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TURKEY 'SLOWING DOWN' ON ITS WAY
By David Cronin
Inter Press Service
March 4 2008
Italy
BRUSSELS, Mar 4 (IPS) - Reforms allowing freedom of expression in
Turkey are "badly overdue", the European Commission has warned.
Although talks on Turkey's bid to join the European Union opened more
than two years ago, the EU official overseeing those negotiations
said Mar. 3 that there has been a "slowdown" in the rate of progress
being made by Ankara in respecting political liberties.
Olli Rehn, the commissioner for EU enlargement, added that he expected
Turkey to revise the controversial Article 301 of its penal code so
that it respects the European Convention on Human Rights.
Entering into effect in 2005, this clause makes it an offence to
insult 'Turkishness'. Among those who have been prosecuted under the
law are the Nobel-winning writer Orhan Pamuk. The novelist had charges
brought against him -- though subsequently dropped -- over a newspaper
interview in which he broached a subject that is still taboo in Turkey:
the genocide perpetrated against Armenians by Ottoman forces in the
early 20th century.
One of the major tasks facing the ruling Justice and Development (AK)
Party this year will be the drawing up of a new constitution.
Rehn argued that "fundamental freedom must be at the heart of
constitutional reform." While he stated that he has not yet seen a
draft of the proposed new constitution, Rehn said that information
available to him indicated that it will curb the powers of the
president in areas such as education and the judiciary and that
it will review provisions that restrict the rights of ethnic and
religious minorities in the largely Muslim country.
"If this is the case, it is clear that the constitutional reform
carries many opportunities for strengthening fundamental freedoms,
cultural rights and the independence of the judiciary," he said.
Rehn was speaking at a conference at the European Parliament dedicated
to the plight of the Kurds, who at 15 million comprise about one-fifth
of the Turkish population.
While the conference was mainly dedicated to the situation facing
Kurds within Turkey, Rehn referred to the recent eight days of
clashes between Turkish forces and the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK)
in northern Iraq.
As well as urging Turkey to respect Iraq's territorial integrity,
Rehn urged the Ankara government to refrain from "disproportionate
military action".
Introduced in 1982, Turkey's constitution does not recognise any
national or ethnic description apart from Turkish.
Four decades of conflict between Kurdish guerrilla forces and the
government have claimed some 40,000 lives. The fighting was most
intense in the 1980s and 1990s, when Turkey was accused of pursuing
a scorched earth policy that drove millions of Kurdish civilians in
the country's south-east from their homes.
In 2005, Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan confessed that "certain
errors and injustices" had occurred in Turkey's military offensive
during the 1980s. This was the first time since 1982 that a Turkish
premier had spoken of a "Kurdish problem".
Yet despite taking such steps as easing restrictions on broadcasting in
the Kurdish language, the government remains reluctant to fully address
the continuing discrimination against Kurds. The AK Party declined
an invitation to take part in the Brussels conference this week.
Serap Yazici, professor of law at Bilgi University in Istanbul, noted
that the constitution now in force was prepared by the leadership of
a 1980 military coup. "Public opinion since 1982 has been wanting a
more liberal and less authoritarian text to be presented," she said.
"This really is indispensable."
The draft new constitution, she said, underlines the importance of
individual liberty and presents diversity "as a sort of wealth".
Among the "innovations" in the new constitution will be "fair treatment
for all by the judicial system," she added.
But Serafettin Elci, president of the Kurdish People's Democracy Party
(HADEP), complained that the draft maintains an anti-Kurdish bias.
For example, the draft stipulates that Turkish will be the official
language for education. "Obviously the whole objective of this is to
prevent education in Kurdish," said Elci. "Education in one's mother
tongue should be guaranteed."
Like HADEP, the Kurdish Democratic Society Party (DTP), has faced
official efforts to ban it in recent years. In December, the Turkish
constitutional court ruled that there were no grounds on which to
prevent the DTP from contesting elections.
Ahmet Turk, the DTP's parliamentary leader, said that there is still
a process of "dehumanisation" against Kurds in Turkey.
This was evident, he claimed, in Turkish reports about casualties
inflicted in clashes against Kurdish guerrillas stationed across the
border in northern Iraq. "On the television news, they were talking
about the number of militants killed today, as if it was a tally for
hunting or something," he said. "I don't consider that acceptable."
Cengiz Candar, a journalist who has written for several Turkish
newspapers, suggested that Turkey could learn from the experience
of other European countries. Spain's 1978 constitution, he noted,
recognises that languages other than Spanish can have official
status in the country's 'autonomous' regions such as Catalonia and
the Basque Country.
