Human rights in Turkey 1218519 224100943 2008-07-07T09:02:22Z Kyle the bot 3115531 robot Modifying: [[de:Minderheitenpolitik der Republik Türkei]] {{POV|date=December 2007}} {{Politics of Turkey}} The [[Republic of Turkey]] has entered into various [[human rights]] commitments--beginning with those of the [[Turkish Constitution]], Part Two of which guarantees "fundamental rights and freedoms" such as the [[right to life]], [[security of person]], and [[right to property]]. In addition, Turkey has signed treaties including: :*The [[Universal Declaration of Human Rights]] (1949)<ref name=unhchr84>http://www.unhchr.ch/tbs/doc.nsf/0/e00415d0170ee8a5c1256b3a0051eb22/$FILE/G0144925.pdf Report of State Party - Turkey by the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner of Human Rights, 2001 - See section 84</ref> :*The [[European Convention on Human Rights]] (1954),<ref>http://www.coe.int/T/E/Com/About_Coe/Member_states/e_tu.asp#TopOfPage Ratification of ECHR by Turkey on 18 May 1954</ref> which places Turkey under the jurisdiction of the [[European Court of Human Rights]] :*The ''[[European Convention for the Prevention of Torture and Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment]]'' (1988)<ref>http://www.unhchr.ch/tbs/doc.nsf/0/e00415d0170ee8a5c1256b3a0051eb22/$FILE/G0144925.pdf Report of State Party - Turkey by the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner of Human Rights, 2001 - See section 86</ref> Furthermore, as a country currently in [[Accession of Turkey to the European Union|accession negotiations with the European Union]], Turkey is obliged to ensure consistency of its laws with the [[Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union]]. Nevertheless, Turkey's human rights record has long continued to attract scrutiny, both internally and externally. Violations are often cited in connection with the following areas: :*Elements of the Turkish military police have been discovered murdering civilian noncombatants as recently as 2005 (when three perpetrators were caught with a list of names of intended victims, all Kurds). The resulting investigation was stymied by the refusal of the military to cooperate. <ref>[http://www.csmonitor.com/2007/1108/p12s01-woeu.html In Turkey's Kurdish southeast, pock-marked hope | csmonitor.com<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref> :*Various restrictions on freedom of speech (e.g., [[Article 301]] of the Turkish Constitution prohibits "denegrating Turkishness") and assembly, as well as arbitrary electoral and parliamentary barriers. Many of these are the result of (right-leaning) military influence on Turkish politics, and originally aimed at containing [[Communism]]. :*Many [[Secularism in Turkey | "secularists"]] accuse the moderate religious party [[Justice and Development Party (Turkey)|AKP]] of advocating an [[Islamic government]], a charge which the AKP denies. Meanwhile, many observant Muslims complain that their religious freedom (e.g., to [[Islam and clothing | dress religiously]]), has been unfairly restricted by secularists. :*Ethnic and religious minorities (such as the [[Kurds]] and [[Alevi]], respectively) complain of violations of religious, cultural, and political rights arising from a widespread insistence that Turkey is a cultural as well as political unity. The issue of the [[Armenian genocide]] controversy, left over from the Ottoman era, complicates Turkey's external relations but also impacts the freedom-of-speech issue. :*Various violations of [[women's rights]] (such as virginity tests <ref>[http://www.wluml.org/english/actionsfulltxt.shtml?cmd%5B156%5D=i-156-3188 WLUML: Calls for Action<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref> for women entering university) have been phased out, but many remain. Often the situation "on the ground" (particularly in rural areas) does not reflect that which is prescribed by law. :*By some accounts, Turkey has the second largest population of internally displaced persons in the world, whose plight has attracted international concern. <ref>U.S. Committee for Refugees, World Refugee Survey 1998, p.9.</ref> In 2005, there were 2302 applications lodged against the Republic of Turkey before the [[European Court of Human Rights]] and consequently 290 [[judgment]]s on the merits have been issued affirming 270 violations and 9 non-violations.<ref>http://www.coe.int/T/E/Com/About_Coe/Member_states/e_tu.asp#TopOfPage Cases against Turkey before the ECHR in 2005</ref> ==Individual rights== ===Right to life=== There have been no applications of the [[capital punishment]] in Turkey since 1984 and the practice was formally abolished for offences during peacetime in [[2002]], and for offences during wartime in [[2004]].