VZCZCXYZ0002
PP RUEHWEB

DE RUEHAK #2335/01 2561434
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
P 131434Z SEP 07
FM AMEMBASSY ANKARA
TO SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 3735

UNCLAS ANKARA 002335 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SIPDIS 
 
DEPARTMENT FOR G, DRL/SEA, AND NSC/DEMOC 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PGOV PHUM PREL OSCE TU
SUBJECT: PRESIDENT'S HUMAN RIGHTS ROUNDTABLE AT 2007 UNGA: 
PROPOSAL TO INCLUDE TURKISH PM ERDOGAN 
 
REF: A. STATE 88465 
     ¶B. STATE 108924 
 
¶1. (U) Turkey just emerged with strengthened democratic 
credentials from a turbulent five-month period that tested 
its democracy.  The result is a government with a new popular 
mandate, a parliament representative of 85 percent of the 
voters, and a new President who is likely to take an active 
foreign policy role.  In the aftermath of their respective 
victories, both President Gul and PM Erdogan have emphasized 
their commitment to democracy, human rights, individual 
rights, diversity and a constitution that protects these 
individual rights.  Both we and the EU - as Turkey 
reinvigorates its EU accession reform agenda - are urging the 
Turks to continue to expand freedom of expression, freedom of 
religion and other fundamental rights.  Turkey, a majority 
Muslim representative democracy in a difficult region, is an 
excellent candidate for this roundtable. 
 
¶2. (U) Mission Turkey's program to promote human rights and 
protect human rights defenders includes: 
 
-High-level Meetings:  The Ambassador, DCM, and high-level 
visiting USG officials frequently raise issues such as 
freedom of expression and religion during meetings with 
ministers and Foreign Ministry officials.  On freedom of 
expression, for example, the Ambassador has urged the GOT to 
modify or eliminate controversial Penal Code Article 301, 
which makes it a crime to "insult Turkishness."  A vivid case 
in point was the January murder of Hrant Dink, a prominent 
human rights advocate who had been convicted under Article 
301; the Ambassador and Consul General attended his funeral, 
where thousands of Turks marched peacefully to honor Dink's 
memory.  Mission officers have attended Article 301-related 
trials and meet often with freedom of speech advocates. 
Similarly, we meet frequently with religious minority leaders 
and spoke publicly to underscore USG concerns for government 
restrictions on the administration of their respective 
institutions.  We, and high-level visitors, have asked the 
Turks to find a way to re-open the Ecumenical Patriarchate's 
Halki Seminary, including in a speech the Ambassador gave 
which coincided with Pope Benedict XVI's visit to Turkey. 
 
-Raising the Profile of Local NGOs:  In Turkey, NGOs are 
still struggling to gain influence in the policy arena; the 
scope and number of these civil society organizations has, 
however, expanded exponentially over the past decade.  We 
meet with them regularly at all levels, including to help 
devise strategies to obtain funding, build effective 
networks, promote interests, and follow through on issues. 
In one successful 2007 case, post's human rights officer met 
with leaders of Jehovah's Witnesses in Turkey who described 
their great difficulties attaining legal recognition and 
protection.  Our entreaties with GOT officials in the 
Directorate of Religious Affairs (Diyanet) and Ministry of 
Interior bore fruit when, several months later, the Jehovah's 
Witnesses obtained legal status in Turkey. 
 
-Coordination with Diplomatic Corps and Human Rights 
Defenders:  We regularly bring together diplomats, academics, 
and civil society members in a number of settings to discuss 
current and often controversial topics.  We also exchange 
information regularly with other resident diplomats on a full 
range of human rights-related issues, including how the Turks 
could best promote their own EU accession through political 
reforms. 
 
-International Visitors Program:  The Mission's IVP programs 
play an important role in furthering USG human rights goals. 
In the past year, 25 Turks participated in projects 
specifically related to human rights and democracy, including 
programs on local government, civic activism, judicial 
reform, and trafficking in persons.  One US-funded project 
brought a delegation of Turkish high school students to the 
United States for a three-week visit that examined democratic 
governance and respect for human rights in the United States. 
 
-Promotion of Media Freedom and Judicial Reform:  The Mission 
organized professional exchange programs for Turkish 
journalists designed to foster ethics and journalistic 
responsibility among younger reporters and promote freedom of 
expression for editors and media gatekeepers.  A wide range 
of persons from both the secular and Islamist press attended 
these programs.  With respect to promoting judicial reform -- 
a key issue for the EU and our commercial interests as well 
-- the USG sponsored a bilateral legal exchange project that 
promoted the discussion of issues dealing with freedom of 
expression, police conduct, and trial alternatives in the 
criminal justice system through the exchange of visits by 
U.S. and Turkish legal professionals. 
 
-Trafficking in Persons:  With the help of a US grant, the 
International Organization for Migration continued work 
with GOT authorities to implement a comprehensive mechanism 
to protect trafficking victims and enhance the country's 
capacity to combat trafficking.  One-third of the grant was 
used to provide direct assistance to victims.  The US also 
funded a major international public awareness campaign, 
including television and print media advertisements for a 
toll-free 24-hour victim hotline that helped rescue more than 
50 victims during its first six months of operation. 
 
-Speaker's Program:  The Mission sponsors visiting speakers 
who focus on human rights and democracy.  For example, in 
March 2007, the chair of Georgetown University's Government 
Department spoke to over 400 persons about the problem of 
balancing freedom and security in democratic societies.  In 
January 2007, a University of Virginia professor spoke about 
freedom of religion in Istanbul. 
 
3.(U) With respect to reform efforts the GOT has undertaken, 
over the past five years the GOT has embarked on a series of 
major legal and political reforms designed to bring its laws 
into conformity with EU standards.  The GOT's efforts have 
been most effective in the following areas: 
 
-Elimination of Torture.  The GOT banned torture and 
ill-treatment of detainees and prisoners, which has led to 
near elimination of severe forms of torture and substantially 
reduced general ill-treatment. 
 
-Improving Due Process Rights.  Through voluminous legal 
changes and improved training the government has improved 
due process rights.  All criminal defendants must be 
appointed a public defense attorney if he/she cannot afford 
one; the government reduced to 24 hours the amount of time a 
criminal suspect may be detained by security forces; and the 
government abolished State Security Courts that formerly 
operated outside the normal judicial system and therefore 
without proper due process protections. 
 
-Prison Reform.  The government has undertaken significant 
prison reform, including building maximum security prisons 
throughout the country in line with European standards, and 
training prison staff on modern rehabilitation techniques. 
 
Visit Ankara's Classified Web Site at 
http://www.state.sgov.gov/p/eur/ankara/ 
 
WILSON