In a report published on Thursday 12 June, the Council of Europe’s European Commission against Racism and Intolerance (ECRI) notes that, despite the progress made by Turkey in a number of fields, “some issues continue to give rise to concern”.
Among the “positive developments” since 2016, ECRI mentions in particular the creation of the Human Rights and Equality Institution of Turkey (HREIT), the training of law enforcement officials on hate crimes, the crackdown on online messages harmful to African students and a mapping of the concentration of Roma pupils in disadvantaged neighbourhoods.
Among the “points of concern” are shortcomings relating to the independence of the HREIT and the risks of hindering inclusive education caused by compulsory religious instruction courses.
No steps have been taken towards an action plan for LGBTI persons in Turkey, denounces ECRI, which, citing NGOs, points out that there is no official structure for dialogue between the authorities and these communities.
Generally speaking, discrimination and intolerance towards certain religious and ethnic minorities remain problematic, and hate speech targeting these groups is frequent in the media.
The country also has a serious problem with racist and anti-LGBTI violence, while many members of the Roma community continue to face great difficulties.
Link to ECRI’s report and the government’s response: https://aeur.eu/f/ham (Original version in French by Véronique Leblanc)