US report: Torture cases increase in Turkey
Güncelleme Tarihi:
by Ümit Enginsoy
Oluşturulma Tarihi: Şubat 27, 2009 00:00
WASHINGTON - The U.S. State Department said in its annual global human rights report late Wednesday that documented cases of torture by members of the security forces were on the rise last year in Turkey.
In the Turkey section of the 2008 human rights report, the State Department said the Turkish state generally respected the human rights of its citizens but serious problems remained in some areas.
"During the year human rights organizations documented a rise in cases of torture, beatings and abuse by security forces," it read.
"Security forces committed unlawful killings, but the number of arrests and prosecutions in these cases was low compared to the number of incidents, and convictions remained rare," the report read. The State Department said there were reports that some officials in the elected government and state bureaucracy at times attempted to undermine the judiciary's independence and that the overly close relationship of judges and prosecutors continued to hinder the right to a fair trial.
Press freedom
The government also limited freedom of expression through the use of constitutional restrictions and numerous laws, according to the report.
"The law provides for freedom of speech and of the press; however, the government continued to limit these freedoms in occasional cases," it read. "Some senior government officials made statements during the year strongly criticizing the press."
Limitations on freedom of expression applied to the Internet, and the court and an independent board ordered blocks on Web sites on approximately 1,475 occasions, according to the U.S. report.
The State Department said non-Muslim religious groups continued to face restrictions on practicing their religion openly, owning property and training leaders.
"Violence against women, including honor killings and rape, remained a widespread problem." it read. "Child marriage persisted. Incidents of police corruption contributed to trafficking in persons for labor and sexual exploitation."
In one improvement, the State Department noted that in late December the government expanded Kurdish language broadcasts with the introduction of a pilot, 24-hour Kurdish language state television channel.
The report included scores of documented cases of human rights violations and other related controversies.
In one notable example, the State Department noted that in December an Istanbul court acquitted prominent transsexual singer Bülent Ersoy of alienating people from military service.
In a television interview in February, Ersoy said if she had a son, she would not send him to fight in the military's cross-border operations in northern Iraq.
"During the year human rights organizations documented a rise in cases of torture, beatings and abuse by security forces," it read.
"Security forces committed unlawful killings, but the number of arrests and prosecutions in these cases was low compared to the number of incidents, and convictions remained rare," the report read. The State Department said there were reports that some officials in the elected government and state bureaucracy at times attempted to undermine the judiciary's independence and that the overly close relationship of judges and prosecutors continued to hinder the right to a fair trial.
Press freedom
The government also limited freedom of expression through the use of constitutional restrictions and numerous laws, according to the report.
"The law provides for freedom of speech and of the press; however, the government continued to limit these freedoms in occasional cases," it read. "Some senior government officials made statements during the year strongly criticizing the press."
Limitations on freedom of expression applied to the Internet, and the court and an independent board ordered blocks on Web sites on approximately 1,475 occasions, according to the U.S. report.
The State Department said non-Muslim religious groups continued to face restrictions on practicing their religion openly, owning property and training leaders.
"Violence against women, including honor killings and rape, remained a widespread problem." it read. "Child marriage persisted. Incidents of police corruption contributed to trafficking in persons for labor and sexual exploitation."
In one improvement, the State Department noted that in late December the government expanded Kurdish language broadcasts with the introduction of a pilot, 24-hour Kurdish language state television channel.
The report included scores of documented cases of human rights violations and other related controversies.
In one notable example, the State Department noted that in December an Istanbul court acquitted prominent transsexual singer Bülent Ersoy of alienating people from military service.
In a television interview in February, Ersoy said if she had a son, she would not send him to fight in the military's cross-border operations in northern Iraq.