ANKARA, Oct 11 (AFP) - A UN special envoy on Monday began a 10-day mission to Turkey to probe the working conditions of human rights activists and make recommendations on how to improve their lot.
Hina Jilani, UN Secretary General Kofi Annan's special representative on human rights defenders, will meet government officials and civil society representatives in Ankara, Istanbul, Izmir and the eastern, mainly Kurdish populated cities of Diyarbakir and Bingol.
"The purpose of my visit is to be able to assess and evaluate the legal framework as well as conditions within the country to be able to see how human rights defenders are able to carry out their functions, especially that of advocacy and monitoring," Jilani told a press conferencer here.
She said she had "some concerns" regarding the environment human rights activists in Turkey work in, but refused elaborate until after her mission.
"There are some concerns with regards to the situation of Human rights defenders," Jilani said. "But I cannot arrive a conclusion until I have the responses of the state and I am able to inquire into the concerns I have."
Turkish rights organizations often complain of harassment or crackdowns by the government, especially regarding their work in the country's southeast, long the scene of a bloody armed campaign by Kurdish rebels.
But the govertnment has in recent years undertaken far-reaching reforms to improve its crippled democracy and poor human rights record in a bid to catch up with western standards and gain entry into the European Union.
"Turkey is going through a phase of reformation and it is very important for me to assess how the reforms are affecting the work of Human Rights defenders," Jilani said.
She said she will prepare a report at the end of her mission to be submitted, along with her recommendations, to the UN Human Rights Commissions' 2005 session.
The report will be the first of its kind on the situation of human rights activists in Turkey.