'The European Parliament, having regard (...) whereas the mainstream Turkish media remained silent regarding the demonstrations, and Twitter users have been arrested; (...) Expresses its deep concern at the disproportionate and excessive use of force by the Turkish police in its response to the peaceful and legitimate protests in Istanbul’s Gezi Park, and calls on the Turkish authorities to thoroughly investigate the police violence, to bring those responsible to justice and to offer compensation to the victims; warns the Turkish Government against taking harsh measures against the peaceful protesters, and urges the Prime Minister to take a unifying and conciliatory position so as to avoid any further escalation; (...) Calls on the Turkish authorities to guarantee and respect the rights of all citizens to freedom of expression, peaceful assembly and peaceful protest; calls for the immediate release of all peaceful protestors taken into custody and currently detained; asks for information on the exact numbers of detainees and injured; (...) Reminds Turkey that in an inclusive, pluralist democracy all citizens should feel represented and that the majority has a responsibility to include the opposition and civil society in the decision-making process; also reminds the opposition parties of their responsibility to do their part to create a democratic political culture with respect for diverse views and opinions; (...) Deplores the reactions of the Turkish Government and of Prime Minister Erdoğan, whose unwillingness to take steps towards reconciliation, to apologise or to understand the reactions of a segment of the Turkish population have only contributed to further polarisation; ...' Full text here: europarl.europa.eu/sides/getDoc.do?pubRef=-//EP//TEXT+MOTION+P7-RC-2013-0305+0+DOC+XML+V0//EN
Posted on: Thu, 13 Jun 2013 19:45:16 +0000
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