Monday, July 16, 2007

Gross violations of human rights in Turkey: AI Report

Source: WSWS, July 14, 2007

Amnesty International report on Turkey: failure to punish perpetrators of torture

By a correspondent

A new report published by Amnesty International on July 5, entitled “Turkey: The entrenched culture of impunity must end,” clearly demonstrates that torture, ill-treatment and killings continue to be practiced with impunity by the security forces in Turkey.

The report points out that “the investigation and prosecution of serious human rights violations” committed by the Turkish police and gendarmerie are “flawed and compounded by inconsistent decisions by prosecutors and judges.”

The human rights group called on Turkey to overhaul its justice system. It pointed to the “absence of an independent body which can impartially and effectively investigate human rights violations by state officials and the lack of centralised data collection of human rights violations committed by the security forces.”

The Turkish judiciary and police have been dominated by far-right elements, fascists and Islamists, especially since the September 1980 military coup. The judiciary has become more overtly conservative and reactionary, particularly in cases involving human and minority rights issues. Justice for the victims of human rights violations is often delayed or denied.

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