Turkish main opposition CHP launches ‘My Rights’ campaign to air grievances against gov't

In the face of a floundering economy and limited political rights, Turkey's main opposition CHP has started a #myrights campaign on social media for citizens to air their complaints against the AKP-led government.

Friday December 10 2021 04:06 pm

Duvar English

In honor of International Human Rights Day on Dec. 10, Turkey's main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) released a press statement and brochure for its “My right” campaign. The campaign calls on citizens to express the freedoms and rights they are denied in a Justice and Development Party (AKP)-led Turkey.

The presser circulated by the party listed democracy, education, the right to a fair trial, and the freedom of the press among the rights promised to Turkish citizens. In the statement, the CHP further stated that under President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and the AKP, Turkish citizens have been denied these rights.

“With the decision of one man, Turkey unlawfully exited the Istanbul Convention, which is the most important guarantee of women's right to life, at midnight. Citizens who expressed their thoughts and ideas are quickly taken into custody. With the judiciary under the influence of the government, it does not even comply with the decisions of the high court and our country has become the center of rights violations,” it wrote.

The statement released by the party further promised that if the CHP alliance were elected in planned elections in 2023, they would work to restore rule of law and human rights in the country. They would reinstate dismissed public servants and officials from their posts and ensure that Turkey provides its citizens with the most fundamental of rights.

“Human rights, the rule of law, and the principles of democracy are dominant among these rights; Together we will establish an equal and free Turkey where there are no violations of rights,” the statement wrote.

The statement outlined a series of rights considered “fundamental” - and violated by the AKP. Among them were free access to healthcare, the right to shelter, the right to an education, a free press, a safe working environment, life without violence. They also called for freedom of thought and expression, the right to human dignity, and the right to a fair trial.

The rights outlined by the party closely align with those laid out by international organizations such as the United Nations in documents such as the UN Charter and the Istanbul Convention.