Posted by Turkish Delight from 64-66-217-93.stkn.bigvalley.net (64.66.217.93) on Thursday, September 19, 2002 at 1:58PM :
Amnesty International report condemning Turkey
KurdishMedia.com - By Rebwar Rashed 19 September 2002
The Human Rights Group, Amnesty International (AI), has given a fresh report on Wednesday 19 September 2002 European Unions Enlargement Commissioner, Mr Gaunter Verheugen, concerning the human rights situation in Turkey for the first part of the year, 2002.
The report shows that the State of Turkey is indeed far from respecting the principles and regulations concerning human rights of its citizens. Those “citizens” are usually Kurds, who Turkey recently start calling them the “citizens of Kurdish origins”, which may imply they are still “Turks”, but with “Kurdish origin”. They cannot be just Kurds.
On the week 36 (2-8 September) the Turkish Media (both official and unofficial) were furious of Mr Gaunter Verheugen for saying, “Turkey will not get a date for the membership negotiations by the end of the year, because the new laws accommodating Turkey to the Copenhagen criteria are not enough. We should also see them applied to real life.”
At that time the entire establishment of Turkey attacked Mr Gaunter Verheugen for being against the Turks.
The Turks felt that the whole thing was a set up against the Turks and that has being arranged by the many foes that the Turks have, for instance the Greeks, the Armenians, the Assyrians, the Bulgarians, the Kurds etc. The Turks saw Mr Gaunter Verheugen statement as a conspiracy and a work of special political lobby against Turkey.
The Turks usually complain that they are not allowed to enter the EU because of two main reasons. Firstly, Turkey is a Moslem country and secondly they are not regarded as Europeans by the Europeans.
So far this tactics have worked quite well. The EU officials usually find themselves in a defence line and start to explain their positions. The EU officials, so far, have failed to remind the world that these allegations are baseless. The EU officials for whatever reasons cannot explain, in my opinions, that the issue is essential; it is about human rights, minority rights, the Kurdish questions, the expansionist policy of Turkey, the hostile and aggressive attitude of Turkey towards other countries, e.g. against the Kurdistan Regional Government, the Greek Cypriots and Greece and so on.
The EU officials do remind the Turks that they have to fulfil the Copenhagen criteria. We do understand that those points are just a few points of the Copenhagen criteria. But I believe that the surrounding world and the Turks in particular need to be reminded not just briefly but rather consistently.
Now the Amnesty International has found some extra headaches, above what Mr Gaunter Verheugen already has. Mr Gaunter Verheugen will again find himself under another Turkish bombardment of different kind of allegations.
The Amnesty International report is quite long. Reader should visit their Website and share the burden with all those people who do believe that the sovereignty and the legitimacy of the states do not mean to use force as the rights to conduct atrocity, genocide and arbitrary self-assertion.
The work of the Amnesty International is a brave contribution to the struggle of humanity for emancipation, freedom and for the very right to live.
Turkey which candid herself to become a member of the EU and to try hard to accomplish that must understand that the EU is not just a club for fun, financial privileges and costless credits.
The EU is rather a union based on mutual understanding and cooperation. The EU is to make it easier for the people of Europe to meet each other, to share wisdom and experience, to work together and to establish a common identity rather than the traditional one. Turkey, as I understand, must free herself from very much of the national states complicities and complexities in order to be able to take her share of responsibility and accountability. That is not easy for a state, which find it necessary to fight every single human effort for peace and security.
It is that political attitude which makes state machineries, the police, the judiciary and even the university professors of Turkey to build a block against the nation of Kurdistan. and they to do everything in their power to undermine the efforts for peace, stability and friendship.
The Amnesty International report must be seen under the light of these incredible but true political circumstances.
The Kurdish nation has no means to protect and defend herself. That is why it is crucial for the EU, the Amnesty International, NGOs and other European organs do their best to bring about these necessary changes in Turkey before any date for EU negotiation may be given.
The Amnesty International report must be seen as a minimum for what Turkey has conducted against Kurdish nation. This is because a substantial number of Kurds are afraid to report to the Amnesty International, a substantial number of Kurdish men and women are ashamed to talk about rape and sexual harassment inflicted by Turkish security forces and a substantial number of people are very frightened of the states reprisals.
There are also people who dose not want jeopardise the political situation of the Kurdish nation. They think that if they claim their rights and if they report to the Amnesty International, then the state in turn crackdowns the whole Kurdish population. This is a genuine concern because Kurdish civilians have seen very harsh military oppression.
I will keep my self a way from summarizing the AI report due to one reason: The report should be read in its original form.
I recommend the reader to tie the report to the democracy and national rights, which the Kurdish nation in Turkey strives with the peaceful means.
Here is the website of Amnesty International:
http://www.amnesty.org/
http://web.amnesty.org/ai.nsf/Index/EUR440402002?OpenDocument&of=COUNTRIES\TURKEY
-- Turkish Delight
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