USCIRF Report, Turkey, 2019
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TURKEY TIER 2 KEY FINDINGS In 2018, the state of religious freedom in Turkey remained both Christians and Jews. While the state proposed a budget deeply troubling, raising serious concerns that the country’s increase of 36 percent for the government body charged current trajectory will lead to the further deterioration of con- with overseeing the exercise of Sunni Islam, other religious ditions in the year ahead. The lack of any meaningful progress groups, including Alevis—whom the government views as a on the part of the Turkish government to address longstanding culture rather than a religion—do not receive equal funding. religious freedom issues was continued cause for concern. However, due to Turkey’s strict interpretation of secularism, no Many serious limitations on the freedom of religion or belief religious community—including Sunni Muslims—can obtain continued, threatening the continued vitality and survival of full legal status. Other longstanding religious freedom con- minority religious communities in the country; in addition, cerns remain, such as the return of expropriated religious increased demonization and a smear campaign by government properties and state-mandated religious education for pri- entities and progovernment media contributed to a growing mary and secondary students. Finally, the unjust detainment climate of fear among religious minority communities. The and trial of Protestant pastor Andrew Brunson, an ordeal that Turkish government continued to interfere in the internal lasted for more than two years and gave way to a rise in hate affairs of religious communities, disallowing patriarchal elec- speech against Christians, concluded in October 2018 with his tions for the Armenian Apostolic Church and maintaining conviction and immediate release, after significant pressure its requirement that Greek Orthodox metropolitans obtain from the U.S. government. A USCIRF delegation attended Turkish citizenship in order to participate in the church’s Holy Pastor Brunson’s hearings in Aliag˘a, Turkey, in May, July, and Synod. Followers of U.S.-based cleric Fethullah Gülen con- October 2018. tinued to be dismissed from public service, detained, and Based on these conditions, in 2019 USCIRF again places arrested in the tens of thousands for alleged complicity in the Turkey on Tier 2 for engaging in or tolerating religious free- July 2016 failed coup attempt, or involvement in terrorist activ- dom violations that meet at least one of the elements of the ity. The Turkish government has indiscriminately designated “systematic, ongoing, egregious” standard for designation as a those affiliated with Gülen as part of a terrorist organization. “country of particular concern,” or CPC, under the International Government officials also continued to engage in anti-Sem- Religious Freedom Act (IRFA). However, USCIRF will continue itism in the form of public statements and comments made to monitor religious freedom conditions to determine whether on social media platforms, while progovernment newspapers developments worsen and warrant a change in the country’s and media outlets propagated hate speech directed against status during the year ahead. RECOMMENDATIONS TO THE U.S. GOVERNMENT • Urge the Turkish government to fully munities to apply for government • Press the Turkish government to fulfill comply with the European Court of funding to support the construction, private and public commitments that Human Rights (ECtHR) rulings on maintenance, and upkeep of their the Greek Orthodox Halki Seminary freedom of religion or belief, including houses of worship; be reopened, and to permit the by removing the field for religious • Urge the Turkish government to Armenian Apostolic Church to hold affiliation on national ID cards’ micro- ensure the education curriculum elections for the position of patriarch chips and recognizing Alevi cemevleri remains inclusive of all of Turkey’s without state interference; and as legal places of worship and Alevi religious groups, and allow students • Press the Turkish government to pub- dedeleri as religious leaders; to be exempted from religious courses licly rebuke government officials who • Press the Turkish government to without disclosing their religious and make anti-Semitic statements or other streamline measures that would philosophical convictions, as man- derogatory statements about religious permit non-Sunni Muslim faith com- dated by the ECtHR; communities in Turkey. USCIRF | ANNUAL REPORT 2019 TIER 2 TIER TURKEY COUNTRY FACTS FULL NAME RELIGIOUS DEMOGRAPHY* Republic of Turkey 99.8% Muslim (mostly Sunni, although an estimated 10 mil- lion to 25 million are Alevi) GOVERNMENT 0.2% other, including Armenian Apostolic, Baha’i, Bulgarian