| TURKEY Republic of Turkey Turkiye Cumhuriyeti Joined United Nations: 24 October 1945 Human Rights as assured by their constitution Click here Updated 10/26/10 |
| CAPITAL |
| POPULATION |
| CHIEF OF STATE |
| SELECTION PROCESS |
Ankara
76,805,524 (July 2010 est.)
Recep Tayyip Erdogan
Prime Minister since 14 March 2003
Prime Minister since 14 March 2003
President elected by the National Assembly for a single seven-year
term; last election: 28 August 2007
Next scheduled election: 2014
term; last election: 28 August 2007
Next scheduled election: 2014
HEAD OF GOVERNMENT
SELECTION PROCESS
Prime minister appointed by the president from among members
of parliament; last held on 22 July 2007
Next scheduled election: November 2012
of parliament; last held on 22 July 2007
Next scheduled election: November 2012
| DECLARATION OF HUMAN RIGHTS |
| ETHNIC GROUPS |
Turkish 80%, Kurdish 20% (estimated)
| RELIGIONS |
Muslim 99.8% (mostly Sunni), other 0.2% (mostly Christians and Jews)
| GOVERNMENT STRUCTURE |
Republican parliamentary democracy with 81 provinces (iller, singular - il); Legal system is a civil law system derived from various
European continental legal systems; note - member of the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR), although Turkey claims
limited derogations on the ratified European Convention on Human Rights; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
Executive: president elected by the National Assembly for a single seven-year term; prime minister appointed by the president from among
members of parliament
election results: Abdullah GUL received 339 votes in the third round of voting on 28 August 2007, after failing to garner the two thirds vote
required by law in the first two rounds
note: president-elect must have a two-thirds majority of the National Assembly on the first two ballots and a simple majority on the third
ballot
Legislative: Unicameral Grand National Assembly of Turkey or Turkiye Buyuk Millet Meclisi (550 seats; members are elected by
popular vote to serve five-year terms)
elections: last held on 22 July 2007 (next to be held on July 2011)
Judicial: Constitutional Court; High Court of Appeals (Yargitay); Council of State (Danistay); Court of Accounts (Sayistay);
Military High Court of Appeals; Military High Administrative Court
European continental legal systems; note - member of the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR), although Turkey claims
limited derogations on the ratified European Convention on Human Rights; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
Executive: president elected by the National Assembly for a single seven-year term; prime minister appointed by the president from among
members of parliament
election results: Abdullah GUL received 339 votes in the third round of voting on 28 August 2007, after failing to garner the two thirds vote
required by law in the first two rounds
note: president-elect must have a two-thirds majority of the National Assembly on the first two ballots and a simple majority on the third
ballot
Legislative: Unicameral Grand National Assembly of Turkey or Turkiye Buyuk Millet Meclisi (550 seats; members are elected by
popular vote to serve five-year terms)
elections: last held on 22 July 2007 (next to be held on July 2011)
Judicial: Constitutional Court; High Court of Appeals (Yargitay); Council of State (Danistay); Court of Accounts (Sayistay);
Military High Court of Appeals; Military High Administrative Court
| LANGUAGES |
Turkish (official), Kurdish, Dimli (or Zaza), Azeri, Kabardian
note: there is also a substantial Gagauz population in the European part of Turkey
note: there is also a substantial Gagauz population in the European part of Turkey
| BRIEF HISTORY |
The Anatolian peninsula (also called Asia Minor), comprising most of modern Turkey, is one of the oldest continually inhabited
regions in the world due to its location at the intersection of Asia and Europe. The earliest Neolithic settlements such as Çatalhöyük
(Pottery Neolithic), Çayönü (Pre-Pottery Neolithic A to Pottery Neolithic), Nevali Cori (Pre-Pottery Neolithic B), Hacilar (Pottery
Neolithic), Göbekli Tepe (Pre-Pottery Neolithic A) and Mersin are considered to be among the earliest human settlements in the
world. The first major empire in the area was that of the Hittites, from the 18th through the 13th century BCE. Subsequently, the
Phrygians, an Indo-European people, achieved ascendancy until their kingdom was destroyed by the Cimmerians in the 7th century
BCE. The most powerful of Phrygia's successor states were Lydia, Caria and Lycia. The Lydians and Lycians spoke languages that
were fundamentally Indo-European, but both languages had acquired non-Indo-European elements prior to the Hittite and Hellenic
periods. The west coast of Anatolia was meanwhile settled by the Ionians, one of the ancient Greek peoples. The entire area was
conquered by the Persian Achaemenid Empire during the 6th and 5th centuries and later fell to Alexander the Great in 334 BCE.
Anatolia was subsequently divided into a number of small Hellenistic kingdoms (including Bithynia, Cappadocia, Pergamum, and
Pontus), all of which had succumbed to Rome by the mid-1st century BCE.[11] In 324 CE, the Roman emperor Constantine I
chose Byzantium to be the new capital of the Roman Empire, renaming it New Rome (later Constantinople and Istanbul). After the
fall of the Western Roman Empire, it became the capital of the Byzantine Empire (Eastern Roman Empire). The House of Seljuk
was a branch of the Kinik Oğuz Turks who in the 9th century resided on the periphery of the Muslim world, north of the Caspian
and Aral Seas in the Yabghu Khaganate of the Oğuz confederacy. In the 10th century, the Seljuks migrated from their ancestral
homelands into the eastern Anatolian regions that had been an area of settlement for Oğuz Turkic tribes since the end of the first
millennium. Following their victory over the Byzantine Empire in the Battle of Manzikert in 1071, the Turks began to abandon their
nomadic roots in favour of a permanent role in Anatolia, bringing rise to the Seljuk Empire. In 1243, the Seljuk armies were
defeated by the Mongols and the power of the empire slowly disintegrated. In its wake, one of the Turkish principalities governed
by Osman I was to evolve into the Ottoman Empire, thus filling the void left by the collapsed Seljuks and Byzantines. The Ottoman
Empire interacted with both Eastern and Western cultures throughout its 623-year history. In the 16th and 17th centuries, it was
among the world's most powerful political entities, often locking horns with the powers of eastern Europe in its steady advance
through the Balkans and the southern part of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth. Following years of decline, the Ottoman Empire
entered World War I through the Ottoman-German Alliance in 1914, and was ultimately defeated. After the war, the victorious
Allied Powers sought the dismemberment of the Ottoman state through the Treaty of Sèvres. The occupation of İstanbul and İzmir
by the Allies in the aftermath of World War I prompted the establishment of the Turkish national movement. Under the leadership of
Mustafa Kemal Pasha, a military commander who had distinguished himself during the Battle of Gallipoli, the Turkish War of
Independence was waged with the aim of revoking the terms of the Treaty of Sèvres. By September 18, 1922, the occupying
armies were repelled and the country saw the birth of the new Turkish state. On November 1, the newly founded parliament
formally abolished the Sultanate, thus ending 623 years of Ottoman rule. The Treaty of Lausanne of 1923 led to the international
recognition of the sovereignty of the newly formed "Republic of Turkey" as the successor state of the Ottoman Empire, and the
republic was officially proclaimed on October 29, 1923, in the new capital of Ankara. Mustafa Kemal became the republic's first
president and subsequently introduced many radical reforms with the aim of founding a new secular republic from the remnants of its
Ottoman past. According to the Law on Family Names, the Turkish parliament presented Mustafa Kemal with the honorific name
"Atatürk" (Father of the Turks) in 1934. Turkey entered World War II on the side of the Allies on February 23, 1945 as a
ceremonial gesture and became a charter member of the United Nations in 1945. Difficulties faced by Greece after the war in
quelling a communist rebellion, along with demands by the Soviet Union for military bases in the Turkish Straits, prompted the
United States to declare the Truman Doctrine in 1947. The doctrine enunciated American intentions to guarantee the security of
Turkey and Greece, and resulted in large-scale US military and economic support. After participating with United Nations forces in
the Korean conflict, Turkey joined the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) in 1952, becoming a bulwark against Soviet
expansion into the Mediterranean. Following a decade of intercommunal violence on the island of Cyprus and the subsequent
Athens-inspired coup, Turkey intervened militarily in 1974. Nine years later Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) was
established. TRNC is recognised only by Turkey. Following the end of the single-party period in 1945, the multi-party period
witnessed tensions over the following decades, and the period between the 1960s and the 1980s was particularly marked by
periods of political instability that resulted in a number of military coups d'états in 1960, 1971, 1980 and a post-modern coup d'état
in 1997. The liberalization of the Turkish economy that started in the 1980s changed the landscape of the country, with successive
periods of high growth and crises punctuating the following decades.
