News Center- The United Nations Human Rights Committee considered the second periodic report of Türkiye at its 4162nd and 4163rd meetings, held on October 23 and October 24 2024.

Concluding observations on the second periodic report of Türkiye, the committee said, “The State party should adopt comprehensive legal and policy reform to prevent, address and eradicate violence against women and girls, that explicitly address all forms of violence against women, including domestic violence and the so-called ‘honour crimes’.”

The committee has also raised serious concerns about the lack of effective measures aimed to ensure the independent functioning of the judiciary as well as to prevent the misuse of counter-terrorism legislation against opposition politicians and activists, journalists, lawyers and human rights defenders in the exercise of their human rights.

“The State party should include in its next Human Rights Plan concrete and effective measures to ensure the independent functioning of the judiciary and to prevent the misuse of the counter-terrorism legislation.”

The Committee has reiterated its concern that the legal framework in Türkiye does not offer full protection against discrimination on all grounds covered by the Covenant, including LGBTQ individuals, persons with disabilities and ethnic minorities, such as the Kurdish community. The committee calls on Türkiye to:

“adopt comprehensive legislation prohibiting discrimination, including intersectional, direct and indirect discrimination, in both the public and the private sectors and on all grounds prohibited under the Covenant; ensure the effective implementation and application of the legislation and access to effective and appropriate remedies for victims; and amend the Law on the Human Rights and Equality Institution of Türkiye in order to ensure it can address discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity;

“Ensure that all acts of discrimination, hate speech and hate crime are promptly and effectively investigated, perpetrators are brought to justice and, if convicted, punished with appropriate sanctions and that victims are provided with adequate remedies.”