ISTANBUL (Reuters) - Turkey on Tuesday slammed a United Nations rights report on its state of emergency as rife with unfounded allegations and said the criticism chimed with propaganda efforts of terrorist organizations.

The report called on Turkey to end the state of emergency in place since July 2016, saying it had led to “massive and serious” human rights violations in the largely Kurdish southeast, including killings and torture.

The report “contains unfounded allegations matching up perfectly with the propaganda efforts of terrorist organizations,” Turkey’s foreign ministry said in a statement. </s> Turkey has accused a senior UN official of lacking impartiality and collaborating with terrorists over a new report that called on the country to end a state of emergency imposed after a 2016 failed coup attempt.

The UN report said that the state of emergency had led to “profound” human rights violations, paving the way for arbitrary detentions and dismissals, infringements on the rights of freedom of association and expression, and torture and ill-treatment.

The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Zeid Ra’ad Al Hussein said the state of emergency, which has been extended six times since it was imposed, has “been used to severely and arbitrarily curtail the human rights of a very large number of people”.

Turkey responded harshly, accusing the commissioner of relegating “the UN body under his administration into a position of collaborator of terrorist organisations”.

“The High Commissioner, who signed this text, has lost his objectivity and impartiality on the issues concerning Turkey, and has developed prejudices against our country,” a Turkish foreign ministry statement said.

It also accused Mr Al Hussein of making a “baseless” claim about not being given “access” to Turkey, saying he had not accepted “multiple invitations” to visit the country.

Turkey has blamed the coup on a network of followers of US-based Muslim cleric Fethullah Gulen and launched a major crackdown on his supporters and others accused of links to terror groups.

Tens of thousands of people have been arrested and more than 110,000 dismissed from public sector jobs.

Turkey says the emergency powers are needed to deal with ongoing security threats.

The UN report recommended that Turkey “promptly end the state of emergency, restore the normal functioning of its institutions and repeal all legislation that is not compliant with Turkey’s international human rights obligations”.

The UN Human Rights Office said it recognises Turkey’s challenges stemming from the coup attempt as well as extremist attacks.

The report said, however, that the emergency powers appeared to be used to “stifle any form of criticism or dissent vis-a-vis the government”. </s> Turkey has slammed a United Nations report, which says the state of emergency in the country have led to profound human rights violations, as "biased" and "unacceptable".

The report, which was published on Tuesday, calls for an end to routine extensions of the state of emergency in place since July 2016, saying that it is used "to stifle any form of criticism or dissent vis-a-vis the government".

"[The report] contains unfounded allegations matching up perfectly with the propaganda efforts of terrorist organisations," the foreign ministry in Ankara said on Tuesday .

"[The report] completely ignores the severe and multiple terrorist threats faced by Turkey and particularly, the effects on the protection of human rights of the July 15 coup attempt that targeted the survival of our country and the democratic life of our nation," the foreign ministry added.

The UN report warned that the high powers handed to the authorities in Turkey following the failed coup attempt of July 2016 had caused "a continued erosion of the rule of law and deterioration of the human rights situation."

"The sheer number, frequency and lack of connection of several [emergency] decrees to any national threat seem to … point to the use of emergency powers to stifle any form of criticism or dissent vis-a-vis the government," the report, which covers the year of 2017, said.

The report said that about 300 journalists have been arrested on the grounds that their publications contained "apologist sentiments regarding terrorism" or other "verbal act offences" or for "membership" in "terrorist organisations".

UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Prince Zeid Ra'ad al-Hussein said the amount of people arrested or dismissed are "staggering" in Turkey and findings of the report was "outrageous".

"The numbers are just staggering: nearly 160,000 people arrested during an 18-month state of emergency," he said in a statement, adding that another 152,000 civil servants were sacked.

"Teachers, judges and lawyers dismissed or prosecuted; journalists arrested, media outlets shut down and websites blocked - clearly the successive states of emergency declared in Turkey have been used to severely and arbitrarily curtail the human rights of a very large number of people," he said.

The Turkish government blames US-based religious leader and businessman Fethullah Gulen and his followers for the coup attempt, while he denies any involvement.

The government, which has renewed the state of emergency every three months since the attempt, say the purges and detentions are legitimate, and are aimed at removing Gulen supporters from state institutions. </s> ANKARA, Turkey (AP) — Turkey accused a senior U.N. official of lacking impartiality and collaborating with terrorists over a new report released earlier Tuesday that called on the country to end a state of emergency imposed after a 2016 failed coup attempt.

