"In the context of the attempted “coup d’état”, the Turkish government continues to harass and suppress the fundamental rights of the members of the press, of the lawyers, human rights defenders, NGOs, academics."
The UN Human Rights Council will hold its forty-second session from 9 to 27 September in Geneva.
In the agenda discussions on promotion and protection of all human rights, civil, political, economic, social and cultural rights, including the right to development.
A written statement titled "Turkey: end repression in order to restore freedoms and rights" was submitted by the ngo Mouvement contre le racisme et pour l'amitié entre les peuples.
The statement said: "In the context of the attempted “coup d’état”, the Turkish government continues to harass and suppress the fundamental rights of the members of the press, of the lawyers, human rights defenders, NGOs, academics."
The statement continued: "It arrests them and prosecutes in the tribunals. The repression is particularly strong in the South-East provinces where Kurdish people are originating from. Arbitrary arrests, long term detention without any proof, prolonged court process against lawyers, opposition parties, politicians, journalists, members of the Kurdish community are increasing in recent times. In Turkey there are over 250 thousand people in prisons and a considerable number of them have been experiencing incredibly long trial processes."
Reminding that "Article 5 of the European Convention on Human Rights provides that everyone has the right to liberty and security of person. No one shall be deprived of his liberty save in [some] cases and in accordance with a procedure prescribed by law", the statement said: "In Turkey, liberty and security of the person are taken as a "compound" concept. The independence of the Turkish judiciary is under serious attack after the 15 July 2016 coup with prejudice to human rights."
The statement also recalled that "on 8 July 2019, following her visit to Turkey from 1 to 5 July, Ms Dunja Mijtovic, Human Rights Commissioner of the Council of Europe 2019 stated that 'Turkey must take urgent and necessary measures to re-establish trust in its judiciary and repair the damage inflicted on the rule of law during the state of emergency and its aftermath'".
Mouvement contre le racisme et pour l'amitié entre les peuples invites therefore: "The Working Group on Arbitrary Detention, the Special Rapporteur on torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment, the Special Rapporteur on the promotion and protection of human rights and fundamental freedoms while countering terrorism, Special Rapporteur on the independence of judges and lawyers, Special Rapporteur on the promotion and protection of the right to freedom of opinion and expression, Special Rapporteur on the rights to freedom of peaceful assembly and of association, Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights defenders to pay particular attention, within their respective mandates, to human rights violations committed by the Turkish authorities."
