Human Rights In Turkey

EDM number 275 in 1996-97, proposed by Eddie Loyden on 28/11/1996.

That this House congratulates and welcomes the Liverpool dockers' shop stewards campaign for human rights in Turkey; is appalled by the eyewitness reports from a recent delegation of Liverpool dockers to Turkey, which tell of incidences of harrowing brutality by the Turkish police towards striking textile workers in Gazi Antep; calls on the Turkish government to end the practice of terrorising workers exercising their legal right to strike; urges an end to the barbaric police and army attacks on peaceful demonstrators, including children and women; appeals to the Turkish authorities to stop the practice of imprisoning and torturing people for membership of political or trade union organisations; notes the appalling human rights record in general of the current Turkish regime; and calls for the European Union's co-operation agreement with Turkey to be suspended until the threat of further human rights violations has been removed, the attempts by the Turkish authorities to terrorise and ban all genuine opposition are stopped, and the violent repression of the Kurdish people and other ethnic minorities is ended.

This motion has been signed by a total of 38 MPs.