Michael O’Flaherty has warned Turkish authorities to respect human rights during protests which have gripped the country in recent days.
The unrest started following the arrest of leading opposition politician and mayor of Istanbul, Ekrem İmamoğlu, last week on corruption charges.
İmamoğlu has since been confirmed as the opposition’s candidate for the next presidential candidate even though he is now languishing in gaol.
Hundreds of thousands of people have taken part in protests. But President Erdoğan’s regime is cracking down hard.
“I am following with concern the reports about disproportionate use of force by the police and widespread restrictions of the right to receive and impart information in Türkiye in the context of the protests of the last days”, said Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights Michael O’Flaherty.
“I ask the Turkish authorities to uphold their human rights obligations with regard to respect for freedom of peaceful assembly, freedom of expression and media freedom”, O’Flaherty added.
Hundreds of thousands of people have participated in protests in major cities across the country defying bans imposed by the authorities citing national security and public order concerns.
There have been reports about riot police violently attacking peaceful protesters during demonstrations in several cities, particularly in Istanbul, Ankara and Izmir, including the use of pepper spray and percussion grenades, as well as water cannons.
Numerous protesters reported injuries due to police violence and ill-treatment. According to the Ministry of Interior, over 1,100 people were detained. It is estimated that more than one hundred police officers were injured during demonstrations over the weekend.
“I stress that any acts of violence by some protesters do not justify excessive force by police”, said Michael O’Flaherty.
The European Court of Human Rights has previously ruled that “force must be a last resort and must meet strict standards of necessity and proportionality.”
Turkey is a member of the Council of Europe and the European Court of Human Rights and is obliged to follow its rulings.
“I call on the Turkish authorities to immediately release all those individuals who are detained for the legitimate exercise of their human rights. I also call on the authorities to fulfil their obligation to ensure that journalists can report on public assemblies freely and safely. I will continue to observe the situation closely and to raise these issues with the Turkish authorities”, Michael O’Flaherty said.
Turkey is also an EU candidate country, although progress towards joining the EU has been frozen for years.
“Türkiye must uphold democratic values. These rights, the rights of elected officials as well as the right of peaceful demonstrations need to be fully respected”, said European Commission spokesperson, Guillaume Mercier.