Turkey’s criticism in the German government’s human rights report – DW – 07.12.2022
In the 15th Human Rights Policies Report of the German government, it was stated that the struggle for human rights in Turkey continues to play out in many areas. The report covering the period from October 2020 to October this year and outlining the policies to be followed by the German government in the coming period was accepted by the cabinet.
Criticisms about freedoms and independence of the judiciary came to the fore in the report to Turkey. In the text, it was noted that freedom of the press and freedom of thought are legally guaranteed in Turkey, but the way in which the anti-terrorism and criminal laws are interpreted strongly restricts these freedoms.
Political litigation and freedom of the press
In the report, it was noted that the investigation and trial authorities in political cases spread beyond the limits of the independence of the judiciary and had a deterrent effect on large sections of civil society. In the report, which stated that the investigative authorities have the legal tools to make harsh comments against critical voices and “provocative” content in the digital environment, it was pointed out that Turkey’s Reporters Without Borders regulation ranks 149th out of 180 countries in the 2022 Press Freedom Index.
In the report, it was also noted that the judicial reform, which was put in place for the first time as of October 2019, and the Human Rights Action Plan brought in March 2021 did not contribute to basic debts as much as it did.
Osman Kavala’s criticism
In the German government’s report, Turkey’s shortcomings in enforcing the decisions of the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) have caused criticism over the years, as the ECHR’s execution on the release of Osman Kavala against Turkey at the Council of Europe was recalled in December 2021.
Women’s rights and LGBTI
In the report, it was noted that Turkey’s withdrawal from the Istanbul Convention on 1 July 2021 “normalizes homosexuality”, the dimensions were seen in the complaint that the termination of the supplementary contract did not cause a temporary change in the level of legal protection of women, but that a social environment was created that encouraged the domestic eviction of women due to the adequate enforcement of women’s use and impunity. .
In the report, it was noted that legal prohibitions on sexual harassment and sexual detention in Turkey are lifted openly and freely, but there is no legal protection against discrimination. It was also noted in the document that the anti-gay rhetoric was widely known in the media and politics, and that demonstrations were banned.
Praise for asylum seekers
The report noted that Turkey has shown admirable success in accepting more than four times as many asylum seekers and migrants, but must continue with the limits of access to the protection feature.
The properties of the German government in the field of human rights around the world were also included. Predetermined areas for the next two-year period; Groups based on gender, variable, sexual body and sexual identity content were listed as racism, antisemitism, hostility towards Muslims, Antiziganism (anti-Gypsyism) and other forms of human rights hostility towards groups. Among the aims of the government, it was in the field of conservation for protection and better protection of nations.
DW,KNA/BK,TY