* The implementation of the law in Turkey is not something imposed by the European Union (EU). What the EU wants is for Turkey to implement its Constitution and apply its own legal system.
* We have reached a point regarding Turkey where we find ourselves longing for recent democracy. Turkey reminds us of the movie "Back to the Future."
The person referring to recent human rights violations in Turkey and alluding to the previous period is Nacho Sánchez Amor, the Permanent Rapporteur for Turkey in the European Parliament (EP). According to Amor, the solution for Turkey is the movie "Back to the Future."
And the one posing the question is Erol Önderoğlu, the Representative of Reporters Without Borders (RSF) in Turkey.
Nacho Sánchez Amor met with journalists at the Turkey Journalists Union (TGS) Academy in Şişli, İstanbul.
Amor had participated in the 975th gathering of the Saturday Mothers/People at Galatasaray Square last weekend as an observer.
During today's meeting, Amor shared both his observations about the Saturday Mothers and his suggestions and criticisms regarding human rights in Turkey.
Rule of law
Highlights from Amor's speech include:
"My duty is to monitor Turkey's EU accession process. This process is fundamentally about human rights and the rule of law. I must say that there has been no change in this regard, and there are shortcomings."
"The rule of law constitutes our primary concerns. Of course, there is a very symbolic situation where the Saturday Mothers' gathering takes place, in Galatasaray Square. There is a symbolic monument there related to the 50th anniversary of the Republic."
"After the Saturday Mothers' event, during my visit to their association, I said the following: Today, I came to show solidarity, but at the same time, I am here regarding the compliance with the decisions of the Constitutional Court (AYM)."
Judicial crisis
"One of the statements that reached me regarding the situation of the Saturday Mothers includes a statement from a police officer. The officer says, 'We are in charge here.' This is again another symbolic situation. If a single law enforcement officer is implementing the Constitutional Court decision in their own way, it reveals a deep problem regarding the judicial crisis."
"When we consider the current situation, when we evaluate the filing of complaints against Constitutional Court members by the Court of Cassation, we see that the current situation in Turkey is beyond the standards."
Freedom of thought and expression
"Another issue related to human rights is the situation of imprisoned journalists. Journalists in Diyarbakır will face a judge due to their professional activities. There are numerous examples of ongoing harassment against journalists and activists from all walks of life, including the LGBTI+ community. If Turkey wants to be involved in the process of joining the EU, it should carefully address this matter."
"While we are considering the current situation, there may be new indicators in EU-Turkey relations."
Borrell’s report
"In the report of Mr. Josep Borrell [High Representative of the EU for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy], despite some disagreements and contentious issues, it is envisaged that cooperation between Turkey and the EU should continue as much as possible. This relationship is still at a fragile level. When I spoke with stakeholders in Turkey, the first impression is that references are made to the conditionality issue regarding Borrell's report."
"On the other hand, no one should expect a sudden change overnight. The report I mentioned, by Borrell, aims to create a sustainable environment in relations with Turkey. Therefore, the report I mentioned makes references to areas that can progress rather than expecting a sudden change."
"All of these emerge as a new tone in Turkey-EU relations. Therefore, we are not looking at a radical change or a U-turn in these matters, but rather a new space in the relationship."
Viza-free travel
"In my personal opinion, a constructive environment should be established regarding the issues mentioned in this report. Creating such a moment may enable us to return to our shared days by fostering a sense of trust.
"In my view, one of the issues that needs to be addressed here is the immediate commencement of visa-free travel. Students applying to go from Turkey to the EU, along with other applicants, require the swift initiation of the visa waiver process.
"We are making efforts towards any progress related to the EU membership process. From my perspective, the EU is a place that serves as a center for democracy, and the paths to democracy are not short. The process can only be completed with the fulfillment of democracy standards as a whole.
"The dilemma here is quite simple. If they want to be neighbors, they will consider Borrell's report; if they want to become a member, they will take into account the report of the European Commission. The two paths are supportive of each other, running in parallel.
Kavala and Demirtaş rulings of the ECtHR
"Osman Kavala received the Vaclav Havel Award. The award I am referring to is for Mr. Kavala's philanthropy in the humanitarian field; however, it is also of utmost importance as it highlights his imprisonment despite two decisions from the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR ).
"Even if the authorities in Turkey believe that the decision of the ECtHR is incorrect, and still assert that individuals like Mr. Kavala, Mr. Demirtaş, are still deemed dangerous, nevertheless, they should state, "We release them due to the ECtHR decision." Turkey not adhering to ECtHR decisions creates problems; it is imperative for Turkey to implement ECtHR rulings without fail.
"Turkey's failure to comply with the ECHR decision portrays it as unreliable. We advocate for abandoning the aggressive tone in foreign policy and a return to democracy. The current position isolates Turkey in foreign policy.
Amor: It is not possible to understand how LGBTI+ rights affect the family
bianet: We particularly observe an increase in violence against LGBTI+ individuals and women, especially after the termination of the Istanbul Convention. What would you like to say about this, and do you have a message for the authorities?
Amor: In my opinion, the situation in Turkey is linked to the authoritarian interpretation of the Constitution by the Presidential system. What I mean is, although there are rights in the Constitution, we face restrictions due to an authoritarian interpretation.
There are human rights violations in many areas. However, there are situations directly involving violence against women and LGBTI+ individuals. This will certainly be included in my report.
Our understanding, our concept of democracy in the European Union is inclusivity. This means that everyone should be able to live as they are. When we look here, rights related to sexual orientation are entirely within the individual's domain and decision. It is about ensuring these are guaranteed as constitutional rights. It is not possible to understand how LGBTI+ rights violate other rights.
It is entirely unclear how it threatens the family. It is a situation related to individual choices and the type of society you propose. Understanding how it threatens the family is not possible. It is not possible to accept this.
The situation of criminalizing the LGBTI+ community, as mentioned, exists in Russia. One must ask this about Turkey. Should Turkey choose a society like Russia or a society like Europe? You can choose Russia, but it is essential to know that this has no relevance to European Union standards.
This is also connected to religion. In Spain, our society is religious, but sexual orientation is a highly individual right and a matter concerning the individual. Spain is one of the countries where same-sex marriage is accepted. There is no state involvement in sexual orientation. If Turkey is a secular state, we understand and respect that matters related to religion are in the individual's domain, and we want it not to affect the public sphere. Turkey is a secular country.
(EMK/PE)
