Response to interpellation 2023/24:680 on strengthening democracy and human rights in Turkey
Translated from Swedish by AI; the translation may contain errors. The Swedish text is the original.
Summary AI, written in advance
The debate concerns strengthening democracy and human rights in Turkey. M argues that it is in Sweden's interest to promote democratic development and that Sweden stands behind calls for Turkey to respect the European Court of Human Rights' decisions and release political prisoners 1 2. M emphasizes that Sweden works in international forums, including the UN and EU, to influence Turkey 2. M notes that the local elections were well-organized and that the will of the people was respected 3. S argues that Turkey has one of the world's highest numbers of political prisoners and that the government should push for issues regarding release and peace negotiations with the Kurds in international contexts 4 5.
Written by AI in advance and may contain errors. The numbers lead to the speech a statement builds on; check against the text below.
Utrikesministern Tobias Billström (M)
Madam Speaker! Kadir Kasirga has asked me what I and the government intend to do to urge Turkey to respect election results and release political prisoners, including Selahattin Demirtas and Osman Kavala. Furthermore, he has asked how I and the government shall ensure that countries such as Turkey, which have important relations with Sweden and the EU, comply with democratic principles and respect human rights. He has also asked whether I and the government consider that Turkey meets the requirements to initiate negotiations regarding potential membership in the EU.
It is in Sweden's interest to continue to promote and contribute to a more democratic development in Turkey where human rights are respected. This applies particularly to the situation for politicians, journalists, persons belonging to minorities, human rights defenders and hbtqi persons.
This situation is described in detail by various non-governmental organizations, for example Amnesty and Human Rights Watch. The EU Commission also writes about the developments in Turkey in its annual evaluation of the progress made on the way towards EU membership in each of the EU's candidate and partner countries. In the latest evaluation from 2023, the Commission repeated, among other things, its serious concern over the continued regression in the areas of democracy, the rule of law, and fundamental rights in Turkey.
In the European Commission's evaluation, much attention is paid to the issues that the interpellor Kadir Kasirga mentions in his interpellation. The noted cases in the Council of Europe are described in detail, including the long processes ongoing to get Turkey to release Selahattin Demirtas and Osman Kavala.
The fact that Turkey has not complied with the European Court of Human Rights' decision is also addressed in the forward-looking report on the Turkey relationship that the EU Commission and the EU's diplomatic service have prepared on behalf of the European Council. The report states as follows: Due to the serious domestic situation regarding human rights and the rule of law, including non-enforced judgments from the European Court of Human Rights, it is clear that the EU-Turkey relationship has several hurdles to overcome.
Sweden stands behind this description, and we attach great importance to the situation regarding human rights in the view of all EU candidate countries, including Turkey.
Sweden is a member of the Council of Europe and supports the same policy there. When the issue of Selahattin Demirtaş and Osman Kavala has been raised in the organization's intergovernmental forum, the ministerial committee, Sweden has consistently stood behind the calls to Turkey to respect the European Court of Human Rights' judgments and release the individuals. This happened most recently in March 2024, i.e., this year. It is serious that Turkey has not enforced the judgments.
Kadir Kasirga (S)
Madam Speaker! Thank you, Minister for Foreign Affairs, for the answer! It is pleasing to hear that Sweden also stands behind the decision of the European Court of Human Rights that Demirtas and Kavala should be released.
Madam Speaker! On March 31, citizens in Turkey exercised their democratic right to vote in local elections, and for the first time in 21 years, Erdogan lost an election by large margins. This is an important event in Turkey for the democratic and progressive forces that are fighting to strengthen democracy in the country.
The election result also shows that the CHP, the Turkish Republican People's Party, is now the largest party in Turkey. The pro-Kurdish party DEM has also had great success in the Kurdish parts of Turkey and has won in 78 municipalities. These are great successes, which I also wrote in my interpellation to the Minister for Foreign Affairs.
Madam Speaker! There is continued concern among the opposition and human rights defenders in Turkey, who fear that Turkey, especially under Erdogan's rule, will attempt a repeat of 2019 when 60 elected mayors in Kurdish cities were deprived of their liberty and their municipalities were placed under state-mandated administration.
Turkey has today over 6,000 political prisoners in its prisons. This fact and the alarming development place Turkey in an exclusive and tragic group, namely as one of the countries with the most political prisoners. Just last week, nine journalists were deprived of their liberty in Turkey, and now over 63 journalists are imprisoned there. Turkey tops the league when it comes to having the most imprisoned journalists.
Madam Speaker! I agree with the Minister for Foreign Affairs that it is serious that Turkey does not enforce the judgments from the European Court of Human Rights and refuses to release Demirtas and Kavala. What measures does the Swedish government and Minister for Foreign Affairs Billström intend to take to persuade Turkey and Erdogan to cease the oppression against Kurds and other minorities, and to persuade Turkey to understand that the release of Demirtas and all other political prisoners is in Turkey's interest?
Utrikesministern Tobias Billström (M)
Madam Speaker! Let me begin by saying that Sweden works in many international forums to urge Turkey to increase respect for human rights.
I recently stated in another interpellation answer that Sweden acts in the UN Human Rights Council so that Turkey will adopt anti-discrimination legislation that includes sexual orientation and gender identity as grounds for discrimination. Most recently, on March 20, 2024, the EU also urged Turkey to respect its obligations under international law, including human rights, in a statement in the UN Human Rights Council which Sweden also stood behind.
We also convey these messages directly to representatives in Turkey and also act locally. Sida, the Swedish Institute, and our foreign agencies work on the ground in Turkey to strengthen respect for human rights, democracy, and the principles of the rule of law, as well as to improve the conditions for a more equal society.
