[Congressional Record Volume 148, Number 147 (Thursday, November 14, 2002)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E2022-E2023]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]


                     PROSPECTS FOR CHANGE IN TURKEY

                                 ______
                                 

                       HON. CHRISTOPHER H. SMITH

                             of new jersey

                    in the house of representatives

                      Wednesday, November 13, 2002

  Mr. SMITH of New Jersey. Mr. Speaker, I wish to extend my 
congratulations to the people of Turkey for their elections held on 
November 3. Witnessing the peaceful change of government is a change 
that is significant for both Turkey's citizens and for their 
neighborhood. Many of Turkey's neighbors need to see that such a 
transfer of power is possible, for the people of these countries have 
for too long suffered under the illusion that they must live with their 
repressive regimes that maintain power through undemocratic means.
  It is also important to keep in mind that the Turks, seen by some as 
a model for the countries of Central Asia, are not new kids on the 
block--former President Demirel was an original signer of the 1975 
Helsinki Final Act. As Co-Chairman of the Commission on Security and 
Cooperation in Europe (the Helsinki Commission), I have followed 
closely the developments in Turkey. With a particularly keen interest 
in the protection of human rights which has such an impact on the lives 
of individual men, women and children, I continue to be concerned about 
the ongoing use of torture, violations of religious freedom and threats 
to civil society.
  Through the ballot box, the Justice and Development Party, known as 
the AKP, received 34.3 percent of the vote, giving them a clear 
majority of 363 seats in the 550-seat Turkish Grand National Assembly. 
This entitles the AKP, led by former Istanbul Mayor Recep Tayyip 
Erdogan, to govern without sharing political power. He will not be 
without challenges to his authority though.
  On November 8, the anniversary of the death of the Turkish reformer 
Kemal Ataturk, General Hilmi, Ozkok issued a statement vowing ``to 
protect the republic against all types of threats, especially 
fundamentalism and separatist activities,'' reiterating strongly the 
military's view of itself as the historical guarantor of Turkey's 
secular system. Mr. Speaker, while

[[Page E2023]]

the transition appears peaceful, it is not without its strains and 
stresses, even with the potential of the military stepping in like it 
has done repeatedly in the past. We can only hope that is not the 
outcome of this transition.
  As an original participating State of the Organization for Security 
and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), Turkey has accepted a broad range of 
human rights obligations. As head of the U.S. delegation to the OSCE 
Parliamentary Assembly, I have worked with my parliamentary colleagues 
from Turkey to encourage protection for these commitments. With a new 
government not obligated to continue the ways of the old, there is a 
welcome opportunity for such initiatives to be undertaken.
  There are a few specific matters that I urge the incoming government 
to address without delay. Four Kurdish members of the Grand National 
Assembly have been in prison since March 1994. I call upon the new 
government to free Layla Zana, Hatip Dicle, Orhan Dogan, and Selim 
Sadak and remove the trumped-up charges from their records. They were 
convicted for, among other things, speaking their mother tongue in and 
out of the parliament building. As Mr. Erdogan himself has said, such 
convictions should not stand.
  Also, past efforts to return the hundreds of thousands of internally 
displaced Kurds to their homes in southeastern Turkey have proven 
ineffectual. The government should take concrete steps to ensure that 
refugees are allowed to return to their own homes in safety and 
dignity, which may well require the clearing of land mines and 
repairing of villages.
  Mr. Speaker, without reciting the lengthy list of Turkey's human 
rights violations, including the use of torture, it is fair to say that 
Turkey's record of implementation of OSCE human dimension commitments 
remains poor. While progress has been made, the authority of police 
officials must be checked by the rule of law. All claims of torture 
must be seriously investigated, no matter where the investigation 
leads. It is important that anyone who commits torture--especially 
police, the security forces or other agents of the state--must be taken 
to court and tried for high crimes. The Forensic Medical Association 
should be allowed to carry out its professional responsibilities and 
act without fear in its attempts to document torture. Victims of 
torture should be paid due recompense by the state.
  I am very concerned about the continuing difficulty no-governmental 
organizations face throughout Turkey, particularly the Human Rights 
Foundation of Turkey. The Human Rights Foundation exists in an 
uncertain environment, with arbitrary shutdowns and having its 
officials harassed, intimidated or arrested. Property has been seized 
and not returned.
  Religious freedom in Turkey, whether for Muslims or other religious 
communities, had suffered from heavy-handed government involvement and 
control. The government allows Turkish Muslims to only attend state-
approved mosques, listen to state-funded Imams, and receive religious 
education from state-funded schools. The Directorate of Religious 
Affairs, which regulates all of Turkey's 75,000 mosques and employs 
Imams, has been criticized for only promoting Sunni branch of Islam. I 
would encourage the new government to bring to a close its regulation 
of all religious institutions.
  The wearing of headscarves has also been regarded as quite 
controversial since it is seen as a religious totem in a secular state. 
Women who choose this expression of religious conviction are denied the 
ability to attend state-run universities and work in public building, 
including schools and hospitals. The public sharing of religious belief 
in Turkey with the intent to persuade the listener to another point of 
view is severely curbed for both Muslims and Christians. A number of 
evangelical Protestant groups throughout Turkey have reported being 
targeted because of their religious free speech, which contradicts OSCE 
commitments on religious liberty and freedom of expression.
  Turkey's Office of Foundations has contributed its own difficulties 
for faith communities, as it has closed and seized properties of 
``official'' minority religious groups and unrecognized faith 
communities. Several religious groups, most notably the Armenian 
Apostolic and Greek Orthodox churches report difficulties, particularly 
on the local level, in repairing and maintaining existing buildings or 
purchasing new buildings. The continued closure of the Orthodox 
seminary on Halki Island remains a concern.
  Furthermore, religious groups not considered ``official minorities'' 
under the Lausanne Treaty are provided no legal route to purchase or 
rent buildings to meet, and are thereby forced to hold meetings in 
private apartments. In response, provincial governorships, after 
receiving a letter from the Ministry of Internal Affairs last year, 
have initiated efforts to close these meeting places, leaving the 
smaller Protestant communities without any options. The lack of 
official recognition is an insurmountable hurdle for minority religious 
groups wishing to practice their faith as a community.
  Turkey is at a critical crossroads. I am hopeful that the new 
government will take this opportunity to move forward, and craft 
policies which are consistent with OSCE commitments and protective of 
all peoples living in Turkey.

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