Source: Wikipedia: Turkey
regions in the world due to its location at the intersection of Asia and Europe. The earliest Neolithic settlements such as Çatalhöyük
(Pottery Neolithic), Çayönü (Pre-Pottery Neolithic A to Pottery Neolithic), Nevali Cori (Pre-Pottery Neolithic B), Hacilar (Pottery
Neolithic), Göbekli Tepe (Pre-Pottery Neolithic A) and Mersin are considered to be among the earliest human settlements in the
world. The first major empire in the area was that of the Hittites, from the 18th through the 13th century BCE. Subsequently, the
Phrygians, an Indo-European people, achieved ascendancy until their kingdom was destroyed by the Cimmerians in the 7th century
BCE. The most powerful of Phrygia's successor states were Lydia, Caria and Lycia. The Lydians and Lycians spoke languages that
were fundamentally Indo-European, but both languages had acquired non-Indo-European elements prior to the Hittite and Hellenic
periods. The west coast of Anatolia was meanwhile settled by the Ionians, one of the ancient Greek peoples. The entire area was
conquered by the Persian Achaemenid Empire during the 6th and 5th centuries and later fell to Alexander the Great in 334 BCE.
Anatolia was subsequently divided into a number of small Hellenistic kingdoms (including Bithynia, Cappadocia, Pergamum, and
Pontus), all of which had succumbed to Rome by the mid-1st century BCE.[11] In 324 CE, the Roman emperor Constantine I
chose Byzantium to be the new capital of the Roman Empire, renaming it New Rome (later Constantinople and Istanbul). After the
fall of the Western Roman Empire, it became the capital of the Byzantine Empire (Eastern Roman Empire). The House of Seljuk
was a branch of the Kinik Oğuz Turks who in the 9th century resided on the periphery of the Muslim world, north of the Caspian
and Aral Seas in the Yabghu Khaganate of the Oğuz confederacy. In the 10th century, the Seljuks migrated from their ancestral
homelands into the eastern Anatolian regions that had been an area of settlement for Oğuz Turkic tribes since the end of the first
millennium. Following their victory over the Byzantine Empire in the Battle of Manzikert in 1071, the Turks began to abandon their
nomadic roots in favour of a permanent role in Anatolia, bringing rise to the Seljuk Empire. In 1243, the Seljuk armies were
defeated by the Mongols and the power of the empire slowly disintegrated. In its wake, one of the Turkish principalities governed
by Osman I was to evolve into the Ottoman Empire, thus filling the void left by the collapsed Seljuks and Byzantines. The Ottoman
Empire interacted with both Eastern and Western cultures throughout its 623-year history. In the 16th and 17th centuries, it was
among the world's most powerful political entities, often locking horns with the powers of eastern Europe in its steady advance
through the Balkans and the southern part of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth. Following years of decline, the Ottoman Empire
entered World War I through the Ottoman-German Alliance in 1914, and was ultimately defeated. After the war, the victorious
Allied Powers sought the dismemberment of the Ottoman state through the Treaty of Sèvres. The occupation of İstanbul and İzmir
by the Allies in the aftermath of World War I prompted the establishment of the Turkish national movement. Under the leadership of
Mustafa Kemal Pasha, a military commander who had distinguished himself during the Battle of Gallipoli, the Turkish War of
Independence was waged with the aim of revoking the terms of the Treaty of Sèvres. By September 18, 1922, the occupying
armies were repelled and the country saw the birth of the new Turkish state. On November 1, the newly founded parliament
formally abolished the Sultanate, thus ending 623 years of Ottoman rule. The Treaty of Lausanne of 1923 led to the international
recognition of the sovereignty of the newly formed "Republic of Turkey" as the successor state of the Ottoman Empire, and the
republic was officially proclaimed on October 29, 1923, in the new capital of Ankara. Mustafa Kemal became the republic's first
president and subsequently introduced many radical reforms with the aim of founding a new secular republic from the remnants of its
Ottoman past. According to the Law on Family Names, the Turkish parliament presented Mustafa Kemal with the honorific name
"Atatürk" (Father of the Turks) in 1934. Turkey entered World War II on the side of the Allies on February 23, 1945 as a
ceremonial gesture and became a charter member of the United Nations in 1945. Difficulties faced by Greece after the war in
quelling a communist rebellion, along with demands by the Soviet Union for military bases in the Turkish Straits, prompted the
United States to declare the Truman Doctrine in 1947. The doctrine enunciated American intentions to guarantee the security of
Turkey and Greece, and resulted in large-scale US military and economic support. After participating with United Nations forces in
the Korean conflict, Turkey joined the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) in 1952, becoming a bulwark against Soviet
expansion into the Mediterranean. Following a decade of intercommunal violence on the island of Cyprus and the subsequent
Athens-inspired coup, Turkey intervened militarily in 1974. Nine years later Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) was
established. TRNC is recognised only by Turkey. Following the end of the single-party period in 1945, the multi-party period
witnessed tensions over the following decades, and the period between the 1960s and the 1980s was particularly marked by
periods of political instability that resulted in a number of military coups d'états in 1960, 1971, 1980 and a post-modern coup d'état
in 1997. The liberalization of the Turkish economy that started in the 1980s changed the landscape of the country, with successive
periods of high growth and crises punctuating the following decades.
Source: Wikipedia: Turkey
| ECONOMIC OVERVIEW |
Turkey's dynamic economy is a complex mix of modern industry and commerce along with a traditional agriculture sector that still
accounts for about 30% of employment. It has a strong and rapidly growing private sector, and while the state remains a major
participant in basic industry, banking, transport, and communication, this role has been diminishing as Turkey's privatization program
continues. The largest industrial sector is textiles and clothing, which accounts for one-third of industrial employment; it faces stiff
competition in international markets with the end of the global quota system. However, other sectors, notably the automotive and
electronics industries, are rising in importance and have surpassed textiles within Turkey's export mix. Real GDP growth has
exceeded 6% in many years, but this strong expansion has been interrupted by sharp declines in output in 1994, 1999, and 2001.
