EU Recommendations for Turkey II
In a 17-page document entitled “46th Meeting of the EC-Turkey Association Council: Position of the European Union,” the EU takes a critical position on the judiciary, Cyprus, the Kurdish question, freedom of expression, military-civilian relations, religious freedom (for religious minorities), Iraq and the reform process. Although pointing out the limited progress achieved in political reforms in 2007, the draft notes the government’s declared intention to carry on reforms. The draft says the EU “follows” the closure cases and hopes for the verdict to be in line with European Court of Human Rights principles and the guidelines established by the Venice Commission of the Council of Europe. Brussels draws attention to the closure cases in two different sections — freedom of association and assembly, and political criteria.
In the sections concerning religious freedom and minorities, the EU used blunter language…. (click here for the rest of the article)
The European Parliament yesterday reiterated its criticism of a closure case filed against Turkey’s ruling Justice and Development Party (AK Party), dismissing top judges and prosecutors’ claims that it is a matter of the independence of the judiciary and saying instead that it raises questions about the impartiality of the institution…. “Nowhere in Europe do top prosecutors enjoy such freedom,” Ria Oomen-Ruijten, the European Parliament’s rapporteur on Turkey, said at a press conference in Strasbourg….
Her comments were a sharp response to a harsh statement issued by the [Turkish] Supreme Court of Appeals earlier in the day. The court had lashed out at the government for critical comments about the closure case and the court’s chief public prosecutor, who initiated the case. The statement argued that such criticism proved that the principle of the independence of the judiciary was not being respected.
click here for the Turkish Supreme Court of Appeals statement
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