Why does the EU have a problem with Turkey's human rights?

Question

Especially with regards to the freedom of expression and the situation of ethnic minorities?

Please don't just give websites such as wikipedia, I tried researching already. Thanks in advance :)

Btw, this is for my humanities debate (I am an 8th grader). I am representing UK's view on Turkey's joining into the EU.

Answer 1

Turkey would like to join the EU. EU cannot admit any new member state where death penalty is applied or foreseen by law.

Kurd minority, concentrated in south-east region,  has suffered massacres (around 400 villages erased) during the 90's and violation of human rights is still the principal answer given to these minorities and to opposition in general.

Answer 2

maybe because they aren't cracking down on the Muslims who are attacking Christians...

Answer 3

From the best of my understanding human rights is the biggest issue in the EU that is keeping Turkey out.

The death penalty is forbidden in the EU and Turkey still has such laws on it's books.

The Turkish military runs the government by fiat. If you run for office and you don't meet the standards of the generals there is no way you will take power even if you win an election.

Historically Turkey and the rest of the EU nations have never seen eye to eye. There are too many historical battles fought for the people of the EU to forgive and forget.

Lastly the admittance of Turkey in the EU is not a popular subject with the citizens of the EU. Most folks are actively against Turkey for their own reasons.

Turkey will not be a member state of the EU for the foreseeable future for many reasons historical, political and personal. Much change will have to happen in Turkey and the EU before a serious bid for membership will be taken seriously.

Hope that helps

Answer 4

The EU maintains certain agreed standards of human rights. Among these are the freedoms you mentioned above as well as the Death Penalty. In order to maintain these standards the EU demands new members demonstrate a commitment to these standards before being allowed to join.

Suggest you look at the following website (a little better than Wikipedia) for an understanding of the abuses that concern the EU.

Answer 5

You don't give any indication as to what you've tried, when you say you tried to research.

Why don't you troll around on BBC (since you're representing the UK, and it's the UK's new site, which should give you their view), and on human rights site, such as Amnesty International and Human Rights watch.

You can't search on Turkey specifically on all those sites.

Did you even try

+Turkey +"human rights"

in a search engine?

Answer 6

human rights encompass many facets of government, and do not just apply to weather or not a country affrods certian rights or freedoms to minorities.. In general

Turkey is a gross human rights offender, some examples have ben given above such as the death penalty, treatment of the kurds, rejection of past attrocities, threat of a non-secular government.. and the list goes on... no body, and with that no government is perfect, I just think the root of the problem is that Turkey has to develop more as a modern country, and it will grow out of these problems, however this may take more than just a few years....

.. personally i do not believe Europe is ready to assimilate turkey and that Turkey is ready to grow up fast enough to conform to European standards.

Answer 7

Research the armenian genocie by the ottoman empire which is now turkey. we ahd a presentation on it today in school. it hapened surring WWI. today in Turkey it is a crime to mention the genocide, and Turkey does not like nations who recognize the genocide, one of which is the U.K.