- Author(s):
- Parliamentary Assembly
- Origin
- Assembly debateon 28 and 29 January 1981 (24th and 26th Sittings) (see Doc. 4657. report of the Political Affairs Committee). Text adopted by the Assembly on 29 January 1981 (26th Sitting).
- Thesaurus
The Assembly,
1. Having considered the report of its Political Affairs Committee (
Doc. 4657), drawn up following a fact-finding visit to Turkey carried out from 5 to 8 January 1981 by two of its members ;
2. Reaffirming its position, based on the Statute of the Council of Europe, that only states respecting democratic principles can maintain their membership of the Council of Europe, and recalling, in this connection, its
Recommendation 904, of 1 October 1980, stressing the necessity of a rapid return to normal democratic life in Turkey ;
3. Taking note of the reply of the Committee of Ministers to
Recommendation 904, in which it declared that it will continue to follow developments in Turkey attentively, in close liaison with the Assembly ;
4. Reaffirming as was stipulated in paragraph 10 of
Recommendation 904, the requirement that the Turkish Government give precise indications on the conditions and timetable for the restoration of democratic institutions fully respecting the freely expressed will of the people, and implying complete political, trade union and press freedom ;
5. Taking note of the intention expressed by the Turkish Government to satisfy its obligations under the European Convention on Human Rights, and in particular to respect fully the rights from which Article 15 of the Convention allows no derogation ;
6. Considering that democratic principles are not at present applied, and that human rights are not respected in Turkey as appears from information concerning :
6.1 arrests and imprisonment, so far without trial, of thousands of persons ;
6.2 several cases of torture although the Prime Minister declared on 6 December 1980 his firm intention to enquire into allegations of torture and, if need be, to prosecute the guilty officials ;
6.3 de factocensorship of press and literary activities :
6.4 other violations of the Hu; Convention, including alleged ill-treatment.
7. Concerned by the recourse to tion of death sentences, contrary to previous ven though in conformity with the law ;
8. Considering that the absence of concrete progress towards the restoration of democracy would be incompatible with Turkey's continued membership of the Council of Europe ;
9. Expressing the wish that the investigations being carried out into the cases of the two members of the Assembly at present in detention be completed rapidly in order to make personal contacts possible,
10. Instructs its Political Affairs Committee to follow internal developments in Turkey closely ;
11. Instructs its Standing Committee to review the situation at its meeting in The Hague on 26 March 1981 ;
12. Instructs the Secretary General to seek with the Turkish authorities information in every case of alleged torture or ill-treatment of prisoners brought to his attention by members of the Parliamentary Assembly ;
13. Decides to examine the situation in the light of paragraphs 1 to 12 above, at the first part of its 33rd Ordinary Session in May 1981.
