ANKARA - Amnesty International (AI) Secretary General Irene Khan said on Thursday that there were still steps Turkey should take for human rights.
Khan who held a press conference said that Turkey had made significant legal reforms.
Real change could be made as reforms were totally and permanently put into practice and legal changes continued, Khan said.
Khan noted that the AI wished to encourage developments in Turkey in human rights.
Stating that there were differences between reforms made and ''facts on the field'', Khan said that she expressed her concerns over the issue during her Thursday's meetings.
Khan noted that effects of reforms on daily life should be seen for their reliability and convincibility.
Although number of reports on torture in Turkey decreased, still some negative reports on torture in Turkey were being presented to the AI, Khan said.
Khan wanted Turkey to form an independent mechanism to inspect and supervise human rights in state organizations and to take action against state organizations and civil servants who violate human rights.
AI Secretary General Khan called on the government to make more legal changes to comply with international human rights standards, to make radical reforms in state institutions in order not to make new laws inefficient due to the former understanding, and to create an atmosphere in which full participation of the non-governmental society and fundamental freedoms were not considered an attack against the state.
Khan said that the government should amend or cancel articles of Anti-Terrorism Law and Penal Code which could cause exploitation.
End of conflicts in Southeastern Anatolia Region, majority of Justice and Development Party (AK Party) at parliament and Turkey's desire to join European Union (EU) speeded up improvement of human rights, Khan stressed.
Khan said that he asked the situation of former Democracy Party (DEP) deputies who were in prison to Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Foreign Minister and Deputy Prime Minister Abdullah Gul.
Erdogan and Gul accepted importance of the cases and expressed their wish to solve that issue as soon as possible, Khan stated.
Khan said that she presented an information note to Erdogan in their meeting in which she asked about everybody who were ''imprisoned on charges of expressing their views through peaceful means'' like former DEP deputy Leyla Zana and her friends.
When she was recalled that Erdogan had accused some European institutions of double standard in Erdogan's case, Khan said that the AI had worked on that case and prepared a report with international human rights organizations.
Khan noted that she showed that report to the prime minister.
Touching on headscarf issue, Khan said that it was an issue related with human rights of women and women should have a choice to wear headscarf as well as a choice not to wear it.
Khan said that human rights were also violated in some practices made due to fight against terrorism in the world.
Some countries like the United States violated human rights, Khan noted.
Khan added that ''being a super power was not a certificate to violate human rights.''
AI Secretary General Khan came to Turkey late on Sunday. The delegation headed by Khan visited Human Rights Association's branch in Istanbul and AI Turkey Office in Istanbul on Monday. The group met with representatives of non-governmental organizations at AI office in Istanbul.
The AI delegation visited the parliament and met with Parliamentary European Union (EU) Adjustment Commission Chairman Yasar Yakis, Parliamentary Human Rights Commission Chairman Mehmet Elkatmis and Interior Minister Abdulkadir Aksu on Tuesday.
Khan visited Prime Ministry Human Rights Chairman Vahit Bicak on Wednesday.
After being received by Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Khan met with Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul earlier in the day.
(BRC-AÖ) 12.02.2004