Presidential Republic Orthodox, Chaldean Catholic, Greek Orthodox, Jehovah’s POPULATION Witness, Jewish, Protestant, Roman Catholic, Syriac Catholic, 81,257,239 and Syriac Orthodox GOVERNMENT-RECOGNIZED RELIGIONS/FAITHS Islam, Armenian Apostolic, Greek Orthodox, and Judaism (the latter three being the Lausanne Treaty-recognized minorities) *Estimates compiled from the CIA World Factbook BACKGROUND declaration denying they live under pressure, raising The state of human rights and civil liberties in Turkey suspicions that the statement may have been coordi- continued to decline in the wake of the government nated with, or initiated by, the Turkish government. response to the failed coup attempt of July 2016. In the Approximately 99.8 percent of Turkey’s popu- two years since the coup attempt, the Turkish govern- lation is Muslim, the majority of whom identify as ment has dismissed more than 150,000 public servants, Sunni Muslim. By some estimates, between 10 million detained and arrested tens of thousands in connection and 25 million are Alevi, which the Turkish govern- to the coup attempt or alleged links to terrorism, and ment considers to be Muslim, although some Alevis jailed 68 journalists in connection with their work— self-identify as part of a unique non-Muslim culture. the highest number of journalists arrested by any Turkey’s non-Muslim religious minorities comprise country in 2018, according to the Committee to Protect less than 0.2 percent of the overall population, and Journalists. The government has also closed down include members of the Armenian Apostolic, Baha’i, more than 150 media outlets, and the country has seen Bulgarian Orthodox, Chaldean Catholic, Greek the majority of independent media increasingly come Orthodox, Jehovah’s Witness, Jewish, Protestant, under the control of progovernment entities. In June Roman Catholic, Syriac Catholic, and Syriac Ortho- 2018, President Recep Tayyip Erdog˘an was reelected dox communities. in snap presidential and parliamentary elections that The 1982 Turkish constitution provides for the accompanied the introduction of expanded executive freedom of belief and worship and the private dissem- powers under a new presidential system approved by ination of religious ideas, and prohibits discrimination referendum in April 2017. on religious grounds. Nevertheless, the government The government also continued to detain former interprets secularism to require state control over chairman of the opposition Peoples’ Democratic Party religious communities, including their practices and (HDP) Selahattin Demirtas¸, despite a ruling from the houses of worship. No religion enjoys full legal status. ECtHR in November 2018 that his pretrial detainment The Directorate of Religious Affairs (Diyanet) main- was unjustified and that he should be released. In July tains control over the practice of Islam in Turkey; all 2018, 18 religious leaders and representatives from Tur- other religions are under the auspices of the General key’s Christian and Jewish communities released a joint Directorate of Foundations (Vakıflar). USCIRF | ANNUAL REPORT 2019 TIER 2 TIER TURKEY RELIGIOUS FREEDOM CONDITIONS 2018 in March 2017, the Istanbul governor’s office intervened, Education calling the elections “legally impossible” and claiming they might “cause splits in the community.” In Feb- Despite the implementation in 2018 of a new education ruary 2018, the Istanbul governor’s office stated in a curriculum in Turkey’s public schools, the “Religious letter to the Armenian Patriarchate that the necessary Culture and Moral Knowledge Course” remains a conditions for an election had not been met, yet again requirement for primary and secondary school students. preventing the process from moving forward. Traditionally, non-Muslim students from the Lausanne Treaty communities—Armenian Apostolic, Greek National Identity Cards Orthodox, and Jewish—have been allowed exemption Concerns remain that microchips on national identi- from the course due to its focus on Islam. Atheists also fication cards may contain information regarding the have received exemptions within the last year. However, holder’s religious identity, which could lead to discrim- members of some faiths, including Alevis, are routinely ination in the workplace and other places where the denied exemption, despite an ECtHR ruling in 2014 that microchip can be read. The government’s February the course should not be compulsory and that students 2018 opening of population registers that allow access should not be required to disclose their religious iden- to genealogical records raised similar concerns about tity. Students and their parents seeking exemption often a government effort to code minorities such as Arme- undergo a lengthy petitioning process, or pursue their nians, Greeks,