Due to global economic conditions, GDP fell to a 0.9% annual rate in 2008, and contracted by about 6% in 2009. Inflation fell to
6.5% in 2009 - a 34-year low. Despite the strong economic gains from 2002-07, which were largely due to renewed investor
interest in emerging markets, IMF backing, and tighter fiscal policy, the economy has been burdened by a high current account
deficit and high external debt. Further economic and judicial reforms and prospective EU membership are expected to continue
boosting foreign direct investment. The stock value of FDI stood at more than $180 billion at year-end 2009. Privatization sales are
currently approaching $39 billion. Oil began to flow through the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan pipeline in May 2006, marking a major
milestone that will bring up to 1 million barrels per day from the Caspian to market. Several gas pipelines also are being planned to
help move Central Asian gas to Europe via Turkey. In 2007 and 2008, Turkish financial markets weathered significant domestic
political turmoil, including turbulence sparked by controversy over the selection of former Foreign Minister Abdullah GUL as
Turkey's 11th president and the possible closure of the Justice and Development Party (AKP). Turkey's financial markets and
banking system also weathered the 2009 global financial crisis and did not suffer significant declines due to banking and structural
reforms implemented during the country's own financial crisis in 2001. Economic fundamentals are sound, but the Turkish economy
may be faced with more negative economic indicators in 2010 as the global economic slowdown continues to curb demand for
Turkish exports. In addition, Turkey's relatively high current account deficit, uncertainty related to policy-making, and fiscal balances
leave the economy vulnerable to destabilizing shifts in investor confidence.
Source: CIA World Factbook (select Turkey)
accounts for about 30% of employment. It has a strong and rapidly growing private sector, and while the state remains a major
participant in basic industry, banking, transport, and communication, this role has been diminishing as Turkey's privatization program
continues. The largest industrial sector is textiles and clothing, which accounts for one-third of industrial employment; it faces stiff
competition in international markets with the end of the global quota system. However, other sectors, notably the automotive and
electronics industries, are rising in importance and have surpassed textiles within Turkey's export mix. Real GDP growth has
exceeded 6% in many years, but this strong expansion has been interrupted by sharp declines in output in 1994, 1999, and 2001.
Due to global economic conditions, GDP fell to a 0.9% annual rate in 2008, and contracted by about 6% in 2009. Inflation fell to
6.5% in 2009 - a 34-year low. Despite the strong economic gains from 2002-07, which were largely due to renewed investor
interest in emerging markets, IMF backing, and tighter fiscal policy, the economy has been burdened by a high current account
deficit and high external debt. Further economic and judicial reforms and prospective EU membership are expected to continue
boosting foreign direct investment. The stock value of FDI stood at more than $180 billion at year-end 2009. Privatization sales are
currently approaching $39 billion. Oil began to flow through the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan pipeline in May 2006, marking a major
milestone that will bring up to 1 million barrels per day from the Caspian to market. Several gas pipelines also are being planned to
help move Central Asian gas to Europe via Turkey. In 2007 and 2008, Turkish financial markets weathered significant domestic
political turmoil, including turbulence sparked by controversy over the selection of former Foreign Minister Abdullah GUL as
Turkey's 11th president and the possible closure of the Justice and Development Party (AKP). Turkey's financial markets and
banking system also weathered the 2009 global financial crisis and did not suffer significant declines due to banking and structural
reforms implemented during the country's own financial crisis in 2001. Economic fundamentals are sound, but the Turkish economy
may be faced with more negative economic indicators in 2010 as the global economic slowdown continues to curb demand for
Turkish exports. In addition, Turkey's relatively high current account deficit, uncertainty related to policy-making, and fiscal balances
leave the economy vulnerable to destabilizing shifts in investor confidence.
Source: CIA World Factbook (select Turkey)
| POLITICAL CLIMATE |
Turkey is a parliamentary representative democracy. Since its foundation as a republic in 1923, Turkey has developed a strong
tradition of secularism. Turkey's constitution governs the legal framework of the country. It sets out the main principles of
government and establishes Turkey as a unitary centralized state.
The head of state is the President of the Republic and has a largely ceremonial role. The president is elected for a seven-year term
by the parliament but is not required to be one of its members. The last President, Ahmet Necdet Sezer, was elected on May 16,
2000, after having served as the President of the Constitutional Court. He was succeeded on August 28, 2007 by Abdullah Gül.
Executive power is exercised by the Prime Minister and the Council of Ministers which make up the government, while the
legislative power is vested in the unicameral parliament, the Grand National Assembly of Turkey. The judiciary is independent of the
executive and the legislature, and the Constitutional Court is charged with ruling on the conformity of laws and decrees with the
constitution. The Council of State is the tribunal of last resort for administrative cases, and the High Court of Appeals for all others.
The Prime Minister is elected by the parliament through a vote of confidence in his government and is most often the head of the
party that has the most seats in parliament. The current Prime Minister is the former mayor of İstanbul, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan,
whose conservative AKP won an absolute majority of parliamentary seats in the 2002 general elections, organized in the aftermath
of the economic crisis of 2001, with 34% of the suffrage. In the 2007 general elections, AKP received 46.6% of the votes and
could defend its majority in parliament. Neither the Prime Minister nor the Ministers have to be members of the parliament, but in
most cases they are (one notable exception was Kemal Derviş, the Minister of State in Charge of Economy following the financial
crisis of 2001; he is currently the president of the United Nations Development Programme).
Source: Wikipedia: Politics of Turkey
tradition of secularism. Turkey's constitution governs the legal framework of the country. It sets out the main principles of
government and establishes Turkey as a unitary centralized state.
The head of state is the President of the Republic and has a largely ceremonial role. The president is elected for a seven-year term
by the parliament but is not required to be one of its members. The last President, Ahmet Necdet Sezer, was elected on May 16,
2000, after having served as the President of the Constitutional Court. He was succeeded on August 28, 2007 by Abdullah Gül.
Executive power is exercised by the Prime Minister and the Council of Ministers which make up the government, while the
legislative power is vested in the unicameral parliament, the Grand National Assembly of Turkey. The judiciary is independent of the
executive and the legislature, and the Constitutional Court is charged with ruling on the conformity of laws and decrees with the
constitution. The Council of State is the tribunal of last resort for administrative cases, and the High Court of Appeals for all others.
The Prime Minister is elected by the parliament through a vote of confidence in his government and is most often the head of the
party that has the most seats in parliament. The current Prime Minister is the former mayor of İstanbul, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan,
whose conservative AKP won an absolute majority of parliamentary seats in the 2002 general elections, organized in the aftermath
of the economic crisis of 2001, with 34% of the suffrage. In the 2007 general elections, AKP received 46.6% of the votes and
could defend its majority in parliament. Neither the Prime Minister nor the Ministers have to be members of the parliament, but in
most cases they are (one notable exception was Kemal Derviş, the Minister of State in Charge of Economy following the financial
crisis of 2001; he is currently the president of the United Nations Development Programme).
