Human rights defender Yoleri said that the AKP government has not hesitated to violate human rights from the very beginning, adding that the international system also played a role in the democratic backslide.
The Human Rights Association (IHD) Istanbul Branch head Gülseren Yoleri spoke to ANF about the AKP government’s human rights violations. Yoleri noted that people were tortured to death in prisons and torture continued in detention centres even during the period when the government launched its campaign dubbed "zero tolerance to torture". Yoleri said that the basic attitude was preserved when the government introduced European Union reforms. Yoleri cited trials of journalists, the Anti-Terror Law, the MIT Law, the regulations concerning the duties and responsibilities of state officials, the manipulations in the previous constitutional referendum, the disregard for the constitution and the law. She said: “The authoritarian regime has been institutionalized and there is no longer democracy in Turkey.”
TOLERANCE OF THE INTERNATIONAL SYSTEM
The human rights advocate remarked that one of the reasons for this lawlessness caused by the AKP government is the tolerance of the international legal system towards them. Yoleri pointed out that international law often turned a blind eye to the violations of rights in domestic laws. “This government has violated the laws. Just as it has violated domestic laws, it has also made away with international laws. It does not care about ECtHR decisions. It frustrates the CPT's reports or some human rights mechanisms. The reason why the government can act so recklessly is because it has not seen enough reaction from the international community.”
IHD AND ELECTIONS
Addressing the IHD's stance on the upcoming May 14 elections, Yoleri said: “We have demands, of course, but we do not favour any party. We favour parties that promote human rights and democracy. We want democracy and human rights to prevail in this country. We want peace. We want freedom. We want a state of welfare. We want living conditions to be affordable for everyone living in the country. Therefore, we can support any party which promises to realize them. We do not favour any party, because the IHD is a movement that distances itself from the state, government and parties, but as I said, whoever advocates human rights, peace and democracy is valuable to us.”
