Green MEPs ensure that the ongoing police brutality in Turkey is raised as an urgent matter for next week’s European Parliament debates.
Growing protests and police brutality in Turkey will be debated in the European Parliament next week after Green MEPs asked for the issue to be placed on the parliament’s agenda.
Representatives of the Turkish protest movement will address Green MEPs about recent protests and the current situation in Turkey during a public conference on Tuesday (June 11th) ahead of a full parliamentary debate the following day.
London’s Green MEP Jean Lambert said she welcomed the visit and debate, and hoped it could form part of the international dialogue needed to bring an end to the recent wave of arrests and apparent police brutality.
She said: “The spirit of compromise must prevail here if we are to prevent any further regression of democracy in Turkey.
“The original protests against the construction of Gezi Park were indicative of growing concern over excessive commercialisation, with little regard for social and environmental impact or public will.
“But the bigger concern is the way these protest were dealt with – and the widely reported anti-democratic crackdown on peaceful protesters by the Turkish police.
“Turkey must respect the basic human rights of freedom of assembly and freedom of speech: these rights are, reportedly, being denied on a widespread scale at the moment.
“There is a need to find a peaceful, democratic solution to the current situation – one that respects everyone’s basic human rights – and I hope the discussions can play a role in that.”