Turkish President Gül: Rights should be equally implemented

ANKARA - Hürriyet Daily News

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Making legal arrangements is not enough for the protection and expansion of human rights, but full implementation of these legal arrangements is needed, President Abdullah Gül said on Dec. 9.

Gül’s remarks came in a written message delivered on the occasion of the International Human Rights Day on Dec. 10 and the 64th anniversary of the U.N.’s Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

“Respect for human rights and expansion of fundamental rights and freedoms is one of the foundations on which our political and societal culture is based. The protection and expansion of human rights is possible not only through the carrying out of legal arrangements, but also through the full implementation of these [legal arrangements] and the embracing of human rights consciousness by all sections of society,” Gül said.

He added that it was important for individuals to be aware of the mechanisms that would help protect their rights and stressed that the state had been working to protect and expand human rights.

“In recent years important progress has been made in our country on this issue and new mechanisms for the protection of rights and freedoms of our citizens and for the prevention of possible violations have been established,” Gül said.

“On the occasion of the Dec. 10 Human Rights Day, I find it useful to draw attention to our commitment to the principle of the universality of human rights and to once more emphasize that all rights should be equally implemented for everybody,” he said.

Following the adoption of three similar reform packages, a fourth judicial reform package is currently waiting for Cabinet approval.

The fourth package is mainly focused on eliminating rulings from the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) concerning the violation of human rights in Turkey.