Turkish PM cautions police over rights violations

"Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Sunday urged the often heavy-handed Turkish police to respect civil liberties, warning that the European Union was closely watching the country as it bids for membership in the bloc, Anatolia news agency reported.

"At a time when Turkey has entered a period crucial for its EU objective and when all attention, be it well-intended or not, is on us, I’m calling especially on each member of the security establishment, on each citizen to contribute more to peace in the country," Erdogan told a police gathering."


"His appeal came in the wake of harsh EU criticism of police beatings at a women’s demonstration in Istanbul last month.

Erdogan at the time implicitly defended the police reaction to what was described as an unauthorized demonstration, and blamed the local media for "tipping off" the EU to the clampdown with its extensive coverage of the events."

Turkish PM cautions police over rights violations