<ref>http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/3384667.stm Abolishment of the capital punishment in Turkey, 2002 for peacetime offences, 2004 for wartime offences</ref> ===Gender equality=== In the 1930s, Turkey became one of the first countries in the world to give full political rights to [[women]], including the right to elect (in [[1930]]) and to be elected (in [[1934]]), to every political office. '''Article 10''' of the [[Constitution of Turkey|Turkish Constitution]] bans any [[discrimination]], state or private, on the grounds of [[sex]]. Turkey was one of the first countries to elect a female [[prime minister]], [[Tansu Çiller]] in [[1995]]. It is also the first country which had a woman as the President of its [[Turkish Constitutional Court|Constitutional Court]], [[Tülay Tuğcu]]. In addition, [[Turkish Council of State]], the [[court of last resort]] for [[administrative law|administrative cases]], also has a woman judge [[Sumru Çörtoğlu]] as its President. Since [[1985]], Turkish women have the right to freely exercise [[abortion]]s in the first 10 weeks of pregnancy and the right to [[Contraception|contraceptive medicine]] paid for by the Social Security. This is in contrast with the policies of certain EU countries, such as [[Poland]] and [[Ireland]], that ban abortion. Modifications to the Civil Code in 1926 gave the right to women to initiate and obtain a [[divorce]], a right still not recognized in Malta,<ref>[http://www.guardian.co.uk/pope/story/0,,1452467,00.html John Paul's people: Malta | Special reports | Guardian Unlimited<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref> an EU country. Nevertheless, in [[Eastern Anatolia Region, Turkey|Eastern]] and [[Southeastern Anatolia Region, Turkey|Southeastern Anatolia]] regions, older attitudes prevail among the local [[Kurdish people|Kurdish]], [[Turkish people|Turkish]] and [[Arabic people|Arab]] populations, where women still face [[domestic violence]], forced marriages, and so-called [[honor killing]]s.<ref>http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/world/la-fg-honor9jan09,1,3502531.story?coll=la-headlines-world</ref> To combat this, the government and various other foundations are engaged in education campaigns in Southeastern [[Anatolia]] to improve the [[Literacy|rate of literacy]] and education levels of women.<ref name="Literacy">{{cite news|url = http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/3753582.stm |title=Turkish girls in literacy battle|author=|authorlink=|work=British Broadcasting Corporation|accessdate=2006-12-11|date=2004-10-18}}</ref> Recently, critics have pointed out that Turkey has become a major market for foreign women who are coaxed and forcibly brought to the country by international mafia to work as [[Sexual slavery|sex slaves]], especially in big and touristic cities.<ref>[http://gvnet.com/humantrafficking/Turkey.htm Human Trafficking & Modern-day Slavery - Turkey<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref> ===Freedom of expression and freedom of the press === {{see also|Censorship in Turkey|Article 301}} Article 26 of the [[Turkish Constitution|Constitution]] guarantees [[Freedom of speech|freedom of expression]]. There have been particular concerns over the restrictions on the publication and diffusion of material relating primarily to highly sensitive political subjects. According to the [[International PEN]], roughly 60 writers, publishers and journalists have had charges brought against them under the [[Article 301 (Turkish penal code)|301st Article of the Turkish Penal Code]] that states: "A person who publicly insults Turkishness, the [[Republic of Turkey|Republic]] or the [[Turkish Grand National Assembly]], shall be punishable with imprisonment for a term of six months to three years." It also states that "Expressions of thought intended to criticize shall not constitute a crime". Even though certain high-profile cases (such as [[Orhan Pamuk]] or [[Elif Şafak]], both about assertions related to the[[Armenian Genocide]], an event that is disputed by Turkey) have ended in acquittals, the outcome of other cases are unclear. Turkish-Armenian journalist [[Hrant Dink]] was convicted under Article 301 and given a suspended 6-month sentence, shortly before being assassinated on January 19, 2007. Articles 27 and 28 of the Constitution guarantee the "freedom of expression" and "unhindered dissemination of thought". Alinea 2 of Article 27 affirms that "''the right to disseminate shall not be exercised for the purpose of changing the provisions of Articles 1, 2 and 3 of [the] Constitution''", articles in question referring to the [[Unitary state|unitary]], [[secularism|secular]], [[democracy|democratic]] and [[republic]]an nature of the state. Since the liberalization of the audiovisual market in [[1991]], Turkey has developed an extremely vibrant and dynamic [[mass media|media]]. There are thousands of [[newspapers]], [[List of television stations in Turkey|TV channels]] and [[List of radio stations in Turkey|radio stations]] in the country, and they are guaranteed freedom in their editorial decisions by the constitution. The [[Turkish Radio and Television Corporation|state-owned TRT]] has been broadcasting short programmes in a number of minority languages, including [[Bosnian language|Bosnian]] and [[Kurdish language|Kurdish]], since [[2003]]. For the Kurdish language programmes, this is rather symbolic in terms of the number of minutes of programmes per week.