Strasbourg, 23/06/2016 (Agence Europe) - On Wednesday 22 June, the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) stated at the end of a debate on the functioning of democratic institutions in Turkey that “the latest developments pertaining to freedom of the media and of expression, erosion of the rule of law and human rights violations in relation to the anti-terrorism security operations in south-eastern Turkey constitute a threat to the functioning of democratic institutions and the country's commitments to its obligations towards the Council of Europe”.
PACE did not, however, decide to reactivate a monitoring procedure against Turkey. Perceived as “surveillance” by the Council of Europe member states, which do not readily accept the political scope of the procedure, the procedure had been introduced through an amendment, but this was withdrawn shortly before the vote “in a spirit of compromise”.
The post-monitoring dialogue, which has been ongoing between Turkey and PACE since 2004, will thus continue, but in a much more tense context, marked by the resolution adopted on Tuesday that was based on the post-monitoring report prepared by co-rapporteurs Ingebjørg Godskesen (Norway, EC) and Natasa Vuckovic (Serbia, SOC).
The text adopted criticises the fact that the peace talks to resolve the Kurdish issue collapsed in summer 2015. It recognises Turkey's “right and duty” to fight terrorism, but recalls that “security operations must be carried out in line with international law”.
Particular criticism is made of the large number of blocked websites (110,000), the suppression of television channels that are critical of the government, the ban imposed on media for dealing with certain subjects (including the situation in south-eastern Turkey), and the economic pressure exerted against media. In the 2016 global ranking of the freedom of the press published by Reporters without Borders, Turkey comes in 151st place out of 180 countries, the reporters state.
The decision to strip the immunity of a large number of parliamentarians from prosecution risks damaging parliamentary life and undermining “the healthy political environment that Turkey needs to face today's challenges”, the resolution states. It also calls for Ankara to repeal Articles 299 (Insulting the President of Republic) and 301 (Degrading the Turkish Nation) from Turkey's Penal Code.
Progress made on these issues will be assessed in the post-monitoring report to be presented in 2017.
PACE notes that it is building on the opening of negotiations between Turkey and the European Union to bring Ankara to harmonise its legislation and its practice with the standards of the Council of Europe.
The roadmap on visa liberalisation implemented as part of the agreement with the EU on the migration crisis has already led to the ratification of a number of agreements. (Original version in French by Véronique Leblanc)