“Numerous human rights of a very large civilian population in South-Eastern Turkey have been violated as a result of curfews imposed and anti-terrorism operations conducted there since August 2015. I call on Turkey to stop using curfews in such a manner, investigate all allegations of human rights violations by state agents in an effective manner and put in place comprehensive schemes for redress and compensation. Failure to do so will further aggravate the initial violations” said Nils Muižnieks, Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights, in a Memorandum published today. The Memorandum presents the findings of a visit that he conducted to Turkey (Istanbul, Diyarbakir and Ankara) from 6 to 14 April 2016, and a subsequent visit to Ankara from 27 to 29 September 2016.
The Commissioner’s assessment is based on a careful analysis, on the basis of international standards and the case-law of the European Court of Human Rights, of anti-terrorist measures, in particular of the legality and proportionality of the open-ended, round-the-clock curfews which lasted for many months in certain cases.
“Turkey faces a real terrorist threat, and it has the right and duty to fight against terrorism in all its forms. I condemn the actions of the PKK and other terrorist organisations. Terrorism is a human-rights violation, but the response Turkey adopted in the South East since the summer of 2015 caused violations of human rights in its own right, due to measures which involve problems of proportionality and legality.” (more...)