Rights group says human rights put on backburner
Güncelleme Tarihi:
Hurriyet Daily News
Oluşturulma Tarihi: Mayıs 29, 2009 00:00
ISTANBUL - The Amnesty International 2009 report proclaims a human rights crisis is striking the world but says when put together with the financial crisis these problems require global solutions based on international cooperation, human rights and the rule of law. In the report Turkey is criticized for breaching human rights with its political instability.
Putting the financial downturn aside, the 2009 Amnesty International report released Thursday explicitly stressed that the world was in the middle of a human rights crisis. In Turkey, human rights are suffering from political instability and military clashes, the group said.
"We are sitting on a social, political and economic time-bomb that will explode if human rights concerns are not addressed," said Amnesty International’s Secretary-General Irene Khan in a press release.
A key focus of the report on Turkey was on the legal cases that threatened the right to freedom of association. Exemplified was the case of the ruling Justice and Development Party, or AKP, which faced closure on the grounds that it was the focal point for anti-secular activities Ğ but the Constitutional Court rejected the closure in July 2008.
Another case highlighted was the Constitutional Court’s overturning amendments made by Parliament aiming to withdraw the ban on women wearing the Islamic headscarf in universities. The court overturned this amendment on the grounds that it violated the secular principle of the state.Chairwoman of Amnesty International in Turkey Özlem Altıparmak criticized this judgment saying, "It did not adequately demonstrate the need for this limitation of freedom of religion and conscience, based on the human rights of others."
Ergenekon
In a continuation of breaches to the right of freedom of association, the report condemned the indictment that was issued in the groundbreaking prosecution against the alleged ultra-nationalist network Ergenekon, which was charged with various offences relating to an alleged plot to topple the ruling government Ğ a case that is still ongoing.
Freedom of expression was also a hot topic and was covered in the report at length. Amnesty International denounced the "unfair laws" that unjustly prosecute human rights defenders, writers and journalists who are subjected to arbitrary decisions by judges and prosecutors. Article 301 of the penal code was amended by Parliament in April but remained an unfair limitation on the freedom of expression, according to the report. Another example is the case in which Justice Minister Mehmet Ali Şahin gave permission for the prosecution of writer Temel Demirer under Article 301 for statements he made claiming state responsibility in the murder of journalist and human rights defender Hrant Dink in 2007.
Other subjects that the report condemned in Turkey were excessive use of force, torture and other ill-treatment, poor prison conditions, unfair trials, impunity, violence against women and girls, and treatment of refugees and asylum seekers.
Upon the annual report’s release, Amnesty International has called out to governments urging them to take responsibility and focus on human rights. "By not prioritizing human rights, world leaders have failed to address a central part of the solution to long-term economic and political stability," said Khan, adding that while the G-20 Summit claims the mantle of world leadership Ğ its members’ commitment to human rights is unclear and shows a failure to invest sufficiently in human rights.
Amnesty International has 400 members in Turkey. The Finnish manager of the Turkey Branch, Ville Forsman, said the objective was to get at least 3,000 members signed up in order to put the Turkish unit on sound financial footing. "Turkey is politically splintered into many different groups, numbered among them Kurdish nationalist and Islamists alike. It is therefore difficult to get these conflicting factions together under one roof for a common cause," Forsman said, speaking at the press conference in Istanbul on Thursday, adding that the report presented a clear insight into the core issues to focus on in the year to come.
"We are sitting on a social, political and economic time-bomb that will explode if human rights concerns are not addressed," said Amnesty International’s Secretary-General Irene Khan in a press release.
A key focus of the report on Turkey was on the legal cases that threatened the right to freedom of association. Exemplified was the case of the ruling Justice and Development Party, or AKP, which faced closure on the grounds that it was the focal point for anti-secular activities Ğ but the Constitutional Court rejected the closure in July 2008.
Another case highlighted was the Constitutional Court’s overturning amendments made by Parliament aiming to withdraw the ban on women wearing the Islamic headscarf in universities. The court overturned this amendment on the grounds that it violated the secular principle of the state.Chairwoman of Amnesty International in Turkey Özlem Altıparmak criticized this judgment saying, "It did not adequately demonstrate the need for this limitation of freedom of religion and conscience, based on the human rights of others."
Ergenekon
In a continuation of breaches to the right of freedom of association, the report condemned the indictment that was issued in the groundbreaking prosecution against the alleged ultra-nationalist network Ergenekon, which was charged with various offences relating to an alleged plot to topple the ruling government Ğ a case that is still ongoing.
Freedom of expression was also a hot topic and was covered in the report at length. Amnesty International denounced the "unfair laws" that unjustly prosecute human rights defenders, writers and journalists who are subjected to arbitrary decisions by judges and prosecutors. Article 301 of the penal code was amended by Parliament in April but remained an unfair limitation on the freedom of expression, according to the report. Another example is the case in which Justice Minister Mehmet Ali Şahin gave permission for the prosecution of writer Temel Demirer under Article 301 for statements he made claiming state responsibility in the murder of journalist and human rights defender Hrant Dink in 2007.
Other subjects that the report condemned in Turkey were excessive use of force, torture and other ill-treatment, poor prison conditions, unfair trials, impunity, violence against women and girls, and treatment of refugees and asylum seekers.
Upon the annual report’s release, Amnesty International has called out to governments urging them to take responsibility and focus on human rights. "By not prioritizing human rights, world leaders have failed to address a central part of the solution to long-term economic and political stability," said Khan, adding that while the G-20 Summit claims the mantle of world leadership Ğ its members’ commitment to human rights is unclear and shows a failure to invest sufficiently in human rights.
Amnesty International has 400 members in Turkey. The Finnish manager of the Turkey Branch, Ville Forsman, said the objective was to get at least 3,000 members signed up in order to put the Turkish unit on sound financial footing. "Turkey is politically splintered into many different groups, numbered among them Kurdish nationalist and Islamists alike. It is therefore difficult to get these conflicting factions together under one roof for a common cause," Forsman said, speaking at the press conference in Istanbul on Thursday, adding that the report presented a clear insight into the core issues to focus on in the year to come.