Democracy In Turkey

EDM number 1156 in 1995-96, proposed by Robert Parry on 12/07/1996.

That this House notes with concern the attack in June on people attending the annual meeting of the People's Democracy Party (HADEP) in Ankara and the subsequent murder of delegates from Elbistan on their return journey home; expresses its condemnation of the arrest of Murat Bozlak, the President of HADEP, its General Secretary Bahattin Gunel, Mrs Cihan Sincar, the widow of murdered MP Mehmet Sincar, and several other leading members of HADEP; further notes that following the arrests, peaceful protestors including Mahmut Sakar, Deputy President of the Human Rights Association, were attacked and injured by government forces and that on the following day police attacked the offices of the Labour Party (Emek Partisi), arresting about 100 party members and injuring a further 200; is of the opinion that, contrary to expressions by HM Government, freedom of expression in Turkey is not improving; and calls upon Her Majesty's Government to use both its political and economic influence to attempt to end human rights abuses in Turkey.

This motion has been signed by a total of 24 MPs.