{{Fact|date=April 2007}} Independent observers note that even though the non-Turkish media enjoys the same freedom as their Turkish counterparts, this is not true for media in [[Kurdish language|Kurdish]].{{Fact|date=April 2007}} Press freedom groups have raised concerns over the use of criminal defamation laws to punish those who criticise authorities.<ref>http://www.rsf.org/article.php3?id_article=10265&Valider=OK Reporters without Borders - Turkey - 2004 Annual report</ref><ref>http://www.rsf.org/article.php3?id_article=13732&Valider=OK Reporters without Borders - Turkey - 2005 Annual report</ref> ===Freedom of religion=== {{main|Freedom of religion in Turkey}} Although its population is overwhelmingly [[Muslim]], Turkey is a [[secular]] country per Article 3 of its constitution, and thus has no official [[religion]]. [[Laïcité|Secularism in Turkey]] originates from Atatürk's '[[Six Arrows]]' of [[Republicanism]], [[Populism]], [[Laïcité]], [[Reformism]], [[Nationalism]], and [[Statism]]. Article 24 of the [[Turkish Constitution]] guarantees all residents of [[Turkey]] the right to adhere to any religion or philosophical belief, with some exceptions made for their expression in public spaces. The [[Constitutional Court of Turkey|Constitutional Court]] has interpreted secularism in a way that doesn't allow for a person to wear religious symbols (e.g. a [[head scarf]] or a cross) in governmental and public institutions, and particularly while attending public schools and state universities. Nevertheless, in its decision on [[November 10]], 2005, the Grand Chamber of the [[European Court of Human Rights]] ruled that such a ban was "legitimate" to prevent the influence of religion in state affairs.<ref>http://cmiskp.echr.coe.int/tkp197/view.asp?item=1&portal=hbkm&action=html&highlight=Leyla%20%7C%20%u015Eahin&sessionid=9593217&skin=hudoc-en The Leyla Şahin v. Turkey Case Before the European Court of Human Rights </ref> Conforming with the [[jurisprudence]] of the [[Turkish Constitutional Court|Constitutional Court]] and the [[Turkish Council of State|Council of State]] on secularism, faith-based schools are banned and all schools must follow a secular [[curriculum]]. Religious education may only be given by appointed teachers who have studied at [[List of universities in Turkey|Turkey's secular universities]]. In practice, only [[Sunni]] [[theology]] is taught. There is a de-facto domination of [[Madhab|Sunni school]] of [[Islam]] within Turkish society, despite the protections offered by formal secularism. Sunni imams are nominated and paid by the state [[Diyanet İşleri Başkanlığı|directorate of religious affairs]]. The [[Alevi]]s pray in ''[[Cemevi]]s'', but the government funds only the building of [[mosques]]. Even though there have been attempts to expand state religious funding to Alevis, they are not considered a different Muslim school, but as part of the Sunni branch. The situation of the non-Muslim minorities has also been open to criticism. The government doesn't nominate, nor pay for, any non-Muslim religious leaders. Turkey has been criticized by [[Greece]], the [[European Union]] and several human rights NGOs for its refusal to recognize the [[Ecumenical]] title of the Greek Orthodox [[Ecumenical Patriarch|Patriarch]] in Istanbul and the closing of the [[Greek Orthodox]] [[Halki seminary|theological school]] in [[Heybeliada|Heybeliada (Halki)]], [[Istanbul]] in 1970s. ===Gay rights=== {{main|Gay rights in Turkey}} [[Homosexual]] sexual relationships between consenting adults in private is not a crime in Turkey. The [[age of consent]] for both heterosexual and homosexual sex is eighteen. On the other hand, the criminal code has vaguely worded prohibitions on "public exhibitionism" and "offenses against public morality" that are sometimes used to discriminate against the [[LGBT]] community. As of 2006, Turkey neither has a law permitting homosexuals to get married, nor does it have a law against the discrimination of [[Turkey|Turkey's]] [[LGBT]] community. [[Sexual orientation and military service|Homosexuals]] have the right to exemption from military service, if they so request, only if their "condition" is verified by medical and psychological tests, which often involves presenting humiliating, belittling graphic proof of homosexuality, and anal examination.