent constitutional changes ("Turkey approves reforms to ease curbs on human rights", October 4). Human Rights Watch will loudly welcome genuine reform in Turkey whenever it happens - but it has not happened yet.
National Program article 1.2.1 deals with Freedom of Thought and Expression. Where the European Union
(E.U.) document called for action to strengthen guarantees related to the right to freedom of expression, the
National Program merely undertakes to "review" legislation. Moreover, the proviso that Article 312 of the Turkish
Criminal Code (which deals with incitement to hatred on the basis of race or religion) will be reviewed "without
prejudice to values protected therein" echoes the preamble to this section, which emphasizes adherence to the
secular and unitary character of the Republic. The formulation is far from clear but suggests that references to
political or cultural organization on the basis of ethnic or religious identity will continue to be criminalized.