President Erdoğan sent a video message to an event organised by the AK Party Human Rights Department on the occasion of "December 10, International Human Rights Day."
Greeting the participants on the 73rd anniversary of the adoption of the United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights, President Erdoğan congratulated December 10, International Human Rights Day.
Hoping that International Human Rights Day would lead to auspicious results for all humanity, particularly the oppressed and suffering, President Erdoğan said, "The United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights, which was adopted with great optimism 73 years ago, remains an essential guide in ensuring global peace and stability. However, threats to the declaration's principles, including Islamophobia and cultural racism, are growing by the day."
President Erdoğan stated, "Hate speech has permeated both daily life and politics in many Western countries that profess to support democracy and human rights" and added:
“Fascist practices that separate people based on their origin, belief, colour, and appearance and deprive them of their most basic rights and freedoms have become almost commonplace. Despite the fact that they only represent the tip of the iceberg, the statistics clearly show the extent of animosity towards Islam and xenophobia. In comparison to previous years, the number of hate crimes more than doubled last year. Last year, the number of attacks on immigrants in three European countries with the largest population of our citizens surpassed 3,000. Acts against mosques and places of worship are no longer considered newsworthy in the mainstream media. We can see that indifference to hate crimes extends to refugees and displaced people. Those who talk about human rights and freedoms usually turn a blind eye to the humanitarian tragedies in our region, from Syria to Yemen, Afghanistan to Rohingya. They simply watch as the Mediterranean transforms into a massive cemetery where thousands of people perish each year. They remain silent when Greece sinks refugee ships in the Aegean Sea.”
“We have not heard a single critical sentence from those who immediately cling to the rhetoric of sanctions, even on issues where our country is correct, regarding these tragedies that are shown on television screens every day,” said President Erdoğan.
Stating that they saw no action taken by those who constantly talked about children's rights in relation to the tens of thousands of Syrian refugee children who went missing in Europe, President Erdoğan said similar hypocrisy was noticed in the areas of women’s rights and violence against women.
“We extend our helping hand to everyone who is oppressed or suffering no matter where they are”
President Erdoğan said, “The discriminatory policies that deny women the right to exist in the public sphere can be easily introduced in Western countries without repercussions. It is weird that those who target us using the Istanbul Convention remain silent in the face of these atrocities that also cause suffering for our citizens.
President Erdoğan went on to say that, in this period of disdain for human rights, Türkiye stands out for its efforts that prioritise people and humanitarian values, and added: “We provide services that protect human dignity in all crisis zones, from Syria to Yemen, and from Afghanistan to Rohingya. With the belief that ‘a fairer world is possible’, we extend our helping hand to everyone who is oppressed or suffering, no matter where they are, without discrimination.”
“We will, inshallah, add a fresh link to this reform chain with a new judicial package that we will soon bring to our parliament for its consideration. The package will give the Human Rights Compensation Commission more capability to take action and will increase the penalties for harassment and stalking of women.”
Rather than withdrawing, as others have done, we are sharing our resources with friendly and brotherly countries in the fight against the pandemic. We do not hesitate to react in the face of injustices and illegality. While doing all this outside of our borders, we work to enhance the rights and freedoms of our people from all walks of life, particularly our women, children, and the disabled. Since May 30, 2019, when we released our Judicial Reform Strategy Document, we have introduced five judicial packages. We will, inshallah, add a fresh link to this reform chain with a new judicial package that we will soon bring to our parliament for its consideration. The package will give the Human Rights Compensation Commission more capability to take action and will increase the penalties for harassment and stalking of women. Inspired by the people-oriented state tradition, Türkiye will retain its commitment to reform in the areas of democracy and fundamental freedoms in the coming years.
May Allah help and guide us!
With these sentiments, I congratulate you once again on the Human Rights Day on December 10 and hope that this momentous day brings peace, tranquillity, and justice to my nation and all humanity.”