"If Turkey wants to make progress towards accession to the European
Union, it is important that it gets away from all prohibitions and
a fear of diversity," said Candar. "This is why we should learn from
this kind of example and try to move forward." (END/2008)
By David Cronin
Inter Press Service
March 4 2008
Italy
BRUSSELS, Mar 4 (IPS) - Reforms allowing freedom of expression in
Turkey are "badly overdue", the European Commission has warned.
Although talks on Turkey's bid to join the European Union opened more
than two years ago, the EU official overseeing those negotiations
said Mar. 3 that there has been a "slowdown" in the rate of progress
being made by Ankara in respecting political liberties.
Olli Rehn, the commissioner for EU enlargement, added that he expected
Turkey to revise the controversial Article 301 of its penal code so
that it respects the European Convention on Human Rights.
Entering into effect in 2005, this clause makes it an offence to
insult 'Turkishness'. Among those who have been prosecuted under the
law are the Nobel-winning writer Orhan Pamuk. The novelist had charges
brought against him -- though subsequently dropped -- over a newspaper
interview in which he broached a subject that is still taboo in Turkey:
the genocide perpetrated against Armenians by Ottoman forces in the
early 20th century.
One of the major tasks facing the ruling Justice and Development (AK)
Party this year will be the drawing up of a new constitution.
Rehn argued that "fundamental freedom must be at the heart of
constitutional reform." While he stated that he has not yet seen a
draft of the proposed new constitution, Rehn said that information
available to him indicated that it will curb the powers of the
president in areas such as education and the judiciary and that
it will review provisions that restrict the rights of ethnic and
religious minorities in the largely Muslim country.
"If this is the case, it is clear that the constitutional reform
carries many opportunities for strengthening fundamental freedoms,
cultural rights and the independence of the judiciary," he said.
Rehn was speaking at a conference at the European Parliament dedicated
to the plight of the Kurds, who at 15 million comprise about one-fifth
of the Turkish population.
While the conference was mainly dedicated to the situation facing
Kurds within Turkey, Rehn referred to the recent eight days of
clashes between Turkish forces and the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK)
in northern Iraq.
As well as urging Turkey to respect Iraq's territorial integrity,
Rehn urged the Ankara government to refrain from "disproportionate
military action".
Introduced in 1982, Turkey's constitution does not recognise any
national or ethnic description apart from Turkish.
Four decades of conflict between Kurdish guerrilla forces and the
government have claimed some 40,000 lives. The fighting was most
intense in the 1980s and 1990s, when Turkey was accused of pursuing
a scorched earth policy that drove millions of Kurdish civilians in
the country's south-east from their homes.
In 2005, Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan confessed that "certain
errors and injustices" had occurred in Turkey's military offensive
during the 1980s. This was the first time since 1982 that a Turkish
premier had spoken of a "Kurdish problem".
Yet despite taking such steps as easing restrictions on broadcasting in
the Kurdish language, the government remains reluctant to fully address
the continuing discrimination against Kurds. The AK Party declined
an invitation to take part in the Brussels conference this week.
Serap Yazici, professor of law at Bilgi University in Istanbul, noted
that the constitution now in force was prepared by the leadership of
a 1980 military coup. "Public opinion since 1982 has been wanting a
more liberal and less authoritarian text to be presented," she said.
"This really is indispensable."
The draft new constitution, she said, underlines the importance of
individual liberty and presents diversity "as a sort of wealth".
Among the "innovations" in the new constitution will be "fair treatment
for all by the judicial system," she added.
But Serafettin Elci, president of the Kurdish People's Democracy Party
(HADEP), complained that the draft maintains an anti-Kurdish bias.
For example, the draft stipulates that Turkish will be the official
language for education. "Obviously the whole objective of this is to
prevent education in Kurdish," said Elci. "Education in one's mother
tongue should be guaranteed."
Like HADEP, the Kurdish Democratic Society Party (DTP), has faced
official efforts to ban it in recent years. In December, the Turkish
constitutional court ruled that there were no grounds on which to
prevent the DTP from contesting elections.
Ahmet Turk, the DTP's parliamentary leader, said that there is still
a process of "dehumanisation" against Kurds in Turkey.
This was evident, he claimed, in Turkish reports about casualties
inflicted in clashes against Kurdish guerrillas stationed across the
border in northern Iraq. "On the television news, they were talking
about the number of militants killed today, as if it was a tally for
hunting or something," he said. "I don't consider that acceptable."
Cengiz Candar, a journalist who has written for several Turkish
newspapers, suggested that Turkey could learn from the experience
of other European countries. Spain's 1978 constitution, he noted,
recognises that languages other than Spanish can have official
status in the country's 'autonomous' regions such as Catalonia and
the Basque Country.
"If Turkey wants to make progress towards accession to the European
Union, it is important that it gets away from all prohibitions and
a fear of diversity," said Candar. "This is why we should learn from
this kind of example and try to move forward." (END/2008)