Liberal International, convening in Sofia, Bulgaria, on 14 May 2005,
notes that, although their situation has improved, the Kurdish population in Turkey still faces discrimination in the exercise of political and cultural rights
welcomes the decision of the European Commission in December 2004 to open negotiations with Turkey in October 2005 on accession to the European Union in October 2005;
notes that the Commission is ready to suspend or end the negotiations if any breakdowns occur in the progress towards democracy, human rights, fundamental rights and the rule of law;
supports the Commission’s double strategy, implying that Turkey needs to achieve more as regards the abolition of torture, promotion of women’s rights, trade union rights, religious freedom and relations between civil and military authorities, and that the outcome of negotiations is not a foregone conclusion;
notes that torture and ill-treatment still continue in police stations and prisons around Turkey; points to the Turkish government’s zero tolerance policy on torture; stresses the need for continuous efforts to ensure a competent and independent judiciary to combat such human rights abuse;
stresses that the Kurdish identity must be acknowledged and the right of all citizens, including those of an ethnic Kurdish background to freedom be guaranteed within the legal framework of the Republic of Turkey;
calls on the Turkish authorities to put more effort into the quick and thorough implementation of the legislative changes on cultural rights that allow the use of languages other than Turkish in the media;
calls on Turkey to recognize the Kurdish language in the Kurdish provinces as an official language next to Turkish in order to ensure that all Kurdish citizens can officially use their mother tongue in public life and that education in Kurdish is guaranteed;
calls on the Turkish authorities to provide the necessary means to stimulate the socio-economic development of the Kurdish regions, particularly in South-East Turkey, in order to create circumstances that enable the Kurdish area to develop peacefully and to prosper.
