JOINT MOTION FOR A RESOLUTION

26 February 2002

pursuant to Rule 37(4) of the Rules of Procedure by

• –Arie M. Oostlander and Ilkka Suominen, on behalf of the PPE-DE Group
• –Hannes Swoboda, Giorgos Katiforis and Giovanni Claudio Fava, on behalf of the PSE Group
• –Andrew Nicholas Duff, on behalf of the ELDR Group
• –Joost Lagendijk, Daniel Marc Cohn-Bendit and Nelly Maes, on behalf of the Verts/ALE Group
• –Francis Wurtz, Feleknas Uca, Luigi Vinci, Pernille Frahm, Pedro Marset Campos, Ilda Figueiredo, Efstratios Korakas, Alexandros Alavanos and Mihail Papayannakis, on behalf of the GUE/NGL Group
• –Cristiana Muscardini and Gerard Collins, on behalf of the UEN Group

replacing the motions by the following groups:

• –ELDR (B5‑0119/2002),
• –GUE/NGL (B5‑0121/2002),
• –Verts/ALE (B5‑0125/2002),
• –PSE (B5‑0127/2002),
• –PPE-DE (B5‑0130/2002),

on democratic rights in Turkey, in particular the situation of HADEP

European Parliament resolution on democratic rights in Turkey, in particular the situation of HADEP

The European Parliament,

–  having regard to Articles 11 and 12 of the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union,

–  having regard to the Commission’s 2001 Regular Report on Turkey’s progress towards accession and to the European Parliament's associated resolution,

–  having regard to the fact that Turkey is a signatory to the European Convention on Human Rights and to international conventions on political, civil, social and cultural rights,

A.  whereas the HADEP party stands for civil rights for ethnic Kurds in Turkey,

B.  whereas HADEP denies any organic link with the PKK or any terrorist organisation,

C.  whereas HADEP members have been prosecuted and have faced police harassment, arbitrary detention, threats, torture and even summary executions,

D.  whereas HADEP is facing a possible ban for its alleged support of separatism,

E.  whereas the Turkish Chief Public Prosecutor has called for the party to be banned, and HADEP is thus facing an exclusion order before the Turkish Supreme Court on 1 March 2002,

F.  whereas more than 10,000 students have applied for the Kurdish language to be available as an optional subject,

G.  whereas Turkey’s status as a candidate country has increased its responsibilities and commitments vis-à-vis the EU,

1.  Welcomes the constitutional amendments removing the provision forbidding the use of minority languages; urges that this gesture be followed swiftly by others leading to respect for the civil rights of the Kurdish population and to a resolution of the social, economic and political problems in South‑East Turkey; hopes that the legitimate rights of all minorities in Turkey will soon be guaranteed by the Turkish state;

2.   Calls in particular for the adoption of constitutional amendments to be followed without delay by the necessary implementing legislation;

3.  Urges the Turkish authorities to stop the harassment of students who asked for the Kurdish language to be offered as an optional subject and to release those who were arrested;

4.  Recalls that Turkish accession to the European Union cannot progress unless and until Turkey embraces faithfully and in all respects the Copenhagen political criteria and the Charter of Fundamental Rights;

5.  Calls on the Turkish government to respect and protect all parties using democratic means that obey the rule of law to promote their political objectives, irrespective of their attitude towards the policy of the government;

6.  Calls for the case against HADEP to be dropped;

7.  Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Council, the Commission and the Government and Parliament of Turkey.