Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2001-02-13-Speech-2-195"
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"en.20010213.9.2-195"2
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"Mr President, the Commission is aware of the arrest of 28 children and young people in Turkey described in Mrs Zorba's question. According to our information, 28 children and young people were arrested by the police in a small town in south-east Turkey on 9 January. The local security forces alleged that these children had taken part in an illegal demonstration, that they had shouted out pro-PKK slogans, and that they had protested against the Turkish military presence in northern Iraq.
Children and young people aged between 9 and 16 were arrested and taken to a prison in Diyarbakir. According to information provided by the Turkish Union for Human Rights, these children have also been mistreated in prison. Following protests by the parents and the Turkish Human Rights Society, 22 children and young people have now been released, but six young people aged between 14 and 17 are still in custody. The Commission has made representations to the Turkish authorities on this matter in the strongest terms. The Commission has called for an immediate and full explanation of the facts. This incident is a matter of grave concern to us.
The Commission wishes to emphasise that whatever these children may be accused of, such accusations can in no way justify taking children into custody, throwing them into a prison far from their parental homes and detaining them there for several days. This kind of behaviour is totally irreconcilable with the human rights standards prevailing in the European Union.
The Commission expects the Turkish Government to address this matter immediately. This incident demonstrates that there is an urgent need for political reform in Turkey if that country is to move closer to the European Union and its values. The Commission recalls that comprehensive protection of human rights is one of the political criteria that the candidate countries must meet in order to open accession negotiations with the European Union. This is also reflected in the priorities of the Accession Partnership with Turkey presented by the Commission in November last year."@en1
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