Kadir Kasirga (S)
Madam Speaker! I do not quite hear how the Swedish government and Tobias Billström intend to work towards Turkey to make Turkey understand that the release of the political prisoners lies in Turkey's national interest.
Turkey wants to become a part of the EU community, and in that case, it is important that Turkey fulfills all the criteria that the EU sets, especially when it comes to respect for human rights, the right to self-organization, and the right to love whom one wants. Therefore, it is important that one, as the Foreign Minister mentioned, sets requirements for Turkey to respect minorities.
Madam Speaker! When Selahattin Demirtas was deprived of his freedom from his home in 2016, his daughters were twelve and nine years old. For eight years, he has now sat innocently imprisoned without judgment. It resembles a hostage situation. Demirtas is a hostage who has not only been denied his human rights but has also been deprived of eight years of precious time together with his family, above all his children. As everyone knows, childhood does not come again.
Osman Kavala was arrested on November 1, 2017, accused of attempting to overthrow the constitutional order by force. These are typical accusations against dissidents and oppositionists in Turkey whom they want to get rid of and put in prison.
The Swedish government must really continue to push this both in the EU and the UN and in the bilateral relations with Turkey. Turkey is a part of Nato, where we have had a very long and difficult process, particularly due to Turkey's objections to Sweden's position regarding the Kurdish issue and human rights in Turkey.
Madam Speaker! Turkey's stability, given its geopolitical position, is important for Europe's security. When it comes to stability in Turkey and democratic development, Turkey needs, in order to achieve the levels that satisfy the EU and that part of the world, to make many advances and especially try to resolve the Kurdish issue by peaceful means.
The Social Democratic government has previously, especially during the 20 years with Erdogan, set requirements and urged the Turkish governments to try to solve the Kurdish issue by peaceful means and, for example, resume peace negotiations with the Kurds to solve the issue and thereby also achieve a new democratic period and wave in Turkey.
I would therefore like to ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs whether he and the Swedish government intend to take the initiative to urge Turkey to begin peace negotiations with the Kurds in order to resolve the Kurdish issue and thereby to strengthen and promote democracy in Turkey.
Utrikesministern Tobias Billström (M)
Madam Speaker! I share Kadir Kasirga's concern. The Government views the developments in Turkey regarding respect for human rights with seriousness, and it is well known that this part of Turkey's democracy suffers from deficiencies.
For Sweden, it is fundamental that political prisoners should not occur. Countries such as Sweden and Turkey, which are members of the human rights-based organization the Council of Europe, must follow the decisions that the European Court of Human Rights makes. That Turkey has not done so in the cases in question is serious, and it is something that Sweden, together with other members of the Council of Europe, points out at recurring meetings in the Council of Europe.
The Swedish government is clear on this point: We urge Turkey to release both Selahattin Demirtas and Osman Kavala. This is necessary to live up to the Council of Europe's ideals and common rules. That Turkey has not fulfilled the Council of Europe's requirements is also something that is repeatedly criticized by the EU, as evidenced by the quote from the report issued by the EU's foreign service, which can be found in my opening remarks in this interpellation debate.
Sweden will continue to be a driving force in promoting human rights internationally. Sweden has a very clear position in support of everyone's enjoyment of human rights, and the right to participate in the democratic process is a fundamental human right.
Kadir Kasirga (S)
Madam Speaker! I thank Foreign Minister Tobias Billström for this debate. I also thank that we in the chamber are paying attention to the situation in Turkey, especially in the difficult times that our neighborhood and the Middle East are going through.
As I have said also in my previous posts, we naturally consider Turkey to be an important country given its geopolitical position and also given the global situation. It is therefore important to tie Turkey closer to the EU and the Western alliance rather than, for example, to Russia, China and other actors who want to tie Turkey closer to themselves. This is a fight for democracy.
Turkey has huge challenges in the country, especially when it comes to respect for ethnic and religious, but also sexual, minorities. It is widely known in the general debate. I really hope that the Swedish government and Foreign Minister Tobias Billström raise these issues in the EU context, in the Council of Europe, and in the UN to draw attention to the violations occurring in Turkey even at the present moment.
I particularly hope that Turkey is urged to immediately release Selahattin Demirtas, Osman Kavala and all other 6,000 political prisoners who today are in prison because of their political views. It is not worthy of a country that wants to become a part of the EU.
Utrikesministern Tobias Billström (M)
Madam Speaker! I thank the interpellator for an interesting and important debate.
Let me assure the interpellator that the Swedish embassy in Ankara and the consulate general in Istanbul provide annual support for the work for human rights and democracy in Turkey, of which large parts go to civil society. Sweden pursues an active HR policy in Turkey.
Part of Kadir Kasirga's question concerned the respect for the election result. In this context, I can state that local elections were held across large parts of Turkey on March 31 this year, just as the interpellator mentioned. According to the Council of Europe's Congress of Local and Regional Authorities, the elections were well-organized, and the will of the people was respected. After the elections, a case was reported where an elected mayor was replaced by a candidate linked to the government party AKP in the city of Van. However, after a local process, the originally elected mayor assumed their office, which is, of course, very welcome.
Sweden and the international community are following the situation closely, and it is fundamental for a democratic system of government that the candidates who receive the most votes can also perform the work they have been elected to perform. It is an important part of the need to observe the developments in Turkey that we follow and pay attention to this type of case.
With this, I thank you very much for a good debate.
Source: The Swedish Parliament. The speeches come from the open data of the Riksdag, translated into English by AI, which may contain errors.