The three-month-long state of emergency which was declared in Turkey
after the failed coup attempt should not stir a “rollback in human
rights” and in protection against “arbitrary detention and torture,”
Amnesty International’s (AI) Turkey researcher said on July 21.
“Emergency
measures must respect Turkey’s obligations under international law,
should not discard hard won freedoms and human rights safeguards and
must not become permanent,” AI Turkey’s Andrew Gardner said, adding
taking measures for public security was “understandable.”
“In a
situation where almost 10,000 people are currently in detention, amidst
allegations of ill-treatment in custody and when government ministries
and media institutions are being purged, the enhanced powers afforded by
the state of emergency could pave the way for a further rollback on
human rights” he said.
Gardner said an extension in the state of
emergency could “further undermine protections against ill-treatment as
well as the right to a fair trial.”
The suspension of the
European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR), which was announced by Prime
Minister Binali Yıldırım, was “a chilling harbinger of what is to
come,” he added.
“Under international law, there are certain
rights, like the right to a fair trial and bans on torture and
discrimination, which can never be suspended or limited in any way,”
Gardner said.
AI Turkey stated that emergency measures could
cause “arbitrary restrictions on freedom of expression and freedom of
peaceful assembly,” while civil servants’ right to appeal their
suspensions and dismissals could be refused.
“The government has
abused existing laws. The state of emergency gives them increased scope
to continue on this dangerous path,” Gardner said.
“Under
international law, emergency measures must be necessary and
proportionate in scope and duration and only used to counter genuine
security threats to the nation. Critically, they must be carefully
monitored, temporary, and employed judiciously, that is, only when
absolutely required,” he added.
“It is vital that the Turkish
government does not use the state of emergency as a pretext to clampdown
on peaceful dissent even harder. Even in times of emergency, Turkey’s
constitution guarantees that its obligations under international law
should not be violated,” Gardner said.
