US rights report criticizes Obama's 'buddy', describes deficiencies in Turkey’s judiciary, media freedom.

US rights report criticizes Obama's 'buddy', describes deficiencies in Turkey’s judiciary, media freedom.(TZ).US State Department’s annual report on human rights described deficiencies in effective access to justice, government interference with freedom of speech and press and inadequate protection of vulnerable populations as the most significant human rights problems in Turkey last year. Chronicling developments in nearly 200 countries, the rights report said broad laws against terrorism and threats to the state, political pressure, and inadequacies in the judicial system in Turkey limited access to justice, as did lengthy pretrial detention and lack of transparency in the prosecution of cases related to state security.
The European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) also ruled against Turkey in two separate cases on lengthy pre-trial detention this week. The decision of the European court claimed that the longevity of pre- and post-trial detention in Turkey in a case in question exceeded acceptable limits. The Turkish government has embarked on the establishment of a commission to reduce nearly 3,000 cases filed with the ECtHR. Lengthy pre-trial detentions and the running time of trials constitute two primary complaints, pushing Turkey to seek alternative ways to clear cases outside the Strasbourg-based court. The rights report also said that the time lag between arrests and presentation of indictments, leaks of information, evidence, or statements, restricted defense access to evidence put forward by the prosecution and the secrecy of the investigation orders also fueled concerns about the effectiveness of judicial protections for suspects. It noted that the close connection between prosecutors and judges gave the appearance of impropriety and unfairness in criminal cases, while the broad authority granted to prosecutors and judges contributed to inconsistent and uncertain application of criminal laws. 
It, however, praised the government for adopting judicial reforms to speed up and improve judicial processes last year. The State Department report also complained about the authorities’ interference with freedom of speech and press, claiming that the penal code and antiterror law retain multiple articles that restrict press freedom and public speech on politically and culturally sensitive topics. 
The arrest and prosecution of journalists, writers, and Kurdish intellectuals and political activists, coupled with condemnatory speeches by political leaders, had a chilling effect on freedom of expression, the report said, adding that politicians, including Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, sued their critics for defamation at all levels.
The report blamed the authorities for failing to effectively protect vulnerable populations it described as women, children, and lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) individuals, from societal abuse, discrimination, and violence. Violence against women, the report warned, including so-called honor killings and rape, remained a particularly significant problem. Child marriage persisted, it added. Other significant human rights problems the report said were unlawful killings committed by security forces, which included botched air strike in Uludere that killed 34 civilians mistaken for members of the terrorist Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK). Hmmmm........A man is known by the company he keeps.Read the full story here.