Turkey: new anti-terrorism law raises concern among NGOs
The Turkish Parliament in Ankara in July 2018 (illustrative image).
AP - Burhan Ozbilici
Text by: RFI Follow
2 min
Turkish MPs passed a law on Sunday to combat money laundering and the financing of terrorist acts.
A text that meets the requirements of the United Nations Security Council.
But many associations and NGOs denounce certain articles of the law which threaten their freedom of expression and allow the government to muzzle their action.
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Preventing and suppressing the financing of terrorism is the subject of a UN resolution dating back to 2001. For Ankara the new law intends to comply with it, but it goes much further, believes
Human Rights Watch
and hides another objective, that of hindering the activities of associations and NGOs which it displeases.
According to the human rights organization, only 6 of the 43 articles of the law concern the financing of terrorism.
The others would give the Minister of the Interior quasi-discretionary power over these bodies, which, for example, will have to undergo annual inspections, which could paralyze activities for months.
The accusation of terrorism to muzzle opponents
The ministry will also be able to suspend an association official from his functions if he is under investigation linked to a terrorism case.
However, the associations explain,
the accusation of connection with a terrorist organization
is used on a daily basis against opponents of the government.
Hundreds of thousands of people have been targeted by this type of investigation since the attempted coup in 2016. And justice is too subjugated to power to provide a safeguard.
More than 400 associations and NGOs have signed an appeal for the withdrawal of controversial articles from the law passed this Sunday, December 27.
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