Presidency’s Director of Communications Fahrettin Altun said, “Unfair criticisms of our fight against terrorism and our government’s efforts to provide security for the public cannot be taken seriously.”
In a statement on the U.S. State Department’s 2021 human rights report, Director of Communications Altun said human rights and dignity are universal values that Türkiye cherishes and champions in all international forums.
Telling how President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan spoke fearlessly about unfair treatment and injustices around the world and regularly calls on world leaders to act, Altun said:
“In recent years, our President Erdoğan has been virtually the only voice standing against human rights abuses in our region and around the world. He has taken it upon himself to mobilize the world against heinous crimes committed against civilians. In the face of this reality, the U.S. State Department’s annual human rights report makes unfair criticisms against our country. Türkiye does not consider human rights a domestic policy matter, but a universal one, yet assessments on this front have to consider certain facts.”
Altun added that Türkiye has made unprecedented progress on human rights since 2001, under Justice and Development (AK) Party governments.
“In fact, we carried out a ‘silent revolution.’ We had to adjust our laws and regulations along the way, including our new Justice Reform and Human Rights Action Plan,” said Altun.
“Assessments of Türkiye’s human rights record are meaningless when they fail to properly address the longstanding terror threats from several terror groups inside our country and along our borders. Unfair critiques of our fight against terrorism and our government’s efforts to provide security for the public cannot be taken seriously. As a democratically elected government, it is our responsibility to protect our country’s unity and integrity and our people’s security. Türkiye is engaged in a fight against the terror groups PKK, FETO, and DAESH, mindful of the balance between security and rights and the freedoms of our people. Türkiye sees them as the biggest obstacle to our freedoms and expects our allies to help with our fight against terrorism. Türkiye has always kept wide open the door for political dialogue with the EU as well as with the U.S. and continues to do so. Our red line, however, is our people’s safety and security. We work hard to protect our freedom and expect our partners and allies to act in good faith.”