These “sensitive” issues include promoting the right to alternative identities (ethnic and religious minorities’ rights, particularly the Kurdish issue, and sexual minorities) and criticising the State and its institutions (the functioning of the institutions, including the independence of the judiciary and the impunity of the State and the army regarding human
rights violations). Key categories of civil society active in the defence of human rights are affected by this policy: members of non-governmental organisations (NGOs) but also lawyers, trade unionists, journalists, intellectuals and academics, writers, advocates of the right to conscientious objection and family members of victims of serious violations, etc.
The Observatory for the Protection of Human Rights Defenders, a joint programme of the International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH) and the World Organisation Against Torture (OMCT), has published on 5 June 2012 a report entitled “Turkey: Human Rights Defenders, guilty until proven innocent”, which documents this criminalisation and provides recommendations for improvement.
FIDH, HRFT and IHD ask the EU to urge Turkey to implement the report’s recommendations, to support efforts Turkey should undertake to this end, and to monitor the progress made relating to the Human rights defenders situation. For that monitoring, we would like to propose indicators that should be linked to programs, progress reports, positive agenda and dialogues.
Yours Sincerely,
Gaëlle Dusépulchre
FIDH Permanent Representative to the European Union.
Öztürk Türkdoğan
IHD Chairman - Human Rights Association Turkey (İnsan Hakları Derneği )
Metin Bakkalcı
Secretary-General of the HRFT}}}
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