Source: Wikipedia: Politics of Turkey
| INTERNATIONAL DISPUTES |
Complex maritime, air, and territorial disputes with Greece in the Aegean Sea; status of north Cyprus question remains; Syria and
Iraq protest Turkish hydrological projects to control upper Euphrates waters; Turkey has expressed concern over the status of
Kurds in Iraq; border with Armenia remains closed over Nagorno-Karabakh
Iraq protest Turkish hydrological projects to control upper Euphrates waters; Turkey has expressed concern over the status of
Kurds in Iraq; border with Armenia remains closed over Nagorno-Karabakh
| REFUGEES AND INTERNALLY DISPLACED PERSONS (IDPS) |
IDPs: 1-1.2 million (fighting 1984-99 between Kurdish PKK and Turkish military; most IDPs in southeastern provinces) (2007)
| ILLICIT DRUGS |
Key transit route for Southwest Asian heroin to Western Europe and, to a lesser extent, the US - via air, land, and sea routes;
major Turkish and other international trafficking organizations operate out of Istanbul; laboratories to convert imported morphine
base into heroin exist in remote regions of Turkey and near Istanbul; government maintains strict controls over areas of legal
opium poppy cultivation and over output of poppy straw concentrate; lax enforcement of money-laundering controls.
major Turkish and other international trafficking organizations operate out of Istanbul; laboratories to convert imported morphine
base into heroin exist in remote regions of Turkey and near Istanbul; government maintains strict controls over areas of legal
opium poppy cultivation and over output of poppy straw concentrate; lax enforcement of money-laundering controls.
| HUMAN RIGHTS STATEMENTS, ANALYSIS AND CRITIQUES |
2009 Human Rights Report: Turkey
Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor
2009 Country Reports on Human Rights Practices
March 11, 2010
Turkey, with a population of approximately 72 million, is a constitutional republic with a multiparty parliamentary system and a president
with limited powers. In a 2007 referendum a majority of voters approved the direct popular election of future presidents for a maximum
of two five-year terms. Just prior to the referendum, the single-chamber parliament, the Turkish Grand National Assembly, elected
Abdullah Gul as president. The country held parliamentary elections in 2007 that were considered free and fair; the Justice and
Development Party (AKP) won the majority of seats and formed a one-party government under Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
Civilian authorities generally maintained effective control of the security forces.
There were reports of a number of human rights problems and abuses in the country.
The government amended the penal code on June 26 to prohibit trials of civilians in military courts. There were also positive
developments during the year with respect to freedom of expression and the use of Kurdish and other non-Turkish languages, including
the following: a substantial decrease in the number of prosecutions and convictions based on article 301, which prohibits insults to the
"Turkish state"; the formal launch of a 24-hour Kurdish-language state television station on January 1; broadcasts in Armenian on state
television for half an hour twice a day on April 2; new regulations on November 13 allowing for 24-hour private television stations to
broadcast in languages other than Turkish; new prison regulations in November allowing prisoners to speak languages other than Turkish
with their visitors; and approval in September of a university department to teach the Kurdish language among other "living" languages.
Click here to read more »
Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor
2009 Country Reports on Human Rights Practices
March 11, 2010
Turkey, with a population of approximately 72 million, is a constitutional republic with a multiparty parliamentary system and a president
with limited powers. In a 2007 referendum a majority of voters approved the direct popular election of future presidents for a maximum
of two five-year terms. Just prior to the referendum, the single-chamber parliament, the Turkish Grand National Assembly, elected
Abdullah Gul as president. The country held parliamentary elections in 2007 that were considered free and fair; the Justice and
Development Party (AKP) won the majority of seats and formed a one-party government under Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
Civilian authorities generally maintained effective control of the security forces.
There were reports of a number of human rights problems and abuses in the country.
- Security forces committed unlawful killings; the number of arrests and prosecutions in these cases was low compared with the
number of incidents, and convictions remained rare. - During the year human rights organizations reported cases of torture, beatings, and abuse by security forces.
- Prison conditions improved but remained poor, with chronic overcrowding and insufficient staff training.
- Law enforcement officials did not always provide detainees immediate access to attorneys as required by law.
- There were reports that some officials in the elected government and state bureaucracy at times made statements that some
observers believed influenced the independence of the judiciary. - The overly close relationship of judges and prosecutors continued to hinder the right to a fair trial.
- Excessively long trials were a problem.
- The government limited freedom of expression through the use of constitutional restrictions and numerous laws and through the
application of tax fines against media conglomerates. - There were limitations on Internet freedom.
- Courts and an independent board ordered telecommunications providers to block access to websites on numerous occasions.
- Some religious groups were restricted from practicing their religion openly, owning property, and training leaders.
- Violence against women, including honor killings and rape, remained a widespread problem.
- Child marriage persisted, despite laws prohibiting it.
- Some cases of official corruption contributed to trafficking in persons for labor and sexual exploitation.
The government amended the penal code on June 26 to prohibit trials of civilians in military courts. There were also positive
developments during the year with respect to freedom of expression and the use of Kurdish and other non-Turkish languages, including
the following: a substantial decrease in the number of prosecutions and convictions based on article 301, which prohibits insults to the
"Turkish state"; the formal launch of a 24-hour Kurdish-language state television station on January 1; broadcasts in Armenian on state
television for half an hour twice a day on April 2; new regulations on November 13 allowing for 24-hour private television stations to
broadcast in languages other than Turkish; new prison regulations in November allowing prisoners to speak languages other than Turkish
with their visitors; and approval in September of a university department to teach the Kurdish language among other "living" languages.
Click here to read more »
16 August 2010
Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women
Forty-sixth session
12-30 July 2010
Concluding observations of the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women
Turkey
Introduction
2. The Committee expresses its appreciation to the State party for its sixth periodic report, which was well structured. The Committee
notes with appreciation that the report was prepared in a participatory process involving Government bodies and non-governmental
organizations. The Committee also expresses its appreciation to the State party for its written replies to the list of issues and questions
raised by the pre-session working group. The Committee regrets, however, that the report was submitted with some delay and does not
adequately take into account the Committee’s previous concluding observations, nor does it refer to its general recommendations. The
Committee also notes that the report provides only limited updated statistical data disaggregated by sex on the situation of women in many
areas covered by the Convention.
Positive aspects
4. The Committee commends the State party for the withdrawal of its declaration on article 9, paragraph 1, of the Convention in January
2008 following the amendments to the Turkish Citizenship Law.
5. The Committee welcomes the progress achieved since the consideration of the State party’s combined fourth and fifth periodic report
in 2005 (CEDAW/C/TUR/4-5 and Corr.1), including the legislative reforms that have been undertaken and the adoption of a wide range
of legislative measures, policies and programmes to promote gender equality and eliminate discrimination against women. Specific
reference is made to the amendments to the Penal Code to combat violence against women, the amendment to the Law on the Protection
of the Family, which includes legal protection for family members living apart or legally separated, and the Law on Child Protection,
which ensures the provision of shelters to pregnant women at risk and victims of violence among others. Specific reference is also made
to the adoption of action plans, such as the Gender Equality National Action Plan, the Sexual and Reproductive Health National Strategic
Action Plan for the Health Sector, the National Action Plan for Combating Domestic Violence against Women and the Second National
Action Plan to Combat Trafficking.