The U.N. report says that the state of emergency had led to "profound" human rights violations, paving the way to arbitrary detentions and dismissals, infringements on the rights of freedom of association and expression, and torture and ill-treatment.

The U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights, Zeid Ra'ad al-Hussein, said the state of emergency, which has been extended six times since it was imposed, has "been used to severely and arbitrarily curtail the human rights of a very large number of people."

Turkey responded harshly, accusing the commissioner of relegating "the U.N. body under his administration into a position of collaborator of terrorist organizations."

"The High Commissioner, who signed this text, has lost his objectivity and impartiality on the issues concerning Turkey, and has developed prejudices against our country," a Turkish Foreign Ministry statement said.

It also accused Al Hussein of making a "baseless" claim about not being given "access" to Turkey, saying he hadn't accepted "multiple invitations" to visit the country.

Turkey has blamed the coup on a network of followers of U.S.-based Muslim cleric Fethullah Gulen and launched a major crackdown on his supporters and others accused of links to terror groups. Tens of thousands of people have been arrested and more than 110,000 dismissed from public sector jobs. Gulen has denied any involvement.

Turkey says the emergency powers are needed to deal with ongoing security threats.

The U.N. report recommended that Turkey "promptly end the state of emergency, restore the normal functioning of its institutions and repeal all legislation that is not compliant with Turkey's international human rights obligations."

The U.N. Human Rights Office said it recognizes Turkey's challenges stemming from the coup attempt as well as extremist attacks. The report said, however, that the emergency powers appeared to be used to "stifle any form of criticism or dissent vis-a-vis the government."

Jamey Keaten in Geneva contributed to this report.

Copyright 2017 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. </s> Turkey has slammed a United Nations report, which says the state of emergency in the country have led to profound human rights violations, as "biased" and "unacceptable".

The report, which was published on Tuesday, calls for an end to routine extensions of the state of emergency in place since July 2016, saying that it is used "to stifle any form of criticism or dissent vis-a-vis the government".

"[The report] contains unfounded allegations matching up perfectly with the propaganda efforts of terrorist organisations," the foreign ministry in Ankara said on Tuesday .

"[The report] completely ignores the severe and multiple terrorist threats faced by Turkey and particularly, the effects on the protection of human rights of the July 15 coup attempt that targeted the survival of our country and the democratic life of our nation," the foreign ministry added.

The UN report warned that the high powers handed to the authorities in Turkey following the failed coup attempt of July 2016 had caused "a continued erosion of the rule of law and deterioration of the human rights situation."

"The sheer number, frequency and lack of connection of several [emergency] decrees to any national threat seem to … point to the use of emergency powers to stifle any form of criticism or dissent vis-a-vis the government," the report, which covers the year of 2017, said.

The report said that about 300 journalists have been arrested on the grounds that their publications contained "apologist sentiments regarding terrorism" or other "verbal act offences" or for "membership" in "terrorist organisations".

'Outregeous'

UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Prince Zeid Ra'ad al-Hussein said the amount of people arrested or dismissed are "staggering" in Turkey and findings of the report was "outrageous".

"The numbers are just staggering: nearly 160,000 people arrested during an 18-month state of emergency," he said in a statement, adding that another 152,000 civil servants were sacked.

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"Teachers, judges and lawyers dismissed or prosecuted; journalists arrested, media outlets shut down and websites blocked - clearly the successive states of emergency declared in Turkey have been used to severely and arbitrarily curtail the human rights of a very large number of people," he said.

The Turkish government blames US-based religious leader and businessman Fethullah Gulen and his followers for the coup attempt, while he denies any involvement.

The government, which has renewed the state of emergency every three months since the attempt, say the purges and detentions are legitimate, and are aimed at removing Gulen supporters from state institutions. </s> ANKARA, Turkey — The United Nations has called on Turkey to end a state of emergency imposed after a 2016 failed coup attempt, saying it has led to “profound” human rights violations.

In a report released Tuesday, the U.N. said the state of emergency has paved the way to arbitrary detentions and dismissals, infringements on the rights to freedom of association and expression and torture and ill-treatment.

Turkey has blamed the coup on a network of followers of U.S.-based Muslim cleric Fethullah Gulen and launched a massive crackdown on his supporters and others accused of links to terror groups. Tens of thousands of people have been arrested and more than 110,000 dismissed from public sector jobs.

Turkey says the emergency powers are needed to deal with ongoing security threats. </s> The United Nations called on Turkey on Tuesday to end the state of emergency in place since July 2016 that it said had led to widespread human rights violations including the arrest of 160,000 people and dismissal of nearly the same number of civil servants, often arbitrarily.

