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USIA - Human Rights Situation in Turkey Detailed, 97-02-21

United States Information Agency: Selected Articles Directory - Previous Article - Next Article

From: The United States Information Agency (USIA) Gopher at <gopher://gopher.usia.gov>


HUMAN RIGHTS SITUATION IN TURKEY DETAILED

(Progress and problems cited) (630)

By David Pitts
USIA Staff Writer

Washington -- Turkey has made progress on human rights over the last year, but problems remain, Steve Coffey, principal deputy assistant secretary for democracy, human rights, and labor, said February 21.

Speaking on U.S.-Turkish relations at the Annual Conference of the American- Turkish Council, Coffey said there are three main problem areas as far as human rights are concerned in Turkey:

  • Freedom of expression. The government has enforced laws that "we feel criminalize speech," Coffey said. He cited the cases of specific individuals and also indicated that 135 journalists had been detained under these laws, 11 of whom had been arrested. In addition, he noted that "Kurdish language broadcasts remain illegal."
  • Torture. Coffey quoted the reports of human rights organizations indicating "a number of deaths under suspicious circumstances." He also cited a report last December issued by the Council of Europe critical of instances of torture in Turkey, particularly in prisons.
  • Abuses in Southeastern Turkey. Coffey criticized government "abuses," particularly the forcible removal of local inhabitants from their villages. Although he said the estimates of forcible removals are down from an initially estimated two million to perhaps 500,000, "that is still a large number of people." However, the State Department official stressed U.S. condemnation for "any terrorist attacks" by the PKK. He said he wanted to make it "absolutely clear" the United States "is not defending" the PKK.

On the positive side, Coffey cited "substantial efforts" by the Turkish government to address these problems:

  • The 1995 Anti-Terrorism Law "was amended" to improve freedom of expression, Coffey said. Together with other measures, "important steps" have now been taken "to decriminalize freedom of speech," he added. He also pointed out that Turkey has a "vibrant media" which is "not true" in many other countries.
  • Pre-Trial Detention. The government has proposed legislation "to reduce pre-trial detention," Coffey said. This, and other measures, if adopted, "would significantly reduce" the potential for torture and other abuses, he added. In addition, he said the government "has expanded" human rights training for the police and the military.
  • Resettlement of local inhabitants. As of last October, the United States estimates that as many as 17,000 people have returned to their villages, Coffey said. There is a program "to expedite" resettlement in the southeast, he added. Also, he said the state of emergency in one of the ten provinces in the region has been lifted.

With the new government in place, there are "additional opportunities" to make further progress, Coffey noted.

"We commend the government of Turkey for all of these efforts in all of these areas," Coffey said. He emphasized that the purpose of the annual State Department human rights report "is not to embarrass other governments, " but rather "to improve human rights practices everywhere." The reports are prepared in a "non-political spirit," and the State Department tries "to be as objective as we can," he stressed.

Coffey said both the United States and Turkey have signed a number of instruments pertaining to human rights. In fact, "probably Turkey outstrips the U.S." in this regard, he said. Turkey is a "democratic state in a very volatile area of the world, so what happens in its democracy is very important," he added.

As far as military operations are concerned, Coffey said there is "great concern," about "how our equipment has, or will be, used." The U.S. concern is not with combating the PKK, but doing so in a way that "protects the rights" of local inhabitants, he said. He emphasized, however, that dialogue "is necessary" and commended the recent efforts in that regard. "This is a very positive development," he concluded.


From the United States Information Agency (USIA) Gopher at gopher://gopher.usia.gov


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