Turkish MP: Erdogan government continues violation of human rights

The government of Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan still continues severe violation of human rights despite its claims about respecting democracy and freedom of expression, a Turkish legislator said. “Despite the allegations and claims made by the Erdogan government about its respect for human rights, only in September 12 people filed lawsuits with the Judiciary for having gone under torture, and 17 people were tried for their making some expressions despite the government’s claims about its respect for the freedom of expression,”  Deputy Head of the main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP) Sezgin Tanrikulu said on Wednesday. He said that in the same month, 346 people were arrested for participating in peaceful protests and 56 others were wounded due to the Turkish police’s violent behavior towards the demonstrators. Tanrikulu said while the government’s indifference to the violation of human rights in Turkey continues, Erdogan claimed last month that the country is making progress in the improvement of democracy and freedom. In relevant remarks in July, a prominent Iraqi lawmaker lashed out at the Turkish government and the ruling party of Erdogan for disrespecting freedom of speech and the press in Turkey. “What is happening in Turkey, specially by the ruling Justice and Development Party, is that while the Turkish leaders urge other regional countries to abide by the principles of democracy and give more freedom to their nations and journalists, they themselves act otherwise,” Batoul Farouq told FNA in Baghdad at the time. She noted that any violation of rights in the world is doomed to failure and Turkey that considers itself a democratic country should respect its principles, including freedom of the press which is deemed as very important. Several Turkish journalists and media people have been expelled from their jobs after Erdogan threatened the country’s media over their coverage of the recent unrests in Gezi park in Istabul’s Taksim square and other cities throughout the country. Chidem Anad and Mirgun Jabas, anchors of NTV television channel programs as well as Nilgun Balkac, NTV’s correspondent in Ankara, are among the many journalists expelled from their jobs. Independent circles believe that a very difficult era has already begun for the media in Turkey and the number of reporters and journalists who are imprisoned on baseless accusations is on the increase each day. The expulsion of Turkish journalists has even been extended to pro-Erdogan newspapers, including Yeniz Shefaq. Kurshad Boumi, a journalist of Yeni Shefaq, who has worked for 16 year for that newspaper is among those expelled from the media. Hassan Jamal with 45 years of journalism experience warned that if Erdogan keeps on expelling journalists, one day the Turkish media will reach the point of explosion exactly like what happened in Gezi Park. A police crackdown on a group protesting against the planned redevelopment of Gezi Park, a leafy corner of Taksim, triggered nationwide protests in June against Erdogan, accused by critics of increasingly authoritarian rule after a decade in power. In the capital, Ankara, hundreds of protesters took to the streets in one area close to the center.