According to the World Justice Project’s 2020 index, Turkey, which ranked 107th among 128 countries in terms of rule of law, was recently condemned by European Parliament members regarding the judiciary.
According to the World Justice Project’s Rule of Law Index, Turkey ranked 107th among 128 countries in 2020.
Other countries with the same index score as Turkey in the report are Angola and Iran. Turkey ranked 14th in the group of 14 countries classified as Eastern Europe and Central Asia countries.
In the same study, Turkey ranks 97th out of 128 countries in terms of government accountability, 110th in terms of fair and effective implementation of legal and administrative regulations, and 124th in terms of limitation of power.
MEPs Condemned the Closure Attempt
In a joint resolution drafted yesterday by the Christian Democrat, Social Democrat, Liberal, Green, and Left groups within the European Parliament (EP), the “increasing” pressure on opposition parties was described as “concerning” and condemned.
It was emphasized that the pressure on opposition parties “restricts their capacity to exercise their rights and fulfill their democratic roles”.
It was noted that this decline in the freedom of operation of political opposition “reveals the dramatic situation of human rights in Turkey and the ongoing collapse of democracy and the rule of law.”
The resolution also addressed the situation of HDP’s “two former co-chairs in prison, Selahattin Demirtaş and Figen Yüksekdağ”. The “immediate release” of Demirtaş was demanded in accordance with the ECtHR’s “decision dated December 20, 2020”.
The resolution, which also called on Turkish authorities to “refrain from fueling anti-HDP campaigns”, expressed concern about “the arbitrary use of anti-terrorism legislation”.
The resolution, which described the Constitutional Court’s ruling on rights violation regarding Ömer Faruk Gergerlioğlu as satisfactory, demanded the immediate reinstatement of Gergerlioğlu’s parliamentary membership.
The EP resolution also demanded the release of other imprisoned HDP deputies.
The resolution called for any positive program to be offered by the EU to Turkey to be conditional on improvements in human rights, civil rights, and the rule of law.
PACE: Systematic Prosecution of Elected Officials
The Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) General Assembly discussed and adopted a draft resolution on June 21 that provides for the recognition and release of elected politicians as “political prisoners.”
The report, prepared by Latvian socialist deputy Boriss Cilevics, states that Selahattin Demirtaş remains in detention despite the ECtHR’s order for his release.
The report calls for politicians in this situation to be recognized as “political prisoners” and released immediately.
The report also calls for Turkey to review its legal framework related to counter-terrorism.
The report states that politicians’ views expressed in public speeches should not be subject to legal prosecution as long as they “do not contain violence,” and also points out that steps should be taken to ensure judicial independence in Turkey.
The report also notes that the “systematic” prosecution of elected officials who make statements on the Kurdish issue should be ended.
US Report Included “Child Soldiers”
Meanwhile, the US State Department released its 2021 Trafficking in Persons report last week. The report stated that Turkey has long supported an opposition group in “Syria” and provided “tangible assistance” to this group.
The Washington administration says that the armed opposition group called the Sultan Murad division is recruiting child soldiers.
The US State Department report, which also covered human trafficking, included information that the government did not report the duration of sentences in 2019, and stated, “Courts continued to acquit most defendants prosecuted for human trafficking offenses.”
Source: Bianet
