Brussels, 03/06/2014 (Agence Europe) - Questioned by EUROPE about the crackdown on protests in Turkey marking the first anniversary of the events in Gezi Park against the government, Peter Stano, the spokesperson for Commissioner for Enlargement and European Neighbourhood Policy Stefan Füle, reiterated that “the right to peaceful assembly is a fundamental right and has to be respected”.
“Any country negotiating EU accession needs to guarantee human rights, including freedom of assembly and association for its citizens, in line with the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR)”, Stano said. He added that this also concerns “proportionality and restraint in case of intervention by law enforcement forces”.
On 31 May, Turkish police violently dispersed thousands of demonstrators, particularly in Ankara and Istanbul, with tear gas and water cannon. The demonstrators had defied the ban on demonstrating. There were reportedly 80 incidents and 13 people injured in Istanbul, according to the Turkish association for human rights.