Turkey responds: Turkey on Tuesday slammed the United Nations rights report on its state of emergency as rife with unfounded allegations and said the criticism chimed with propaganda efforts of terrorist organisations

President Tayyip Erdogan declared the emergency after a failed July 2016 coup and issued more than 20 decrees which have often led to torture of detainees, impunity and interference with the judiciary, the U.N. human rights office said.

Turkey should “promptly end the state of emergency and restore the normal functioning of institutions and the rule of law,” it said in a report.

“The sheer number, frequency and lack of connection of several decrees to any national threat seem to … point to the use of emergency powers to stifle any form of criticism or dissent vis-à-vis the government,” it said.

The Turkish government blames the network of Fethullah Gulen, a U.S.-based Muslim cleric, for the failed coup attempt during which 250 people were killed. Gulen has denied any involvement in the coup, however.

Zeid Ra’ad al-Hussein, U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights, said the numbers of people arrested or dismissed are “just staggering”.

Nearly 160,000 people have been arrested and 152,000 civil servants sacked, “many totally arbitrarily”, in the past 18 months, he said in a statement.

“Teachers, judges and lawyers dismissed or prosecuted; journalists arrested, media outlets shut down and websites blocked – clearly the successive states of emergency declared in Turkey have been used to severely and arbitrarily curtail the human rights of a very large number of people,” Zeid said.

The 28-page report documents the use of torture and ill-treatment in custody, including severe beatings, sexual assault, electric shocks and waterboarding by police, gendarmerie, military police and security forces.

In southeast Turkey, it said that “massive and serious” human rights violations continued to be committed by security forces. These included killings, torture, excessive use of force, and destruction of homes and Kurdish cultural heritage.

The U.N. rights office called for full access to be able to assess the situation in the region. </s> Geneva (AFP) - Turkey's state of emergency has sparked human rights abuses against "hundreds of thousands of people", including killings and torture, the UN warned Tuesday in a report slammed by Ankara as "biased" and "unacceptable".

A state of emergency imposed in Turkey following the attempted overthrow of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in July 2016, and repeatedly extended since then, has had dramatic consequences, the UN rights office said.

The report, which covers all of 2017, cautioned that the extraordinary powers handed to the authorities following the failed coup attempt had caused "a continued erosion of the rule of law and deterioration of the human rights situation."

"Routine extensions of the state of emergency in Turkey have led to profound human rights violations against hundreds of thousands of people," it said.

It warned that the use of emergency powers appeared to be meant "to stifle any form of criticism or dissent vis-a-vis the government."

UN rights chief Zeid Ra'ad Al Hussein described the findings as "alarming" and "outrageous".

"The numbers are just staggering: nearly 160,000 people arrested during an 18-month state of emergency," he said in a statement.

In addition, he pointed to the "152,000 civil servants dismissed, many totally arbitrarily, teachers, judges and lawyers dismissed or prosecuted, journalists arrested, media outlets shut down and websites blocked."

"Clearly the successive states of emergency declared in Turkey have been used to severely and arbitrarily curtail the human rights of a very large number of people," he said.

Turkey reacted furiously, with the foreign ministry accusing the UN rights chief of turning his agency into an organisation that collaborates with "terror" groups.

Turkey insists it is dealing with multiple terror threats including the movement led by the US-based Muslim preacher Fethullah Gulen.

Ankara accuses him of ordering the attempted putsch. Gulen denies the charges.

The report, "which contains distorted, biased and false information, is unacceptable for Turkey," it said.

Tuesday's report also decried a massive post-coup crackdown on the media, finding that some 300 journalists had been arrested.

Around 100,000 websites were reportedly blocked in Turkey last year, it said.

The European Court of Human Rights also took Turkey to task Tuesday over its media crackdown, ruling that Ankara had abused the rights of two journalists, Mehmet Altan and Sahin Alpay.

The two were arrested in 2016 and accused of being members of a "terror organisation" run by Gulen.

Altan, an economics professor and journalist, was handed a life sentence in February for his alleged Gulenist links. Prominent columnist Alpay is awaiting trial.

Tuesday's UN report documented the use of torture and other abuse in custody, listing severe beatings, sexual assault, electric shocks and waterboarding.

"One of the most alarming findings of the report," Zeid said, "is how Turkish authorities reportedly detained some 100 women who were pregnant or had just given birth, mostly on the grounds that they were 'associates' of their husbands, who are suspected of being connected to terrorist organisations."

"Some were detained with their children and others violently separated from them. This is simply outrageous, utterly cruel and surely cannot have anything whatsoever to do with making the country safer," he said.

