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Since the European Union finally agreed to start
talks with Turkey about eventual membership, there
have been disturbing signs that the Turkish
government is flagging in its commitments to freedom
of expression and human rights. Both are central to
Turkey winning full EU membership, and those who
want to support that goal in Europe and the United
States should lean on the Turkish government to keep
its promises.
After he was elected in 2002, Prime Minister Recep
Tayyip Erdogan said the right things about democracy
and human rights. He showed courage in enacting
measures opposed by Turkey's powerful military. That
led to Turkey getting its long-desired date - Oct. 3
this year - to begin talks on EU membership.
Given its atrocious record in the 1980s and 1990s,
when torture of detainees was systematic, Turkey has
made notable progress toward respecting the rights
of its citizens. On Friday, changes to Turkey's
penal code come into effect, including tougher
measures against rape and torture. But the vicious
beatings by police officers breaking up an
International Women's Day demonstration in Istanbul
earlier this month showed that the culture of
violent repression lingers. And Erdogan has cast
doubt on his commitment to freedom of speech by
pursuing political satirists in the courts.
The government also shows signs of failing to keep
its pledge to help more than 300,000 Kurds who were
expelled from their villages by security forces more
than a decade ago. Most are scratching out
marginalized, impoverished lives in urban slums and
only a very small fraction have been able to return
to their homes, far fewer than the government has
claimed.
One of the main reasons, Human Rights Watch reported
this month, is the menace they face from
paramilitary guards the government has installed in
Kurdish villages, who have been attacking and in
some cases killing returning refugees.
The government needs to call off these guards and do
more to help returnees rebuild their shattered
villages. Many former homes are now no more than
piles of stones covered in brambles. Schools
destroyed by government forces and separatist
guerrillas have never been rebuilt.
Services like roads, water supplies and sanitation
systems need to be restored. All this costs money,
but help would be available if Turkey committed
itself to programs that met basic international
standards.
Erdogan's government cannot afford to be seen as
flagging in fulfilling its promises to meet EU
standards in the way it treats its people. The
European Union and the United States, which need a
stable and democratic Turkey, can help by stepping
up their scrutiny, as well as their support.
www.iht.com
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