In an assessment of Turkey’s progress in meeting human rights benchmarks, Human Rights Watch said today that press freedom, freedom of religion and respect for minorities in the country remain far from perfect, but show continued improvement. The Turkish government needs to take steps to eradicate torture in police stations and facilitate the return of hundreds of thousands of Kurds displaced in the 1990s.
On October 6 the European Commission will publish its 2004 Regular Report on Turkey's progress toward European Union membership, with a recommendation whether or not the candidacy should move to the next step. The Turkish government hopes that the European Council on December 17 will give the green light for membership negotiations to begin.
Since 1999 the Turkey’s EU candidacy, combined with a general reduction in political violence and strong growth in civil society, has helped to fuel reforms.
“Turkey is now ahead of some EU member states in its legal protections for detainees,” said Jonathan Sugden, Turkey researcher for Human Rights Watch. “The Turkish state resisted these changes for more than two decades, but their recent achievements have finally brought international credit.”
However, local governors and prosecutors have not yet adapted to the new approach to freedom of expression. Consequently, criticism of state authorities and manifestations of ethnic identity still run the risk of official persecution. Broadcasting and teaching in minority languages such as Kurdish are still very limited. However, recent achievements indicate that Turkey can meet international standards for these freedoms in forthcoming months and years.
Human Rights Watch said that areas of critical concern remain and that these should be addressed before December:
- Unlawful detention for exercising the right to free expression. Three people are currently serving prison terms for expressing their nonviolent opinions, and Human Rights Watch is calling for their immediate and unconditional release. Hakan Albayrak, a journalist at Milli Gazete, is in Kalecik prison serving a 15-month sentence under Law No. 5816 regarding Crimes Committed Against Atatürk, for suggesting that Atatürk had not been buried with proper ceremony.
- Persistent reports of ill-treatment in police custody, and some allegations of torture (see briefing paper “Eradicating Torture in Turkey’s Police Stations:” Analysis and Recommendations at https://www.hrw.org/backgrounder/eca/turkey/2004/torture/).
- Internal displacement continuing for a decade or more. The government’s resistance to partnership with U.N. agencies in building a credible system for the return of the 380,000 Kurds burned out of their homes by security forces in the conflict with the Kurdish Workers’ Party (PKK) in the early 1990s. (see briefing paper “Last chance for Turkey’s displaced?” at https://www.hrw.org/backgrounder/eca/turkey/2004/10/).
Human Rights Watch said that a crucial catalyst in the reform process has been the prospect of EU membership. Integration with Europe, seen by many within Turkey as the realization of the ideals of the republic’s founder, Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, has been a powerful imperative. It has overridden resistance to change, as well as a monolithic view of Turkish society that has long dominated the state machinery at the price of respect for human rights.
“Real prospects for EU membership came at a time when political violence declined and civil society grew stronger. This has helped drive Turkey’s recent reforms,” said Sugden, “A strong push on police supervision and decisive steps to involve the international community in efforts for return of the displaced will get Turkey where it really needs to be for December.”
To read a press advisory on the issue, please see: https://www.hrw.org/english/docs/2004/10/04/turkey9433.htm
