| Series Title | European Voice |
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| Series Details | Vol.10, No.34, 7.10.04 |
| Publication Date | 07/10/2004 |
| Content Type | News |
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Date: 07/10/04 THE Turkish government of Recep Tayyip Erdogan was praised in the European Parliament yesterday (6 October) for introducing more reforms in the past two years than previous governments had in 40 years. Yet while the European Commission believes the improvements are sufficient to recommend the start of accession negotiations with Ankara, its annual report on Turkey delivers severe criticism of the country's human rights record. It welcomes the penal code adopted by the Turkish parliament last month, but it laments that it provides "limited progress" on freedom of expression. It notes progress on freedom of the press but denounces the 15-month prison sentence handed down to journalist Halkan Albayrak in May under a 1951 law, which makes it illegal to criticize Kemal Atatürk, the 'founder' of modern Turkey. And despite new rules allowing Kurdish language broadcasting, the paper finds that the Kurdish minority are still subject to harassment. For example, charges have been pressed against the Kurdish Writers' Association for holding a meeting with the Commission without seeking permission. The paper applauds the government's policy of 'zero tolerance' against torture, noting the 29% decrease in complaints of ill-treatment in the first six months of 2004, compared to the same period last year. On women's rights, the new ban on "honour killings" for sexual infidelity is welcomed, yet the Commission urges efforts to tackle domestic violence and gender discrimination, and it warns that the national security law continues to give the military powers that can encroach into "almost every policy area". The European Commission's recommendation on Turkey's preparedness for EU accession, published on 6 October 2004, delivers severe criticism of the country's human rights record. |
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| Source Link | http://www.european-voice.com/ |
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| Countries / Regions | Turkey |
