The report was quickly condemned by Ankara.
The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights found a “constantly deteriorating human rights situation, exacerbated by the erosion of the rule of law,” over 2017, while acknowledging Turkey’s concerns in the wake of the 2016 attempted coup.
The office expressed concern about emergency decrees being misused to limit legitimate civil society activities, carry out arbitrary mass dismissals of at least 152,000 civil servants and arrests of 159,506 people, and force closures of media outlets, amongst a list of concerns.
It also reported the use of torture and ill-treatment in detention.
The rights office accused Ankara of using emergency powers “to stifle any form of criticism or dissent.”
Violations against the largely Kurdish population in Turkey’s southeast were highlighted with particular concern. The UN office reported incidents of Turkish security forces targeting Kurdish civilians for perceived connections with the PKK – threatening, killing, sexually assaulting women, torture, blocking transfer of the wounded to hospital, depriving residents of food and water, raiding and burning houses.
“Allegations of human rights violations and abuses in South-East Turkey are massive and serious, and require efficient and prompt investigations at the national level and independent verification from international observers. The High Commissioner calls for a full and unfettered access to be able to directly, independently and objectively assess the human rights situation there,” the report stated.
Turkey’s Foreign Ministry slammed the report as ignoring “the severe and multiple terrorist threats faced by Turkey.”
It accused the UN High Commissioner of Human Rights Prince Zeid bin Ra’ad of losing “objectivity and impartiality on the issues concerning Turkey and he has developed prejudices against our country.”
The release of the report coincided with the Kurdish Newroz holiday and arrests in Turkey of more than 100 militants accused of planning illegal demonstrations or plotting attacks during the holiday, Reuters reported.
In Istanbul, police stated they detained 16 members of the PKK’s youth wing, 11 people were detained in Ankara and police there were searching for another 14 suspects, and in Sirnak province 76 people were detained.
