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Human Rights and the Political Situation in Turkey 3 DEBATE PACK Number CDP 2017-0067 | 6 March 2017 Compiled by: Human rights and the Tim Robinson political situation in Subject specialist: Arabella Lang Turkey Contents 1. Background 2 Westminster Hall 2. Press Articles 4 3. PQs 6 Backbench Business 4. Other Parliamentary material 26 Thursday 9 March 2017 4.1 Urgent Questions and Statements 26 Debate initiated by Joan Ryan, David 4.2 Early Day Motions 29 Lammy, Tommy Sheppard and Sir Peter 5. Press releases 33 5.1 Gov.uk 33 Bottomley 5.2 European Union 38 6. Further reading 40 The proceedings of this debate can be viewed on Parliamentlive.tv The House of Commons Library prepares a briefing in hard copy and/or online for most non-legislative debates in the Chamber and Westminster Hall other than half-hour debates. Debate Packs are produced quickly after the announcement of parliamentary business. They are intended to provide a summary or overview of the issue being debated and identify relevant briefings and useful documents, including press and parliamentary material. More detailed briefing can be prepared for Members on request to the Library. www.parliament.uk/commons-library | intranet.parliament.uk/commons-library | [email protected] | @commonslibrary 2 Number CDP 2017-0067, 6 March 2017 1. Background Turkey’s 16 April referendum is likely to pass, changing the constitution to give President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan significantly greater powers. Erdogan has been in power (first as Prime Minister and then as President) since 2002, and has made no secret of his ambition. The reforms have already been passed by Turkey’s parliament, with the support of the governing AK Party and the smaller nationalist MHP, but amid angry scenes. The referendum comes in the wake of the July’s failed coup. The Government blamed the coup on followers of the exiled Turkish Islamic cleric Fethullah Gülen, and imposed a State of Emergency (renewed most recently in January 2017) which suspends some of the normal functions of the constitution and derogates from many provisions of the European Convention on Human Rights. Under this, the Government has conducted a widespread campaign of media clampdowns, arrests and dismissals: over 40,000 people have been imprisoned and over 120,000 public sector workers – police, prosecutors, judges, civil servants, academics – dismissed (though some were later reinstated). Among those imprisoned are ten MPs from the pro-Kurdish Peoples’ Democratic Party (HDP), including the party’s two co-leaders (Turkey’s parliament voted to remove legal immunity from them and dozens of other MPs in May 2016). The Government considers the HDP to be linked to the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), which is recognised as terrorists by the EU, US, and UK. Fighting between the Government and the PKK resumed in the summer of 2015: some of the actions of Turkey’s security forces have been criticised on human rights grounds, while the PKK and its offshoots have been targeting state employees and institutions. The increase in tension between the Turkish government and Kurdish militants is related to developments in Syria’s war. Turkish forces have backed Syrian opposition fighters in taking a large area of northern Syria from ISIL, so as to deny it to the Kurds. Meanwhile Kurdish militia – backed by the US – have significantly expanded their control across northern Syria. Turkey and Russia – who back opposing sides in Syria – joined Iran to organise a peace conference for Syria in January 2017, and both were involved in negotiating the surrender and evacuation of Aleppo. This thaw in relations follows several setbacks, including Turkey shooting down a Russian bomber in December 2015, and the assassination of the Russian ambassador in Ankara in December 2016. Human rights and the political situation in Turkey 3 Meanwhile, EU-Turkey relations, recently focused on security cooperation and restricting the flow of migrants, have deteriorated. Turkey resented a perceived lack of sympathy from the EU after the attempted overthrow of its government. The EU – already suspicious of perceived authoritarianism in Turkey – was critical of the post-coup purges and the resumption of fighting with the PKK. In November 2016 the European Parliament passed a non-binding vote to suspend Turkey’s EU accession process, after which Turkey’s Foreign Minister said that the EU was ‘wasting Turkey’s time’ and its EU Minister said that Turkey would not change its terrorism laws (a key point of contention with the EU). However, the UK and Turkish governments continue to emphasise their strong friendship. In particular, Turkey has thanked Britain for being the first country to send a senior envoy to Turkey in the aftermath of the failed coup (Sir Alan Duncan, on 20 and 21 July). The Foreign Secretary visited Turkey in September 2016, and Prime Minister Theresa May visited in January 2017, agreeing a strategic security partnership and a large defence contract for BAE systems to help Turkey develop its fighter jets. Meanwhile optimism over the reunification of Cyprus has been rekindled following the election in April 2015 of Mustafa Akinci as President of the unrecognised ‘Turkish Republic of North Cyprus’. Peace talks resumed in May 2015, and a UN Conference on Cyprus was convened in Geneva on 12 January 2017 with some progress but no final agreement. Challenging issues remain the role of Turkish troops and of the three Guarantor Powers (Turkey, Greece and the UK), details of internal borders, repatriation and property issues. 