Human Rights Watch, in its newly issued 2013 World Report, has highlighted some of the most serious human rights issues in Turkey, including attacks on freedom of expression, assembly, and association, violence against women, and excessive force by security services.

The most report put particular focus on Turkey’s overly broad anti-terror laws and its restrictions on freedom of expression.  Speaking for Human Rights Watch, Senior Researcher for Turkey, Emma Sinclair-Webb notes:

If the government is serious about its latest moves to address the Kurdish issue in Turkey, freeing the thousands of detained peaceful Kurdish political activists, journalists, human rights defenders, trade unionists, and students would be a good first step…Turkey needs to make human rights a priority in its approach to all of its citizens.