Principal areas of concern and recommendations
8. The Committee recalls the State party’s obligation to systematically and continuously implement all the provisions of the Convention
on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women and views the concerns and recommendations identified in the present
concluding observations as requiring the State party’s priority attention between now and the submission of the next periodic report.
Consequently, the Committee urges the State party to focus on those areas in its implementation activities and to report on action taken
and results achieved in its next periodic report. It calls upon the State party to submit the present concluding observations to all relevant
ministries, Parliament and the judiciary, in order to ensure their full implementation.
Click here to read more »
Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women
Forty-sixth session
12-30 July 2010
Concluding observations of the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women
Turkey
Introduction
2. The Committee expresses its appreciation to the State party for its sixth periodic report, which was well structured. The Committee
notes with appreciation that the report was prepared in a participatory process involving Government bodies and non-governmental
organizations. The Committee also expresses its appreciation to the State party for its written replies to the list of issues and questions
raised by the pre-session working group. The Committee regrets, however, that the report was submitted with some delay and does not
adequately take into account the Committee’s previous concluding observations, nor does it refer to its general recommendations. The
Committee also notes that the report provides only limited updated statistical data disaggregated by sex on the situation of women in many
areas covered by the Convention.
Positive aspects
4. The Committee commends the State party for the withdrawal of its declaration on article 9, paragraph 1, of the Convention in January
2008 following the amendments to the Turkish Citizenship Law.
5. The Committee welcomes the progress achieved since the consideration of the State party’s combined fourth and fifth periodic report
in 2005 (CEDAW/C/TUR/4-5 and Corr.1), including the legislative reforms that have been undertaken and the adoption of a wide range
of legislative measures, policies and programmes to promote gender equality and eliminate discrimination against women. Specific
reference is made to the amendments to the Penal Code to combat violence against women, the amendment to the Law on the Protection
of the Family, which includes legal protection for family members living apart or legally separated, and the Law on Child Protection,
which ensures the provision of shelters to pregnant women at risk and victims of violence among others. Specific reference is also made
to the adoption of action plans, such as the Gender Equality National Action Plan, the Sexual and Reproductive Health National Strategic
Action Plan for the Health Sector, the National Action Plan for Combating Domestic Violence against Women and the Second National
Action Plan to Combat Trafficking.
Principal areas of concern and recommendations
8. The Committee recalls the State party’s obligation to systematically and continuously implement all the provisions of the Convention
on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women and views the concerns and recommendations identified in the present
concluding observations as requiring the State party’s priority attention between now and the submission of the next periodic report.
Consequently, the Committee urges the State party to focus on those areas in its implementation activities and to report on action taken
and results achieved in its next periodic report. It calls upon the State party to submit the present concluding observations to all relevant
ministries, Parliament and the judiciary, in order to ensure their full implementation.
Click here to read more »
Freedom In The World 2010 Report
Political Rights Score: 3
Civil Liberties Score: 3
Status: Partly Free
Trend Arrow
Turkey received a downward trend arrow due to the Constitutional Court’s decision to ban the pro-Kurdish Democratic
Society Party.
Overview
The government in 2009 made promising overtures to Kurdish separatists in the southeast, raising hopes for an end to fighting and an
expansion of Kurdish rights. However, violent protests erupted late in the year after the Constitutional Court banned the major pro-
Kurdish party in December. Also in 2009, the government continued its expansive investigation into an alleged right-wing conspiracy to
trigger a military coup.
In an October 2007 referendum, voters approved constitutional amendments that, among other changes, reduced the presidential term to
five years with a possibility for reelection, provided for future presidents to be elected by popular vote, and cut the parliamentary term to
four years. The new parliament began drafting a new constitution, but progress later stalled.
In 2008, long-standing tensions between the AK government and entrenched, secularist officials erupted into an ongoing investigation
focused on an alleged secretive ultranationalist group called Ergenekon. A total of 194 people were charged in three indictments in 2008
and 2009, including military officers, academics, journalists, and union leaders. A trial against 86 people began in October 2008, and a
second trial against 56 people began in July 2009. Ergenekon was blamed for the 2006 bombing of a secularist newspaper and a court
shooting that killed a judge the same year; its alleged goal was to raise the specter of Islamist violence so as to provoke a political
intervention by the military. Critics argued that the government was using the far-reaching case to punish its opponents.
The government in 2009 made positive overtures to the Kurdish Workers’ Party (PKK), a separatist group that has fought a decades-
long guerrilla war against government forces in the southeast. The moves raised hopes of a permanent ceasefire; an earlier halt in
fighting had lasted from 1999 to 2004. However, the state’s relations with the Kurdish minority suffered a serious blow in December,
when the Constitutional Court banned the DTP on the grounds that it had become “a focal point for terrorism.”
Turkey is an electoral democracy. The 1982 constitution provides for a 550-seat unicameral parliament, the Grand National Assembly.
Reforms approved in a 2007 referendum reduced members’ terms from five to four years. The changes also envision direct presidential
elections for a once-renewable, five-year term, replacing the existing system of presidential election by the parliament for a single seven-
year term. The president appoints the prime minister from among the members of parliament. The prime minister is head of government,
while the president has powers including a legislative veto and the authority to appoint judges and prosecutors. The July 2007 elections
were widely judged to have been free and fair, with reports of more open debate on traditionally sensitive issues.
Click here to read more »
Political Rights Score: 3
Civil Liberties Score: 3
Status: Partly Free
Trend Arrow
Turkey received a downward trend arrow due to the Constitutional Court’s decision to ban the pro-Kurdish Democratic
Society Party.
Overview
The government in 2009 made promising overtures to Kurdish separatists in the southeast, raising hopes for an end to fighting and an
expansion of Kurdish rights. However, violent protests erupted late in the year after the Constitutional Court banned the major pro-
Kurdish party in December. Also in 2009, the government continued its expansive investigation into an alleged right-wing conspiracy to
trigger a military coup.
In an October 2007 referendum, voters approved constitutional amendments that, among other changes, reduced the presidential term to
five years with a possibility for reelection, provided for future presidents to be elected by popular vote, and cut the parliamentary term to
four years. The new parliament began drafting a new constitution, but progress later stalled.
In 2008, long-standing tensions between the AK government and entrenched, secularist officials erupted into an ongoing investigation
focused on an alleged secretive ultranationalist group called Ergenekon. A total of 194 people were charged in three indictments in 2008
and 2009, including military officers, academics, journalists, and union leaders. A trial against 86 people began in October 2008, and a
second trial against 56 people began in July 2009. Ergenekon was blamed for the 2006 bombing of a secularist newspaper and a court
shooting that killed a judge the same year; its alleged goal was to raise the specter of Islamist violence so as to provoke a political
intervention by the military. Critics argued that the government was using the far-reaching case to punish its opponents.
The government in 2009 made positive overtures to the Kurdish Workers’ Party (PKK), a separatist group that has fought a decades-
long guerrilla war against government forces in the southeast. The moves raised hopes of a permanent ceasefire; an earlier halt in
fighting had lasted from 1999 to 2004. However, the state’s relations with the Kurdish minority suffered a serious blow in December,
when the Constitutional Court banned the DTP on the grounds that it had become “a focal point for terrorism.”