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.unhcr.org/home/RSDCOI/3c1622484.pdf |title=Turkey/Military service|author=United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), Directorate for Movements of Persons, Migration and Consular Affairs - Asylum and Migration Division|authorlink=United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees|publisher=UNHCR|format=PDF|accessdate=2006-12-27|date=July 2001}}</ref> ===Disabled citizens=== In recent years, the Turkish parliament has approved certain major laws to fight against and end discrimination against the disabled. However, this has not shown the desired effects on the ground because of a lack of economic resources and the absence of awareness programs. In one particular case, Mental Disability Rights International (MDRI), an advocacy group for people with mental disabilities, has criticized the treatment of the mentally ill in a report called "''Behind Closed Doors: Human Rights Abuses in the Psychiatric Facilities, Orphanages and Rehabilitation Centers of Turkey''".<ref>[http://www.disabilityworld.org/12-01_06/mdriturkey.shtml European Union Calls on Turkey to Improve Rights of People with Mental Disabilities<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref> As a result of this criticism, Turkey's largest psychiatric hospital, the [[Bakırköy]] state hospital in [[Istanbul]], has announced that it has abolished the use of "unmodified" [[Electroconvulsive therapy|ECT]] procedures.<ref>http://www.mdri.org/PR/033106_MDRIPR.pdf</ref> ===Conscientious objectors=== The issue of [[conscientious objectors]] is highly controversial in the country. Turkey and [[Azerbaijan]] are the only members of the [[Council of Europe]] that refuse to recognize the right to conscientious objection. In January 2006, the [[European Court of Human Rights]] ruled that Turkey had violated Article 3 of the [[European Convention on Human Rights]] that prohibits degrading treatment in a case dealing with conscientious objection.<ref>http://www.echr.coe.int/Eng/Press/2006/Jan/Chamberjudgment%C3%9ClkevTurkey240106.htm "Chamber Judgement Ulke vs. Turkey", Accessed June 7, 2006</ref> Another conscientious objector, [[Mehmet Tarhan]], was sentenced to four years in prison by a military court in 2005 for refusing to do his [[Conscription in Turkey|military service]], but he was later released in March 2006. In a related case, journalist [[Perihan Mağden]] was tried by a Turkish court for supporting Tarhan and advocating conscientious objection as a human right; but she was acquitted. ==Group rights== ===Ethnic groups=== Turkish society contains elements from every ethnic group of the [[Ottoman Empire]]. Some [[Turkish people|Turks]] are descended from non-Turkic Ottoman ethnic groups who adopted a Turkish identity and some of them also see themselves as still belonging to one of those minority groups, often as a sub-group within the main Turkish society. According to Article 66 of the [[Turkish Constitution]], "everyone bound to the Turkish state through the bond of citizenship is a Turk". The Constitution affirms the principle of the indivisibility of the Turkish Nation and of constitutional [[citizenship]] that is not based on ethnicity. Consequently, ''Turkish'' refers to all citizens of Turkey. It considers that since all Turkish citizens have the same rights and benefits of citizenship, there is no such nomenclature as [[minority]] in Turkey. Although the Treaty of Lausanne, before the proclamation of the Republic, guarantees some rights to non-Muslim minorities, in practise Turkey has recognised only Armenians, Greeks and Jews as minorities and excluded other non-Muslim groups, such as Assyrians and Yazidis, from the minority status and these rights.<ref>[http://www.minorityrights.org/download.php?id=183 Nurcan Kaya and Clive Baldwin, Minorities in Turkey: Submission to the European Union and the Government of Turkey, July 2004], Minority Rights Group International</ref> Advocacy for protection of minorities' rights can lead to legal prosecutions as a number of provisions in Turkish law prohibits creation of minorities or alleging existence of minorites, such as Article 81 of the Law on Political Parties. Until recent reforms, there were many legal restrictions on publishing in languages other than the only official one, [[Turkish language|Turkish]], and publications in minority languages were not allowed. Since then, minorities have the right to publish and diffuse media, such as newspapers or audiovisual