Thomas Pringle (Donegal, Independent)
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254. To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade if his attention has been drawn to the case of a person (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [5345/23]

Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)
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Ireland has made clear its concerns on an ongoing basis about the overall human rights situation in Türkiye. It is an issue which I will continue to raise wherever the opportunity arises.

As a member of the Oireachtas delegation to its Parliamentary Assembly (PACE), the Deputy will be aware of the Council of Europe’s extensive engagement in this area. The Council of Europe Committee for the Prevention of Torture, in a 2019 report, stated that the restrictions imposed on Abdullah Ocalan in the prison on the island of Imrali, from the time of his arrest up to November 2009, including lengthy periods in solitary confinement, were not acceptable. This forms part of a wider deterioration of the Human Rights situation in Türkiye.

The EU has continually highlighted these issues through public statements, Council Conclusions, and the Commission’s Annual Reports, and has raised them bilaterally with Türkiye. The lack of progress, and indeed backward steps, in these areas has meant that Türkiye’s EU Accession negotiations have now effectively stalled.

As a candidate country for EU membership and long-standing member of the Council of Europe, there is a strong need for the Turkish authorities to follow-up on the recommendations of the European Commission and the Council of Europe and on the rulings of the European Court of Human Rights. Türkiye urgently needs to demonstrate concrete progress on the rule of law and fundamental freedoms which are a critical element in determining the overall state of EU-Turkish relations. Continued engagement with and by the EU will be vital for the sake of human rights and rule of law in Türkiye.

Ireland, alongside our European counterparts, will continue to monitor all aspects of the EU-Türkiye relationship, with a particular focus on Human Rights. We will continue to voice our concerns bilaterally and multilaterally wherever possible.