Washington report urges further religious freedom in Turkey - Turkish Daily News Apr 07, 2006

"The U.S. State Department, in a recently submitted report to the Congress, asserted that the Turkish government has generally respected the human rights of its citizens but noted that serious problems remain despite the fact that improvements have been made in a number of areas of human rights."

" The U.S. administration has asserted that the Turkish government continues to restrict religious freedom and to punish some forms of nonviolent expression by the media and private citizens.

"The government at times restricted the rights of assembly and association and limited the activities of some political parties and leaders," the report said. "Human rights organizations continued to report widespread incidents of police torture and ill treatment, although the number of such incidents declined. Observers also reported an increase in the number of detainees who consulted with attorneys during detention. The constitution provides for an independent judiciary; however, the judiciary was sometimes subject to outside influences."
Washington report urges further religious freedom in Turkey - Turkish Daily News Apr 07, 2006