European Commission (ECRI) Turkey 4th Monitoring Report

The European Commission Against Racism and Intolerance (ECRI), the monitoring mechanism of the Council of Europe consisting of independent experts, has published its fourth monitoring period report on Turkey.

ECRI, which carries out country-based monitoring studies within the framework of the main activities of the countries, examines the situation of each member state in terms of racism and intolerance and offers solutions and proposals to the identified problems, examines the developments in Turkey in its fourth term report and makes recommendations regarding the identified problems. In the report, it is noted that when members of minority groups in Turkey express their peaceful views and aims, these people continue to be punished according to certain articles of the Criminal Law.

The ECRI report, in which significant inequality in the legal status of different minority groups in Turkey persists; underlined that this inequality is especially seen between citizens who are considered as non-Muslim minorities (Armenians, Greeks, and Jews) under Turkish law and guaranteed by the Treaty of Lausanne, and other minority groups who cannot benefit from the provisions of this Treaty, which may lead to discrimination in the enjoyment of fundamental rights and freedoms. being drawn.

ECRI requests that Protocol No. 12 to the European Convention on Human Rights be ratified by Turkey as soon as possible; and the signing and ratification of several international instruments on combating racism and racial discrimination. It makes a series of recommendations to strengthen provisions against racism, racial discrimination, and intolerance in the constitution, penal code, civil code, and administrative law.