Turkey: Civil liberties a central issue. - Main contents

Breaches of civil liberties in Turkey are strongly criticised in a Resolution drafted by Ria Oomen-Ruijten MEP and European Parliament Rapporteur on Turkey, which has been adopted today by the Foreign Affairs Committee (AFET).

Ria Oomen-Ruijten MEP said: "The charges brought on the basis of the Anti-Terror Legislation against, amongst others, journalists and parliamentarians, are a violation of democracy and the rule of law in Turkey. The Anti-Terror Legislation is too broadly formulated and the disproportionately long pre-trial detention is a de-facto imprisonment without trial, which is not acceptable in a properly functioning democratic state."

"The negotiations have been going on for years and are currently in a phase where no immediate developments are foreseen. I therefore welcome the European Commission's new and positive agenda for relations between the EU and Turkey. We need new dynamics in order to keep the process credible," she continued.

"Turkey and the EU are interdependent. The EU profits from the booming Turkish economy. But Turkey and the EU can both profit by enhancing their cooperation in fields like foreign policy, energy-security and the fight against terrorism. Turkey has proved that it is able to play a positive role in a turbulent region," says Ria Oomen-Ruijten, who underlines the importance of injecting a fresh impetus to the negotiations.