ECRI report lauds Turkey's progress on Human rights but still has concerns

A new report published by the European Commission against Racism and Intolerance (ECRI) on Turkey has said Turkey has made significant progress since the commission's last report on Turkey in 2005, but expressed concerns regarding some issues that still need to be addressed by the Turkish government. The ECRI published its latest report on Turkey on Tuesday, in which it said since the publication of the ECRI's third report on Turkey on Feb. 15, 2005, progress has been made in a number of fields covered by that report. One of the issues that the report highlighted was the ruling Justice and Development Party's (AK Party) 2009 initiative, which is intended to expand the rights of previously disadvantaged groups and communities such as Kurds, Alevis and Roma. The ECRI also applauded measures taken by Turkey to prevent misconduct by law enforcement officers, including towards members of minority groups. The commission also welcomed Turkey’s preparation to set up an ombudsman institution and an independent national human rights institution to review individual human rights complaints and monitor human rights in the country. Applauding the many initiatives taken by Turkey to fight discrimination and human rights, the commission also highlighted some concerns. The commission stated that there is no definition of racial discrimination in Turkish law, and comprehensive anti-discrimination legislation is not yet in place.