Fessing Up Turkish President Acknowledges Torture, Says It's Not State Policy President Clinton and Turkish President Suleyman Demirel hold a joint press conference in Ankara. Clinton praised Turkey's work to improve its human rights record, while Demirel acknowledged Turkish security forces sometimes torture detainees. Turkish President Suleyman Demirel today surprised observers by acknowledging that torture takes place in his country. But, he said, it is not state policy. Human rights organizations for years have alleged that Turkish security forces abuse detainees with electric shocks, beatings, death threats and other forms of abuse.
Torture is a crime.
And whoever commits this crime, no matter who that person may be, that person is investigated and is penalized accordingly. But Clinton, who is in Turkey for a tour of the region and to attend a summit of the Organization for Security Cooperation in Europe, also seemed to joke about the issue of torture. At a morning gathering with employees of the U.S. Embassy in Ankara, Clinton announced that the United States had reached an agreement with China to speed its entry into the World Trade Organization. Then the lights went out. All of them.