4 Number CDP 2017-0067, 6 March 2017 2. Press Articles The following is a selection of press and media articles relevant to this debate. Please note: the Library is not responsible for either the views or accuracy of external content. Financial Times Turkey: heads he wins, tails they lose 6 March 2017 Dan Bogler Daily Telegraph Erdogan accuses Germany of behaving 'like Nazis' after Turks banned from political rallies 5 March 2017 The Guardian As Erdoğan turns the screw, we must stand up for human rights in Turkey 2 March 2017 Timothy Garton Ash Financial Times Donald Trump will need to choose between Turkey and the Kurds 2 March 2017 David Gardner Middle East Eye Turkish opposition MPs sit in jail as president seeks more power Jonathan Steele 22 February 2017 Middle East Monitor Turkey’s Erdogan: Muslim Brotherhood is ideological, not terrorist organisation 17 February 2017 Daily Telegraph Theresa May secures multi billion pound fighter jet deal with Turkey before challenging President Erdogan on human rights 28 January 2017 Peter Dominiczak The Economist Turkey’s President Erdogan is grabbing yet more power 21 January 2017 The Guardian What I’ve witnessed in Turkey is an assault on democracy itself 18 January 2017 Owen Jones Human rights and the political situation in Turkey 5 BBC News Online Turkey violence: How dangerous is Turkey's instability? 5 January 2017 Paul Kirby The Guardian Record number of journalists in jail globally after Turkey crackdown 13 December 2016 Roy Greenslade BBC News Online Turkey v Syria's Kurds v Islamic State 23 August 2016 Mail Online (Peter Hitchens’s Blog) Where are the strong voices calling for Due Process in NATO Turkey? 21 July 2016 Peter Hitchens Financial Times Recep Tayyip Erdogan: the most powerful man in Turkey 17 July 2016 Vincent Boland 6 Number CDP 2017-0067, 6 March 2017 3. PQs Turkey: Selahattin Demirtas 02 March 2017 | 779 cc948-950 Asked by: Lord Balfe To ask Her Majesty’s Government what representations they have made to the government of Turkey following the sentence of imprisonment imposed on Selahattin Demirtas, co-leader of the HDP party. My Lords, I beg leave to ask the Question standing in my name on the Order Paper and draw attention to my membership of the All-Party Parliamentary Group for Turkey. Answered by: Baroness Anelay of St Johns | Foreign and Commonwealth Office My Lords, we expect Turkey to undertake any legal processes against MPs fairly, transparently and with full respect for the rule of law. We follow developments in Turkey closely and underline the importance of the rule of law and the protection of freedom of expression. The Prime Minister raised human rights at the highest level when she visited Turkey in January, as have the Foreign Secretary and the Minister for Europe during their visits there. Asked by: Lord Balfe I thank the Minister for her reply. Many of us of course have deep concern about the coup that occurred last year. In the events that followed, it appears that the Turkish Government have considerably overreacted, with mass dismissals and interference in the judiciary; and now a number of opposition politicians are in prison. Noting the concern of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe and of the Venice Commission, will the Government do their best to work internationally to bring home to the Turkish Government the need to abide by international norms in the way that they treat their opposition? Answered by: Baroness Anelay of St Johns | Foreign and Commonwealth Office I can indeed give my noble friend that assurance. I welcome the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe’s continued engagement on Turkey. I pay particular tribute to my noble friend’s work, both on PACE and on the Venice Commission. I can update noble Lords on something that happened yesterday, when Her Majesty’s permanent representative to the Council of Europe had an exchange of views with the Turkish Minister of Justice at the Committee of Ministers and stressed that, although we welcome Turkey’s moves to address the Council of Europe’s concerns on the state of emergency procedures, including the establishment of its own commission to review dismissals, it is important that that operates on the basis of the European Convention on Human Rights and that Turkey should continue to co- operate with the Venice Commission.
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