Turkey is an electoral democracy. The 1982 constitution provides for a 550-seat unicameral parliament, the Grand National Assembly.
Reforms approved in a 2007 referendum reduced members’ terms from five to four years. The changes also envision direct presidential
elections for a once-renewable, five-year term, replacing the existing system of presidential election by the parliament for a single seven-
year term. The president appoints the prime minister from among the members of parliament. The prime minister is head of government,
while the president has powers including a legislative veto and the authority to appoint judges and prosecutors. The July 2007 elections
were widely judged to have been free and fair, with reports of more open debate on traditionally sensitive issues.
Click here to read more »
Document - Turkey: Briefing to the Committee against Torture
21 October 2010
Amnesty International
Introduction
This briefing is submitted to the Committee against Torture (the Committee) in view of its consideration of Turkey’s third periodic
report on its implementation of the Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment (the
Convention) in November 2010. This briefing responds partly to the list of issues (CAT/C/TUR/Q/3) adopted by the Committee in
February 2008 and also summarizes some of Amnesty International’s additional concerns about Turkey’s failure to implement some of
its obligations under the Convention.
In particular Amnesty International is concerned regarding the continued practice of torture and other ill-treatment which is occurring in
official places of detention including pre-charge detention and in prisons as well as outside official places of detention. Turkey’s failure
to ratify OPCAT, to establish domestic independent human rights institutions and weaknesses in areas of domestic law result in
insufficient protection and violation of the rights of detainees. The lack of implementation of existing provisions of domestic law leaves
detainees at greater risk of ill-treatment.
Unfair prosecutions of children under the age of 18 under anti-terrorism legislation both in adult and children’s courts following their
alleged participation in demonstrations highlight weaknesses in the protection of the rights of children, including against torture and other
ill-treatment.
The continued failure to conduct prompt, impartial and effective investigations into alleged human rights violations by law enforcement
officials and the conduct of the courts in cases involving alleged human rights violations by such officials, seldom bringing those
accused to justice, means that strengthened laws against torture and other treatment still do not represent an effective deterrent against
torture and other ill-treatment and a culture of impunity for such violations of human rights remains.
Article 2
In reference to question 1, regarding the ability of detainees to access safeguards against ill-treatment and torture:
Unofficial detention: lack of access to lawyers and to inform families or have them informed and ill-treatment
Amnesty International continues to receive reports of persons being deprived of their liberty and held in unrecorded pre-charge detention
in police custody before they are officially recorded as having been taken into custody. This practice has the effect of removing people
from the protection of law; during such period the person is not able to inform or have informed their families of their detention or to
have access to legal assistance.
Click here to read more »
21 October 2010
Amnesty International
Introduction
This briefing is submitted to the Committee against Torture (the Committee) in view of its consideration of Turkey’s third periodic
report on its implementation of the Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment (the
Convention) in November 2010. This briefing responds partly to the list of issues (CAT/C/TUR/Q/3) adopted by the Committee in
February 2008 and also summarizes some of Amnesty International’s additional concerns about Turkey’s failure to implement some of
its obligations under the Convention.
In particular Amnesty International is concerned regarding the continued practice of torture and other ill-treatment which is occurring in
official places of detention including pre-charge detention and in prisons as well as outside official places of detention. Turkey’s failure
to ratify OPCAT, to establish domestic independent human rights institutions and weaknesses in areas of domestic law result in
insufficient protection and violation of the rights of detainees. The lack of implementation of existing provisions of domestic law leaves
detainees at greater risk of ill-treatment.
Unfair prosecutions of children under the age of 18 under anti-terrorism legislation both in adult and children’s courts following their
alleged participation in demonstrations highlight weaknesses in the protection of the rights of children, including against torture and other
ill-treatment.
The continued failure to conduct prompt, impartial and effective investigations into alleged human rights violations by law enforcement
officials and the conduct of the courts in cases involving alleged human rights violations by such officials, seldom bringing those
accused to justice, means that strengthened laws against torture and other treatment still do not represent an effective deterrent against
torture and other ill-treatment and a culture of impunity for such violations of human rights remains.
Article 2
In reference to question 1, regarding the ability of detainees to access safeguards against ill-treatment and torture:
Unofficial detention: lack of access to lawyers and to inform families or have them informed and ill-treatment
Amnesty International continues to receive reports of persons being deprived of their liberty and held in unrecorded pre-charge detention
in police custody before they are officially recorded as having been taken into custody. This practice has the effect of removing people
from the protection of law; during such period the person is not able to inform or have informed their families of their detention or to
have access to legal assistance.
Click here to read more »
Turkey: Drop Charges Against Transgender Rights Defenders
Five Activists Assaulted by Police, then Charged With Resisting Arrest
October 18, 2010
Prosecutors should investigate the attacks against five transgender rights activists by police in Ankara and drop all charges against the
activists, five human rights organizations said today. In a letter to Turkey's Interior and Justice ministers, the rights organizations said
that the police officers responsible for the attack should be held accountable and called for an end to violence against toward transgender
people.
The five activists from the Ankara-based transgender rights organization Pembe Hayat were arbitrarily detained and beaten by police
officers on May 17, 2010. Following a familiar pattern in Turkey, the five were speedily charged with resisting the police, before the
prosecutor had concluded an investigation into their complaint of ill-treatment. Their trial is set for October 21. If convicted, they face
up to three years in prison.
"Police ought to protect transgender people and their advocates, not attack them," said Hossein Alizadeh, Middle East and North Africa
regional coordinator at the International Gay and Lesbian Human Rights Commission. "When police turn into perpetrators, it becomes
painfully clear that official apathy allows leeway for attacks on transgender people."
The letter to the Justice and Interior ministers was signed by the International Gay and Lesbian Human Rights Commission (IGLHRC),
Human Rights Watch, COC Netherlands, GATE - Global Advocates for Trans Equality, and the European Region of the International
Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans & Intersex Association (ILGA-Europe).
Four police officers from the Esat Police Station stopped the car the in which the activists were riding at about 10:30 p.m. on May 17
and accused them of intending to commit sex work. The women -Yesim (Duru) Tatlıoğlu, Buse (Bülent) Kılıçkaya, Turkan (Deniz)
Kücükkoçak, Selay (Derya) Tunç, and Eser (Nehir) Ulus - phoned for help, prompting 25 local human rights observers to go to the
scene. The police forced the five activists out of the car, beat them with batons, kicked them and sprayed them with tear gas. Witnesses
told the human rights organizations that the police screamed at the activists, "[f]aggots, next time we will kill you!"
"The Turkish government is turning us trans people into criminals, for no other reason than existing. Being trans in Turkey means being
judged and condemned just because of what we are," said Mauro Cabral, co-director of Global Advocates for Trans Equality (GATE).
"We are the crime: the government abuses us and forces us to live and die outside of the law, instead of protecting us."
Click here to read more »
Five Activists Assaulted by Police, then Charged With Resisting Arrest
October 18, 2010
Prosecutors should investigate the attacks against five transgender rights activists by police in Ankara and drop all charges against the
activists, five human rights organizations said today. In a letter to Turkey's Interior and Justice ministers, the rights organizations said
that the police officers responsible for the attack should be held accountable and called for an end to violence against toward transgender
people.