channels, in their own languages and operate private courses that teach any language spoken in Turkey. [[Turkish language|Turkish]] is still the only language that can be used in schools and universities as a [[first language]]. As concerns the Kurdish language, all such courses were closed down in 2004 by the owners. It must be noted, however, that those courses were shut down because of a grave lack of attendance and interest, and thus making the observers wonder the true extent of the demand for a separate Kurdish ethnic identity, rather than a Turkish one. Many buildings were rented for such courses by activists "in anticipation of a flood of students that never came." Kurdish language activists counter that the desire to learn Kurdish is there, but it must be taught in public schools.<ref>[http://www.csmonitor.com/2005/1005/p07s02-woeu.html Turkey's Kurdish-language schools fold], The Christian Science Monitor</ref> There have been certain calls by certain [[NGO]]s that Turkey should adopt the definitions of the [[European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages]]. If Turkey were to become a signatory to this treaty, it would have to accept and subsidise the education of minorities in their own [[first language]]s, and that for at least all the period of mandatory education. However, it must be noted that, even [[France]], a founding member of the [[European Union]], has refused to apply this treaty within its territory following a ruling by its own [[Constitutional Council of France|Constitutional Court]] that has affirmed that doing so would be contrary to the principle of the indivisibility of the Republic and the nation affirmed in the First Article of the [[Constitution of France|French Constitution]]. In addition to France, many other [[European Union|EU]] countries, namely [[Belgium]], [[Czech Republic]], [[Estonia]], [[Greece]], [[Ireland]], [[Italy]], [[Latvia]], [[Lithuania]], [[Malta]], [[Poland]] and [[Portugal]] have also refused to ratify this treaty. To this day only 21 member states of the [[Council of Europe]] out of 49 have proceeded with ratification.<ref>http://conventions.coe.int/Treaty/Commun/ChercheSig.asp?NT=148&CM=3&DF=10/11/2006&CL=ENG Ratifications of European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages by the members of the Council of Europe</ref> ====Kurdish people==== {{details|Human rights of Kurdish people in Turkey}} During the 1980s and 1990s, Turkey displaced a large number of its citizens in Southeastern Anatolia from rural areas, allegedly to protect them from guerilla violence of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party ([[PKK]]) {{Facts|date=February 2007}}, that is considered as a terrorist organization by the [[United States of America|US]], the European Union and many other states. Turkey has claimed that the actions of the [[Turkish Armed Forces|Turkish Armed Forces (TAF)]] included burning of 'deserted' villages in order for the PKK not to use them as outposts or hiding places. Clashes between Turkish and PKK militants have resulted in some 30,000 casualties according a report by the {{cite web |last = |first = |authorlink = |coauthors = |year = |url = http://www.nps.edu/Library/Research/SubjectGuides/SpecialTopics/TerroristProfile/Current/PKK.html |title = United States Department of State titled "Terrorist Group Profiles" |format = |work = |pages = |publisher = |accessdate = |accessyear = }} Estimates suggest that 3 million people remain internally displaced and unable to return to their villages.{{Fact|date=February 2007}} It has been claimed that the scale and importance of those bombings and of the displacements of civil population were out of proportion for a state's peaceful policy towards its citizens {{Fact|date=February 2007}}. In several of its rulings, the [[European Court of Human Rights]] has condemned Turkey of human rights violations against its citizens of Kurdish origin.{{Fact|date=December 2007}} Certain academics have claimed that successive Turkish governments adopted a sustained [[genocide]] program against Kurds, aimed at their [[cultural assimilation|assimilation]].