Human Rights Watch calls on EU leaders to discuss human rights at meeting with Turkey’s Erdoğan

A meeting planned for May 25, 2017, between European Union leaders and President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan of Turkey should signal that discussion of upgraded economic cooperation is dependent on Ankara’s willingness to tackle its human rights and rule of law crisis, Human Rights Watch informed.

“At the first meeting with President Erdoğan after he won a referendum that expands his power, the EU should put human rights firmly back into the picture. Presidents Juncker and Tusk should convey the message that with Turkey’s EU accession stalled, deeper economic cooperation under a possible new customs union will depend on Erdoğan ending the deplorable crackdown in Turkey and taking steps to uphold human rights and the rule of law,” Lotte Leicht, EU director at Human Rights Watch, said. Lotte Leicht said today Turkey is the world leader in jaling journalists.

“Juncker and Tusk should insist that EU-Turkey relations depend on Erdoğan’s releasing journalists and elected politicians, ending the state of emergency used to perpetuate a lawless crackdown on perceived opponents, and dropping any idea of reintroducing the death penalty,” Leicht said.

Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan will meet the EU leaders – President of the European Council Donald Tusk and President of the European Commission Jean-Claude Juncker in Brussels on May 25. The meeting will focus on issues relating to Turkey’s EU accession halted talks, official Ankara’s statements on restoration of death penalty, as well as the future of Turkey-EU refugee deal.