The ‘Gezi Park’ events in Turkey – which actually extended far beyond the small Istanbul park of Gezi to reach most major cities in Turkey – dominated news headlines around the world for a month in June 2013. The events have proven to be highly significant for millions of people throughout Turkey, as they signal a newly gained awareness of the different forms that political participation can take. These include direct – in the streets, assembly-based – participation, and the mobilizing power in defence of fundamental freedoms and democratic principles.
İNDİRMEK İÇİN TIKLAYINIZ
For the current – and indeed, any future – government, this protest movement made clear that a lack of transparency, dialogue, plurality and participatory democracy principles is no longer acceptable. The society showed that it would not tolerate an autocratic administration of the country, based on the direct intervention of the government into people’s lives – in the form of intrusive urban planning, through peremptory statements regarding morality and acceptable ways of life, and on contempt and repression towards those who dissent. The ‘Gezi’ events also showed that people were acutely aware of, and outraged by, the violation of fundamental rights such as freedom of expression, assembly, and the rights to life and freedom from torture.
Finally, these events indicated that, as happens in most consolidated democracies throughout the world, citizens wish to participate beyond electoral consultation in decision-making processes and are increasingly building new ways of formal or informal direct participation. The months-lasting park assemblies in Istanbul and Ankara are good examples of these new more horizontal forms of political participation, where citizens from different social, cultural and political backgrounds come together to debate and attempt to find solutions.
The Euro-Mediterranean Human Rights Network (EMHRN) visited Turkey in early July 2013 and met with numerous stakeholders to investigate these events. During the inquiry, numerous allegations were received of serious human rights violations, particularly affecting freedom of assembly, the right to life, the right to be from torture and ill-treatment, and the right to liberty and freedom of expression. The following pages set out our main findings, including first an assessment of the relevant domestic laws, drawing on international human rights standards. These findings lead to the final section of conclusions and recommendations to the Turkish authorities.