Amnesty International roept Turkije op tot betere bescherming van de mensenrechten (en)

Amnesty International has warned that progress made on human rights in Turkey could be undermined if legal reforms are not matched by a shake-up of the country's institutions.

The country's EU-inspired reforms have at times been laborious, with legislative progress in Ankara being followed up slowly in the difficult-to-monitor provinces.

During a visit to Turkey on Thursday (13 February) Amnesty's secretary general, Irene Khan warned that without institutional reforms, progress could be stalled.

"We fear that if the government does not carry out radical institutional reform and urgent legal reforms in key areas, there is a risk that the government's agenda for change would be sabotaged", she said.

"In Amnesty International, we acknowledge that there has been some progress on human rights".

"But we also acknowledge the need for much more to be done because there is a disconnect between the policies being professed by the government, the changes being introduced at the level of the government and the reality on the ground".

In its last report on Turkey's progress towards EU membership the European Commission also warned that reforms were slow to be implemented on the ground.

Turkey's membership bid will again be up for discussion in autumn this year when the Commission publishes its next report.

At the same time the Commission will recommend whether or not to start accession talks with Ankara.