Turkey (Hansard, 19 May 2003)

Mr. Robertson
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent representations his Department has made to the Turkish Government regarding EU recommendations that Turkey should guarantee access to legal counsel for all detainees from the moment of detention. [113139]

§ Mr. MacShane
FCO officials most recently discussed access to legal counsel for detainees with their Turkish counterparts at the latest round of the UK-Turkey Human Rights Dialogue, which took place in London on 26 November 2002.

Mr. Robertson
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations his Department has made to the Turkish Government regarding the use of torture on juveniles in Turkish prisons and police precincts. [113140]

§ Mr. MacShane
I refer my hon. Friend to the answer I gave him today (UIN 113141). In addition, FCO officials discussed the use of torture on juveniles in prisons and police precincts with their Turkish counterparts at the latest round of an on-going UK-Turkey Human Rights Dialogue in London on 26 November 2002.

Mr. Robertson
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions his Department has had with(a) the Turkish Government and (b) the European Union regarding the use of torture in Turkish prisons and police precincts. [113141]

§ Mr. MacShane
FCO officials frequently discuss the use of torture in prisons and police precincts with the Turkish authorities, including in the context of the human rights projects that we run specifically to help Turkey put a stop to such abuses. The FCO also collaborated with the European Commission on the wording of the revised EU-Turkey Accession Partnership, which sets out priorities that Turkey must meet in order to open accession negotiations with the European Union. These priorities cover a broad range of human rights issues, including the use of torture.

Mr. Robertson
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions his Department has had with(a) the Turkish Government and (b) the European Union regarding the police raid on the Human Rights Association in Ankara. [113143]

§ Mr. MacShane
The British Embassy in Ankara raised the police raid on the Human Rights Association with a senior official at the Prime Minister's Office on 14 May. They will continue to discuss such human rights issues, at all appropriate levels, as part of our dialogue about reforms in Turkey. We are actively discussing it with our European partners—for example, at the 12 May meeting of the South East Europe Working Group in Brussels. The raid was also the subject of a debate in the European Parliament and a strong statement of concern issued by the European Commission on 13 May.