The list is not exhaustive, but merely represents a compilation of the most egregious and actively used tools to repress free expression. Human Rights Watch believes that increased freedom of thought represents a crucial area where Turkey must make progress. We believe that open debate unconstrained by fear of persecution or the need for self-censorship is a fundamental prerequisite for solving other problems, whether police abuse and torture or the conflict in southeastern Turkey. We realize the challenges Mr. Ylmaz's minority coalition government faces. We hope he is able to carry through with his efforts to improve human rights.
Every state has a duty to maintain public order, and Turkey faces a legitimate security threat.
But that responsibility must be seriously weighed against the right to express opinions and to peacefully argue for change within the democratic system. Unfortunately, the state has largely failed to achieve that delicate balance. Presently, the state of free expression in Turkey is a chaotic mix of freedom and repression. Consequently, an arena of freedom where most issues can be discussed exists along side a danger zone where many who criticize accepted state policy about the role of Islam in politics and society, Turkey's ethnic Kurdish minority, the nature of the state, or the proper role of the military, face official sanction. Sometimes these two spheres collide, creating bizarre and contradictory situations.