“Promised Legal Reforms did not Occur in Turkey”

Amnesty International presented its 2012 report focused on human rights violations in the last year and the state of human rights in countries around the world.

The report documents the state of human rights in 155 countries and territories in 2011. The Amnesty International report reveals that freedom of expression continued to be restricted in at least 91 countries and allegations of torture and other ill-treatment and the use of excessive force by law enforcement officials persisted in at least 101 countries. Most of these cases occured due to participating demonstrations. The report also shows how national and international leaders were not able to protect human rights and how international communities responds to human rights crisis through fearful and evasive answers, hypocrisy and opportunism.

In the Amnesty International report, it's noted that America and Europe supported the movements of democracy but even though they justified their support in democracy through their criticism of state repression and poor economic conditions, they did not want to give up their special relations with repressive governments.

The report also revealed some predictions about the Arms Trade Treaty meeting of United Nations that will be held on June. "The meeting will be a tough test for the politicians who has to care about human rights rather than their own interests and profits"

Increased torture and other ill-treatment in Turkey

The highlights of the Turkey section of the report are as follows:

"Promised constitutional and other legal reforms did not occur. Instead, the right to freedom of expression was threatened and protesters faced increased police violence."

"Thousands of prosecutions brought under flawed anti-terrorism laws routinely failed fair trial standards. Bomb attacks claimed the lives of civilians. No progress was made in recognizing the right to conscientious objection or in protecting the rights of children in the judicial system. The rights of refugees and asylum-seekers and lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people remained unsecured in law. Preventive mechanisms to combat violence against women remained inadequate."

"A large number of prosecutions were brought which threatened individuals' right to freedom of expression. In addition to prosecutions brought under various articles of the Penal Code, a vast number of cases threatening freedom of expression were brought under antiterrorism legislation"(YY)

To read the full report go to Amnesty International.