The report listed a case where a "woman who was shackled by her legs immediately after her miscarriage," and another where a mother was separated from her prematurely-born baby and taken to prison more than 600 kilometres away.

It described the April 2017 referendum that extended Erdogan's executive powers as "seriously problematic".

It noted that the move had led to interference with the work of the judiciary and curtailment of parliamentary oversight over the executive branch.

The rights office also pointed out that 22 emergency decrees were promulgated by the end of 2017, with two more since then, often "regulating matters unrelated to the state of emergency and used to limit various legitimate activities by civil society actors."

This, the report cautioned, fosters "impunity", by handing immunity to authorities acting within the framework of the decrees.

The report urged Turkey to "promptly end the state of emergency and restore the normal functioning of institutions and the rule of law." </s> Turkey's state of emergency has sparked human rights abuses against "hundreds of thousands of people", including killings and torture, the UN warned Tuesday in a report slammed by Ankara as "biased" and "unacceptable".

A state of emergency imposed in Turkey following the attempted overthrow of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in July 2016, and repeatedly extended since then, has had dramatic consequences, the UN rights office said.

The report, which covers all of 2017, cautioned that the extraordinary powers handed to the authorities following the failed coup attempt had caused "a continued erosion of the rule of law and deterioration of the human rights situation."

"Routine extensions of the state of emergency in Turkey have led to profound human rights violations against hundreds of thousands of people," it said.

It warned that the use of emergency powers appeared to be meant "to stifle any form of criticism or dissent vis-a-vis the government."

UN rights chief Zeid Ra'ad Al Hussein described the findings as "alarming" and "outrageous".

"The numbers are just staggering: nearly 160,000 people arrested during an 18-month state of emergency," he said in a statement.

In addition, he pointed to the "152,000 civil servants dismissed, many totally arbitrarily, teachers, judges and lawyers dismissed or prosecuted, journalists arrested, media outlets shut down and websites blocked."

"Clearly the successive states of emergency declared in Turkey have been used to severely and arbitrarily curtail the human rights of a very large number of people," he said.

Turkey reacted furiously, with the foreign ministry accusing the UN rights chief of turning his agency into an organisation that collaborates with "terror" groups.

Turkey insists it is dealing with multiple terror threats including the movement led by the US-based Muslim preacher Fethullah Gulen.

Ankara accuses him of ordering the attempted putsch. Gulen denies the charges.

The report, "which contains distorted, biased and false information, is unacceptable for Turkey," it said.

Tuesday's report also decried a massive post-coup crackdown on the media, finding that some 300 journalists had been arrested.

Around 100,000 websites were reportedly blocked in Turkey last year, it said.

The European Court of Human Rights also took Turkey to task Tuesday over its media crackdown, ruling that Ankara had abused the rights of two journalists, Mehmet Altan and Sahin Alpay.

The two were arrested in 2016 and accused of being members of a "terror organisation" run by Gulen.

Altan, an economics professor and journalist, was handed a life sentence in February for his alleged Gulenist links. Prominent columnist Alpay is awaiting trial.

Tuesday's UN report documented the use of torture and other abuse in custody, listing severe beatings, sexual assault, electric shocks and waterboarding.

"One of the most alarming findings of the report," Zeid said, "is how Turkish authorities reportedly detained some 100 women who were pregnant or had just given birth, mostly on the grounds that they were 'associates' of their husbands, who are suspected of being connected to terrorist organisations."

"Some were detained with their children and others violently separated from them. This is simply outrageous, utterly cruel and surely cannot have anything whatsoever to do with making the country safer," he said.

The report listed a case where a "woman who was shackled by her legs immediately after her miscarriage," and another where a mother was separated from her prematurely-born baby and taken to prison more than 600 kilometres away.

It described the April 2017 referendum that extended Erdogan's executive powers as "seriously problematic".

It noted that the move had led to interference with the work of the judiciary and curtailment of parliamentary oversight over the executive branch.

The rights office also pointed out that 22 emergency decrees were promulgated by the end of 2017, with two more since then, often "regulating matters unrelated to the state of emergency and used to limit various legitimate activities by civil society actors."

This, the report cautioned, fosters "impunity", by handing immunity to authorities acting within the framework of the decrees.

The report urged Turkey to "promptly end the state of emergency and restore the normal functioning of institutions and the rule of law."
The United Nations issues a report calling for an end to the nation's state of emergency, claiming it has been used to violate human rights. Turkey responds, calling the report "biased" and "unacceptable".