I am writing to you today specifically regarding the policing of the May 1 demonstrations to be held in cities across Turkey. We hope that steps will be taken to prevent some of the most serious police abuses that have marred previous such May 1 events.

Your forthcoming visit to Turkey comes at a critical moment in that country's history. After a hopeful period of progress under the previous Justice and Development Party (AKP) government, political and human rights reforms in Turkey have stalled, and there has been backtracking on a number of key human rights concerns.

Human Rights Watch wishes to express our concern that you have chosen this moment to welcome President al-Bashir, who is currently subject to a request for a warrant at the International Criminal Court (ICC) for genocide, war crimes and crimes against humanity. We would ask you to use this opportunity to make it clear to the government of Sudan that Turkey does not, nor will ever, support impunity for such crimes.

Human Rights Watch writes to express concern regarding the recent incursion by Istanbul city police into the headquarters of the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) human rights organization Lambda Istanbul. We urge the Turkish government to respect the right to freedom of expression and association, and to halt harassment of legitimate human rights organizations.

Human Rights Watch writes to urge Dr. Ihsanoglu to use his position as Secretary General of the Organisation of the Islamic Conference to support measures at the upcoming Summit of the Organisation of Islamic Conference in Dakar, Senegal on March 13-14 that would improve and strengthen the 1999 OIC Convention on Combating International Terrorism. In particular, the OIC should consider two amendments to the Convention to narrow its overbroad definition of terrorism and make absolutely clear that there is no sanction in Islam for deliberately attacking civilians, whatever the circumstances or justifications.

The government of Turkey should make it clear to President al-Bashir that he must end the atrocities and abuses continuing in Darfur.

Human Rights Watch remains extremely concerned about the efforts of the Swiss government to extradite to Turkey a number of Kurds currently resident in Switzerland. A letter from the President of the Swiss Confederation, Micheline Calmy-Rey, suggests that the Swiss government has departed from its previous principled position against reliance on diplomatic assurances against torture and ill-treatment and now seeks to carve out an exception to justify the use of unreliable “no torture” promises specifically in the extradition context.

We are writing you today to express our deep concern about continuing restrictions on freedom of expression in Turkey. The prosecution of journalists and writers for expressing their views has helped to foster a climate of hostility against those who ask critical questions about the status quo in Turkey. The murder of Turkish-Armenian journalist Hrant Dink has deepened our concerns.