|
No Stepping Back From E.U.
Reforms
Ankara, TURKEY, November 24, 2003 -
Head of the Prime Minister's office Human Rights Commission,
Vahit Bicak said yesetrday that the program of expanding individual
rights and freedoms would not be interrupted.
Civil society organizations warned the government not to rollback
freedoms because of their security concerns and anxieties.
Thursday's bomb attacks in Istanbul have raised the question of
how to balance civil rights and freedoms with the security of the
public.
The prospect of some limitations to civil rights in the name of
security, as in the U.S. after the September 11th attacks, was
considered. In general, it was agreed that this approach would
benefit terrorism more than it would counter it.
By drawing attention to the same point, Bicak said: "What terror
wants is the limitation of freedoms. This will cause terror to get
the result it wants. We do not have any anxiety towards this." Bicak
underlined that the progress towards human rights would continue.
Human Rights Association President Husnu Ondul said that they see
those who put forward theories of war on terrorism and those who
engage in terrorism as two sides of the same coin.
"These people use the same 'language of violence', Ondul said.
"Enemies of freedom come out here. Both sides carry this common
characteristic and they complement each other. They want Turkey to
evolve towards this direction. This is the aim of the activities;
but the AKP government should not fall into this trap. Society
should also show their democratic reactions against this game."
| 
