Minorities and Humans Rights: Turkey

 

Turkey has a less than clean human rights record, from being accused of genocide to forcing ethnic divisions on Cyprus. How are turkeys today treatment of its minorities and have a view on its human rights record?

Edited by strategos

see, antiturkish and antimexican posting is all that you can do.
are you really seriously going to post something worthly to read at some point ?

Why do you pick on Strategos? This has nothing to do with Mexico and you have no understanding of our history or struggle with Turkish dominance. The Greeks have not been total saints and there has been evil on both sides but Turky does have a questionable human rights history. They will have to face this and deal with their lack of religious freedom before they can be considered for EU entry.

Apart from that, "your country has a worse human rights situation than mine" is already better than "my grandfather told he was killed by your grandfather".
Mixcoati clarify this please.

Originally posted by Mixcoatl Originally posted by eaglecap Apart from that, "your country has a worse human rights situation than mine" is already better than "my grandfather told he was killed by your grandfather". Mixcoati clarify this please. I was referring to all those pointless discussions about alleged atrocities commited by Turks against Greeks and vice versa.

Thank you!!

Immigration and refugee board

Without specifically referring to Kurds in western Turkey, the Executive Director of the Washington Kurdish Institute (WKI) in Washington, DC, a non-profit organization that advocates for the rights of Kurds (WKI n.d.), stated in correspondence with the Research Directorate that:

"Kurds who assert their Kurdish identity can face substantial legal and extra-judicial problems. [This] depends on the degree of their assertion. Speaking publicly in Kurdish is no longer routinely punished, but listening to Kurdish music, reading Kurdish language publications, etc. can draw unwanted attention. There have been recent incidences of films being pulled from festivals because of Kurdish content, as well as musicians being arrested for performing Kurdish songs at weddings, etc. (8 May 2003).

The Economist article also pointed out that most Kurds are "well assimilated" with Turks and in Turkish society, and do not seek the type of expression of their Kurdish identity as that which is sought by the Kurdish political party, the Democratic People's Party (DEHAP), formerly known as the People's Democratic Party (HADEP) (ibid.). Further, the article noted that a well-known singer was jailed for a week in June 2003 for having sung a provocative song in Kurdish, and that "it is still illegal for a Kurd to register his child with a Kurdish name" (ibid.).

According to the Izmir branch of the Displaced Persons Social Aid and Cultural Association (Goc-Der)

"

"The tents [raised by displaced Kurds] have been erected in isolated, unattractive areas far from the city center. � Inside, people sit on nylon sheets and rugs. At night, bed-rolls are unfurled. ...

No person has the chance to live a healthy life in these tents that leak and are no protection from the elements. � there are no kitchens, bathrooms, toilets or sinks � no supplies of running water. Water is carried in from far away places in buckets and barrels or bowsers. These tents are far from the main roads and have no electricity or telephones.

There are no institutions � supermarkets, markets, hospitals or pharmacies. There are no newspapers or TVs and so � contact with the outside world is broken. They bake their own bread but are all suffering from malnutrition. They cannot buy foodstuffs with high nutritional values like eggs, milk, meat and seasonal vegetables. The most extravagant luxury they have is beans and rice" (Turkish Daily News 24 Jan. 2001)."

In January 2002, Turkey's main Kurdish party HADEP reportedly claimed that Turkish security forces had "rounded up more than 5000 people and arrested over 300 in a nationwide crackdown against a campaign to have the Kurdish language taught in schools and universities," which began in November 2001 (Radio Netherlands 25 Jan. 2002).