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TURKEY'S NEW SECURITY BILL TO LEAD TO MORE ARBITRARY POLICE ACTION: HRW
16:24 â~@¢ 11.12.14
Human Rights Watch has expressed concerns that Turkey's new security
bill adopted by Parliament last week dangerously increased the powers
of the national police force and could undermine human rights, the
Hurriyet Daily News reports.
The new bill allows the police to take people who are considered to
be a "serious threat to public order" into 24-hour custody without
evidence, amid criticism that the measure will make police actions
even more arbitrary than before.
"The government has already pushed problematic new police measures
through Parliament, and now it wants to give itself even greater
security powers," said Emma Sinclair-Webb, senior Turkey researcher
at Human Rights Watch, calling on Parliament to reconsider the new
measures introduced by the bill.
"Parliament should put the brakes on to ensure that this bill protects
human rights as well as public safety," Sinclair-Webb added.
The bill was brought to Parliament after a wave of protests in October
over the assault of the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL)
on the Syrian Kurdish town of Kobane, particularly in southeastern
Turkey, where demonstrators accused the government of turning a blind
eye to the jihadist advance.
Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu has defended the bill, saying it
aimed to end the "ambiguity" over the use of "weapons of violence"
in demonstrations.
Davutoglu also dismissed claims that the competences given to the
police were too great, stressing that the measures would be "in line
with EU standards and based on universal standards."
However, Human Rights Watch argues that the new measures will pave
the way for "more abusive police action."
"The government's legitimate concern about violent protests should
not be a blank check for police powers," Sinclair-Webb said.
http://www.tert.am/en/news/2014/12/11/turkeybill/1533165
16:24 â~@¢ 11.12.14
Human Rights Watch has expressed concerns that Turkey's new security
bill adopted by Parliament last week dangerously increased the powers
of the national police force and could undermine human rights, the
Hurriyet Daily News reports.
The new bill allows the police to take people who are considered to
be a "serious threat to public order" into 24-hour custody without
evidence, amid criticism that the measure will make police actions
even more arbitrary than before.
"The government has already pushed problematic new police measures
through Parliament, and now it wants to give itself even greater
security powers," said Emma Sinclair-Webb, senior Turkey researcher
at Human Rights Watch, calling on Parliament to reconsider the new
measures introduced by the bill.
"Parliament should put the brakes on to ensure that this bill protects
human rights as well as public safety," Sinclair-Webb added.
The bill was brought to Parliament after a wave of protests in October
over the assault of the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL)
on the Syrian Kurdish town of Kobane, particularly in southeastern
Turkey, where demonstrators accused the government of turning a blind
eye to the jihadist advance.
Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu has defended the bill, saying it
aimed to end the "ambiguity" over the use of "weapons of violence"
in demonstrations.
Davutoglu also dismissed claims that the competences given to the
police were too great, stressing that the measures would be "in line
with EU standards and based on universal standards."
However, Human Rights Watch argues that the new measures will pave
the way for "more abusive police action."
"The government's legitimate concern about violent protests should
not be a blank check for police powers," Sinclair-Webb said.
http://www.tert.am/en/news/2014/12/11/turkeybill/1533165