WRITTEN QUESTION E-0028/00

by Nelly Maes (Verts/ALE) and Bart Staes (Verts/ALE) to the Council

(20 January 2000)

Subject: Human rights in Turkey

The world has become no more peaceful in the post-Cold War period. Despite the appearance of new actors on the scene, states are still responsible for the great majority of instances of torture. The Medical Foundation for the Care of Victims of Torture in London has for a number of years been taking care of victims of torture and (military) violence.

By far the largest group of patients of the Foundation are from Turkish Kurdistan. The Foundation's Alex Sklan described Turkey in De Morgen of Friday, 24 December 1999 as a torture state. Torture is endemic, routine, inherent in the enforcement of so-called law and order.

1. Is the Council aware of the activities of the Medical Foundation for the Care of Victims of Torture in London with regard to the victims of torture and violence? If not, will the Council seek full information on the Foundation given its importance in the light of the Common Foreign and Security Policy and the enlargement of the European Union? If it is aware of trhe Foundation's activities, can the Council confirm the statement by Mr Sklan that By far the largest group of patients of the Medical Foundation for the Care of Victims of Torture are from Turkish Kurdistan?

2. Does the Council feel that the term torture state used by Mr Sklan is applicable to Turkey? If not, does the Council belief that a member of a body specialising in victims of torture and (military) violence is wrong to apply the term torture state to Turkey? If so, how does the Council explain the statement by Mr Sklan that: By far the largest group of patients of the Medical Foundation for the Care of Victims of Torture are from Turkish Kurdistan?

3. Does the Council endorse Mr Sklan's view that Torture is endemic, routine, inherent in the enforcement of so-called law and order in Turkey'? If not, why not, and how can the Council's position be reconciled with the fact that, as Mr Sklan says: By far the largest group of patients of the Medical Foundation for the Care of Victims of Torture are from Turkish Kurdistan?

Reply

(28 March 2000)

The Council welcomes all the efforts in Member States contributing to the situation of victims of torture and violence, including those mentioned by the Honourable Members. It is not aware of the statements on Turkey by Mr Sklan, referred to by the Honourable Members. The Council is not in the habit of evaluating the work of non-governmental organisations, but considers that this falls within the competence of national authorities.

The Council continues to be concerned about the situation of human rights in Turkey. In the spirit of the European Parliament's request made to the Council in the context of the EP's assent to implement the final phase of the Customs Union, the Council continues to closely monitor human rights and democratic developments in Turkey.

Furthermore, the Council believes that the decisions taken by the Helsinki European Council will encourage Turkey to take further steps in the field of human rights and democracy. The Helsinki European Council decided that Turkey is a candidate State destined to join the Union on the basis of the same criteria as applied to the other candidate States. Compliance with the Copenhagen political criteria is a prerequisite for the opening of any accession negotiations. The Council underlines that stability of institutions guaranteeing human rights and respect for and protection of minorities is one of the Copenhagen political criteria.

According to the Helsinki European Council conclusions, building on the existing European strategy, Turkey, like other candidate States, will benefit from a pre-accession strategy to stimulate and support its reforms. This will include enhanced political dialogue, with emphasis on progressing towards fulfilling the political criteria for accession with particular reference inter alia to the issue of human rights. In practice, in all the political dialogue meetings with the Turkish authorities at the level of Foreign Ministers and Political Directors the Council addresses human rights issues.