The five activists from the Ankara-based transgender rights organization Pembe Hayat were arbitrarily detained and beaten by police
officers on May 17, 2010. Following a familiar pattern in Turkey, the five were speedily charged with resisting the police, before the
prosecutor had concluded an investigation into their complaint of ill-treatment. Their trial is set for October 21. If convicted, they face
up to three years in prison.
"Police ought to protect transgender people and their advocates, not attack them," said Hossein Alizadeh, Middle East and North Africa
regional coordinator at the International Gay and Lesbian Human Rights Commission. "When police turn into perpetrators, it becomes
painfully clear that official apathy allows leeway for attacks on transgender people."
The letter to the Justice and Interior ministers was signed by the International Gay and Lesbian Human Rights Commission (IGLHRC),
Human Rights Watch, COC Netherlands, GATE - Global Advocates for Trans Equality, and the European Region of the International
Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans & Intersex Association (ILGA-Europe).
Four police officers from the Esat Police Station stopped the car the in which the activists were riding at about 10:30 p.m. on May 17
and accused them of intending to commit sex work. The women -Yesim (Duru) Tatlıoğlu, Buse (Bülent) Kılıçkaya, Turkan (Deniz)
Kücükkoçak, Selay (Derya) Tunç, and Eser (Nehir) Ulus - phoned for help, prompting 25 local human rights observers to go to the
scene. The police forced the five activists out of the car, beat them with batons, kicked them and sprayed them with tear gas. Witnesses
told the human rights organizations that the police screamed at the activists, "[f]aggots, next time we will kill you!"
"The Turkish government is turning us trans people into criminals, for no other reason than existing. Being trans in Turkey means being
judged and condemned just because of what we are," said Mauro Cabral, co-director of Global Advocates for Trans Equality (GATE).
"We are the crime: the government abuses us and forces us to live and die outside of the law, instead of protecting us."
Click here to read more »
Statement by Mr. Fazlı Çorman,
Charge d’Affaires a.i., Deputy Permanent Representative, Permanent Mission of Turkey to the United Nations
65th General Assembly
Third Committee
Agenda Item: “Rights of children’’
New York, 15 October 2010
Mr. Chairman,
Safeguarding and increasing the wellbeing of the children is one of humanity’s most profound responsibilities. With this understanding,
Turkey endeavors to do her utmost to continue to promote the rights of the children and to improve their living conditions.
Turkey is party to the Convention on the Rights of the Child as well as the Optional Protocol on the Sale of Children, Child Prostitution
and Child Pornography and the Optional Protocol on the Involvement of Children in Armed Conflicts.
With an amendment to the Constitution in 2004, supremacy was given to international conventions concerning fundamental rights and
freedoms, including the Convention on the Rights of the Child, over all national laws. In accordance with this amendment, existing laws
will have to be interpreted in the light of provisions and principles of this Convention.
Turkey is also party to United Nations Convention against Transnational Organized Crime and the Additional Protocol against the
Smuggling of Migrants by Land, Sea and Air as well as the Additional Protocol to Prevent, Suppress and Punish Trafficking in Persons,
Especially Women and Children, ILO Conventions against Child Labor (Conventions No. 138 and 182).
The Convention on the Rights of the Child and its two optional Protocols provides the legal basis and guides efforts of the international
community. This year, we celebrate the 10th anniversary of the Optional Protocols to the Convention on the Rights of the Child and we
wish to see an increase in the number of States Party to the two Optional Protocols, which remains comparatively low.
The principle of the best interest of the child, which is considered an umbrella right of the Convention on the Rights of the Child, has
been granted a constitutional safeguard. This concept requires the protection of the rights of the child and that the child will be heard
when deemed necessary, in all decision-making processes involving children, including administrative and legal proceedings as well as
legislative and policy-making processes.
It is now a constitutional duty of the State to take the necessary measures for the protection of children against all sorts of child abuse.
Hence, certain rights contained in the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, the Council of Europe Convention on the Exercise of
Children’s Rights and similar international instruments have become an integral part of the Constitution.
Click here to read more »
Charge d’Affaires a.i., Deputy Permanent Representative, Permanent Mission of Turkey to the United Nations
65th General Assembly
Third Committee
Agenda Item: “Rights of children’’
New York, 15 October 2010
Mr. Chairman,
Safeguarding and increasing the wellbeing of the children is one of humanity’s most profound responsibilities. With this understanding,
Turkey endeavors to do her utmost to continue to promote the rights of the children and to improve their living conditions.
Turkey is party to the Convention on the Rights of the Child as well as the Optional Protocol on the Sale of Children, Child Prostitution
and Child Pornography and the Optional Protocol on the Involvement of Children in Armed Conflicts.
With an amendment to the Constitution in 2004, supremacy was given to international conventions concerning fundamental rights and
freedoms, including the Convention on the Rights of the Child, over all national laws. In accordance with this amendment, existing laws
will have to be interpreted in the light of provisions and principles of this Convention.
Turkey is also party to United Nations Convention against Transnational Organized Crime and the Additional Protocol against the
Smuggling of Migrants by Land, Sea and Air as well as the Additional Protocol to Prevent, Suppress and Punish Trafficking in Persons,
Especially Women and Children, ILO Conventions against Child Labor (Conventions No. 138 and 182).
The Convention on the Rights of the Child and its two optional Protocols provides the legal basis and guides efforts of the international
community. This year, we celebrate the 10th anniversary of the Optional Protocols to the Convention on the Rights of the Child and we
wish to see an increase in the number of States Party to the two Optional Protocols, which remains comparatively low.
The principle of the best interest of the child, which is considered an umbrella right of the Convention on the Rights of the Child, has
been granted a constitutional safeguard. This concept requires the protection of the rights of the child and that the child will be heard
when deemed necessary, in all decision-making processes involving children, including administrative and legal proceedings as well as
legislative and policy-making processes.
It is now a constitutional duty of the State to take the necessary measures for the protection of children against all sorts of child abuse.
Hence, certain rights contained in the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, the Council of Europe Convention on the Exercise of
Children’s Rights and similar international instruments have become an integral part of the Constitution.
Click here to read more »
HUMAN RIGHTS AND TURKEY
Saturday, 17 July 2010
Today is very important day for us. We are excited and delighted.
As we are celebrating the 24th anniversary of the IHD and the 20th anniversary of the HRFT which we pioneered to establish, we are
also actualizing the inaugural of the IHD Human Rights Academy. Respectfully I salute and thank you all for your attendance to our
celebrations. I shall make my speech about the main context of the human rights and Turkey.
Along with the EU process, the Republic of Turkey experiences transitional stage in a harsh way to have a democratic character by
eluding its own oligarchic character gradually. What is situation of the Republic in terms of the human rights?
The understanding of such Republic is grounded on a typical ideological nation-state structure which tries to exist by implementations
based on Turkish ethnicity and Sunni Islam understanding. This understanding causes more violations of human rights in the 21st
Century, such as non-discrimination principle, freedom of thought and faith, freedom of expression, cultural rights, right to life,
prohibition of torture, freedom of association, personal security, political rights, identity rights, rights of prisoner, etc.
