Turkey’s 18-month state of emergency has led to profound human rights violations – UN report

Source:UN News Date:21Mar2018

A damning report by UN agency:

During the 18-month state of emergency, nearly 160,000 people have been arrested; 152,000 civil servants dismissed, many arbitrarily; and teachers, judges and lawyers dismissed or prosecuted.

The report also documents the use of torture and ill-treatment in custody, including severe beatings, threats of sexual assault and actual sexual assault, electric shocks and waterboarding by police, gendarmerie, military police and security forces.

Yet, Ankara remains unrepentant: “Turkey accused a senior U.N. official of lacking impartiality and collaborating with terrorists over a new report released earlier Tuesday that called on the country to end a state of emergency imposed after a 2016 failed coup attempt”.