<ref>Tove Skutnabb-Kangas, Desmond Fernandes, [http://utpjournals.metapress.com/content/r32168ru356t3331/ "Kurds in Turkey and in (Iraqi) Kurdistan: A Comparison of Kurdish Educational Language Policy in Two Situations of Occupation"], ''Genocide Studies and Prevention'', Volume 3 Number 1 (April 2008)</ref> The genocide theory remains, however, a minority view among historians, and is not endorsed by any nation or major organisation. Desmond Fernandes, a Senior Lecturer at [[De Montfort University]], breaks down the policy of the Turkish authorities into the following categories:<ref>[http://www.gomidas.org/forum/af4kurds.htm Kurdish and Armenian Genocides Focus of London Seminar]</ref> #Forced assimilation program, which involved ''inter alia'' a ban of the [[Kurdish language]], and the forced relocation of Kurds to non-Kurdish areas of Turkey; #The banning any organizations opposed to category one; #The violent repression of any Kurdish resistance. ===Workers' rights=== [[Turkish Constitution|The Constitution]] affirms the right of [[workers]] to form [[labor union]]s "''without obtaining permission''" and "''to possess the right to become a member of a union and to freely withdraw from membership''" ('''Article 51'''). '''Articles 53 and 54''' affirm the right of workers to [[Collective bargaining|bargain collectively]] and to [[Strike action|strike]], respectively. However, rates of membership in labor unions are quite low, due to the fact that [[Economy of Turkey|Turkish economy]] still experiences difficulties with [[Political corruption|corruption]] and massive numbers of workers not declared to the Social Security. Turkey has had a standard state-run pensions system based on European models since the 1930s. Furthermore, since 1996, Turkey has a state-run [[Unemployment benefit|unemployment insurance system]], obligatory for all declared workers. ==International criticism== Turkey has been criticized by a number of international human rights NGOs for its violations of certain rights of its citizens.<ref>[http://www.hri.org/docs/turkey.html Turkey, Human Rights and the International Law<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref> The [[European Union]] has been the biggest critic of Turkey's human rights record and this has hindered [[Accession of Turkey to the European Union|Turkey's accession process to join the EU]]. The [[European Court of Human Rights]] has also issued many rulings highly critical of Turkey's human rights record and other [[NGO]]s, such as the [[Amnesty International]] and the [[Human Rights Watch]], have also been critical of Turkey.<ref>[http://www.time.com/time/europe/magazine/2000/0522/turkey.html TIME Europe | Turkey: Human Rights Leave Chopper Deal in a Spin | 5/22/2000<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref> The current [[Justice and Development Party (Turkey)|AKP]]-led government has tried on certain occasions, but failed, to strengthen legal provisions that are more restrictive, such as making adultery a criminal offence that is in line with orthodox [[Islamic]] teaching. Proponents of the proposal however, claimed that the law in question would have prevented the practice of polygamy, which can still be encountered in remote rural areas {{Fact|date=February 2007}}. In any case, in the light of the recent jurisprudence of the Constitutional Court that had struck down a similar provision for being unconstitutional in 1992, all [[jurist]]s agree that it would have done so again, even if it were to become law. ==See also== {{Portal|Human rights}} *[[Human rights in Europe]] *[[International Freedom of Expression Exchange]] *[[List of prosecuted Turkish writers]] *[[Censorship in Turkey]] *[[Malatya bible publishing firm murders]] == Notes == {{Reflist}} ==References== *[http://www.byegm.gov.tr/mevzuat/anayasa/anayasa-ing.htm The current constitution in English from the Office of the Prime Minister, Directorate General of Press and Information] *[http://www.unhchr.ch/tbs/doc.nsf/0/e00415d0170ee8a5c1256b3a0051eb22/$FILE/G0144925.pdf Report of State Party - Turkey by the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner of Human Rights, 2001] ==External links== *[http://www.state.gov/g/drl/rls/hrrpt/2005/61680.htm 2005 Human Rights report on Turkey] - [[US Department of State]] *[http://hrw.org/english/docs/2006/01/18/turkey12220.htm Human Rights overview of Turkey during 2005] - [[Human Rights Watch]] *[http://www.ifex.org/en/content/view/full/256/ Censorship in Turkey] - [[International Freedom of Expression Exchange|IFEX]] *[http://www.khrp.org Kurdish Human Rights Project] *[http://www.acikhukuk.com OpenLaw Human Rights Project] *[http://www.wwhr.org/_homepage_en Women for Women's Human Rights"] *[http://www.forum18.org/Analyses.php?region=68 Forum 18 religious freedom analyses] *[http://www.amnesty.org/ailib/intcam/turkey/ Amnesty International on Turkey] *[http://www.zmag.org/content/showarticle.cfm?ItemID=2805 Noam Chomsky on Human Rights Week 2002] *[http://www.time.com/time/europe/magazine/2000/0522/turkey.html Time article on Turkish Human Rights] {{Human rights in Europe}} {{Asia topic|Human rights in}} {{Human rights in the Middle East}} {{Turkey topics}} [[Category:Human rights by country|Turkey]] [[Category:Human rights in Turkey| ]] [[de:Minderheitenpolitik der Republik Türkei]] [[fr:Droits de l'homme en Turquie]] [[gl:Dereitos humanos en Turquía]]