TURKEY - US criticizes 'human rights violations' in Turkey

[alan131210]

Unlawful killings, poor prison conditions, excessively long trials and limits on freedom of expression are among the alleged human-rights violations in Turkey that the U.S. State Department denounced in a recent report.

“Security forces committed unlawful killings; the number of arrests and prosecutions in these cases was low compared to the number of incidents, and convictions remained rare,” the State Department said late Friday in the section devoted to Turkey in its annual report on the status of human rights throughout the world.

U.S. officials also commented on the recent arrests of Turkish journalists, which came too late to be included in this report, saying they would be monitored and addressed in next year’s survey.

During the year human-rights organizations reported cases of torture, beatings and abuse by security forces. Prison conditions improved but remained poor, with overcrowding and insufficient staff training,” the State Department said in its 2010 human-rights report.

“The overly close relationship between judges and prosecutors continued to hinder the right to a fair trial. Excessively long trials were a problem. The government limited freedom of expression through the use of constitutional restrictions and numerous laws,” the State Department said.

“Press freedom declined during the year. There were limitations on Internet freedom. Courts and an independent board ordered telecommunications providers to block access to Web sites on numerous occasions,” it said in the report. “Violence against women, including honor killings and rape, remained a widespread problem.”