NGOs draw Obama’s attention to human rights in Turkey
A very interesting development has been reported in regards to the practices of the current government in Turkey.
It has been on the agenda for a while that the Turkish government has been receiving criticism from some western sources that the rule of law and protect political freedoms in Turkey does not comply with the standards accepted in the western world.
To be in parallel to this argument some leading nongovernmental organizations to include Foreign Policy Initiative, Freedom House, Project on Middle East Democracy (POMED) and Reporters Without Borders have sent an open letter to U.S. President Barack Obama, asking him to press Turkish Prime Minister to see to it the rule of law and political freedoms in Turkey, are protected.
The letter submitted by said NGOs refers to the decades-long alliance between the two nations and asks The President to make issues like Turkish PM’s support for anti-blasphemy laws and freedom of speech a priority in their meetings, based on his “reportedly close personal relationship” with the prime minister.
The letter says Turkey has “stalled and in some crucial areas regressed,” quoting a previous report from the U.S. State Department that drew attention to the arrest and prosecution of journalists and writers. The letter also mentions a recent analysis of Reporters Without Borders that called Turkey “world’s worst jailer of the press” following the arrests.
Moreover, the ongoing trials of military officers were cited in the open letter as well, as the groups called the recent military cases “a blow to NATO’s overall collective capability.”
The letter goes on to call on Obama to speak “publicly and privately” about such concerns “about Turkey’s backsliding” and says “That relationship needs to be based on our shared values, not just shared strategic interests,” the letter said. “We urge you to make rule of law and political freedoms a priority in your engagements with Prime Minister Erdoğan.”
11.01.2013
SOURCE: MEDIA & BTT