It is necessary to install a constitution based on the plurality principle accepting all different ethnicities, religious and language groups in
order to acquire the democratic character for the Republic. In such understanding of democracy, the principle of transparency shall be
implemented by abolishing military guardianship and the principle of participation that strengthens decentralization shall be realized. Thus,
Turkey has still serious problems with the democracy. In such country where has problems with democracy, the human rights are not
secured eventually.
We should examine the human rights policies of the state and government. Starting from the 9/11, security policies that are dominated all
over the world are being actively implemented in Turkey. The view on human rights is based on the security question. The fact that the
Minister related with the human rights is also responsible for the security issues is one of the most important indicators of such
understanding. In Turkey, still there are no national human rights institutions based on the UN Paris Principles. As human rights
organizations and human rights defenders, we cannot figure out the results of our interventions. In Turkey, the Anti-Discrimination Law
and Equality Commission do not exist. Even though we also participated to related studies, we are also concerned about shape of last
version of the draft.
Click here to read more »
Saturday, 17 July 2010
Today is very important day for us. We are excited and delighted.
As we are celebrating the 24th anniversary of the IHD and the 20th anniversary of the HRFT which we pioneered to establish, we are
also actualizing the inaugural of the IHD Human Rights Academy. Respectfully I salute and thank you all for your attendance to our
celebrations. I shall make my speech about the main context of the human rights and Turkey.
Along with the EU process, the Republic of Turkey experiences transitional stage in a harsh way to have a democratic character by
eluding its own oligarchic character gradually. What is situation of the Republic in terms of the human rights?
The understanding of such Republic is grounded on a typical ideological nation-state structure which tries to exist by implementations
based on Turkish ethnicity and Sunni Islam understanding. This understanding causes more violations of human rights in the 21st
Century, such as non-discrimination principle, freedom of thought and faith, freedom of expression, cultural rights, right to life,
prohibition of torture, freedom of association, personal security, political rights, identity rights, rights of prisoner, etc.
It is necessary to install a constitution based on the plurality principle accepting all different ethnicities, religious and language groups in
order to acquire the democratic character for the Republic. In such understanding of democracy, the principle of transparency shall be
implemented by abolishing military guardianship and the principle of participation that strengthens decentralization shall be realized. Thus,
Turkey has still serious problems with the democracy. In such country where has problems with democracy, the human rights are not
secured eventually.
We should examine the human rights policies of the state and government. Starting from the 9/11, security policies that are dominated all
over the world are being actively implemented in Turkey. The view on human rights is based on the security question. The fact that the
Minister related with the human rights is also responsible for the security issues is one of the most important indicators of such
understanding. In Turkey, still there are no national human rights institutions based on the UN Paris Principles. As human rights
organizations and human rights defenders, we cannot figure out the results of our interventions. In Turkey, the Anti-Discrimination Law
and Equality Commission do not exist. Even though we also participated to related studies, we are also concerned about shape of last
version of the draft.
Click here to read more »
KHRP Calls for Turkey to Step-up Women’s Rights Ahead of CEDAW Review
21 July 2010
As the 46th session of the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women turns its attention to the situation of women in
Turkey on 21 July, KHRP wishes to highlight the need for a step-change in Turkey’s approach to tackling discrimination. Progressive
legislative changes, though welcome, are woefully inadequate to address the vast inequalities between men and women in the country.
KHRP believes that a demonstrated commitment of financial resources, expert personnel, training, and strict interpretation of the law, are
urgently required to ensure that in the eyes of the law and their communities, Turkey’s women and girls are on par with Turkey’s men
and boys.
As outlined in KHRP’s recent shadow report on Turkey’s compliance with the UN Convention on the Elimination for Discrimination
against Women (CEDAW), Turkey did not provide any data to the Committee on how and whether recent administrative and legislative
reforms have reduced discrimination against women or truly improved their status in society. On the contrary, KHRP has consistently
heard from varied local women’s rights groups that they still struggle against age-old community attitudes that are frequently accepted or
even shared by government officials, judges and opinion leaders. Moreover, indifference towards violence against women, as
demonstrated in KHRP’s trial observation of Kerem Çakan, seems to be pervasive throughout all levels of the criminal justice system and
points not only to inadequacies in the government’s provision of training for law-enforcement officials, but also its failure to create
penalties for non-compliance with the law.
What is more, strategies for reducing discrimination, especially in the field of education, albeit crucial for the integration process, have
continued to fall short of the mark. Girls are typically afforded fewer educational opportunities and are more likely to be withdrawn from
school at a young age. Indeed, Kurdish women and girls tend to face an uphill battle, since they often enter school not speaking Turkish,
and are not given an option of being educated in their mother tongue or being taught in a manner that supports learning in a new
language. And because of the language barrier, those who lack formal education often cannot access basic public services. This not only
undermines awareness of the legal remedies available to Kurdish women, but also their autonomy and confidence in making decisions
regarding ordinary, yet decisive matters, such as employment or health care.
Click here to read more>>
21 July 2010
As the 46th session of the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women turns its attention to the situation of women in
Turkey on 21 July, KHRP wishes to highlight the need for a step-change in Turkey’s approach to tackling discrimination. Progressive
legislative changes, though welcome, are woefully inadequate to address the vast inequalities between men and women in the country.
KHRP believes that a demonstrated commitment of financial resources, expert personnel, training, and strict interpretation of the law, are
urgently required to ensure that in the eyes of the law and their communities, Turkey’s women and girls are on par with Turkey’s men
and boys.
As outlined in KHRP’s recent shadow report on Turkey’s compliance with the UN Convention on the Elimination for Discrimination
against Women (CEDAW), Turkey did not provide any data to the Committee on how and whether recent administrative and legislative
reforms have reduced discrimination against women or truly improved their status in society. On the contrary, KHRP has consistently
heard from varied local women’s rights groups that they still struggle against age-old community attitudes that are frequently accepted or
even shared by government officials, judges and opinion leaders. Moreover, indifference towards violence against women, as
demonstrated in KHRP’s trial observation of Kerem Çakan, seems to be pervasive throughout all levels of the criminal justice system and
points not only to inadequacies in the government’s provision of training for law-enforcement officials, but also its failure to create
penalties for non-compliance with the law.
What is more, strategies for reducing discrimination, especially in the field of education, albeit crucial for the integration process, have
continued to fall short of the mark. Girls are typically afforded fewer educational opportunities and are more likely to be withdrawn from
school at a young age. Indeed, Kurdish women and girls tend to face an uphill battle, since they often enter school not speaking Turkish,
and are not given an option of being educated in their mother tongue or being taught in a manner that supports learning in a new
language. And because of the language barrier, those who lack formal education often cannot access basic public services. This not only
undermines awareness of the legal remedies available to Kurdish women, but also their autonomy and confidence in making decisions
regarding ordinary, yet decisive matters, such as employment or health care.
Click here to read more>>
| Click map for larger view |
| Click flag for Country Report |
Abdullah Gul
President since 28 August 2007
President since 28 August 2007
| TRAFFICKING IN PERSONS |
None reported.
Bulent Arinc
Deputy Prime Minister since 1 May 2009
Deputy Prime Minister since 1 May 2009
Ali Babacan
Deputy Prime Minister since 1 May 2009
Deputy Prime Minister since 1 May 2009
Cemil Cicek
Deputy Prime Minister since 29 August 2007
Deputy Prime Minister since 29 August 2007
