Prime Ministry HRC Chair: Minority Report Not Binding

The Prime Ministry Human Rights Council (HRC) Chair Associate Professor Vahit Bicak announced that the report by the Minority and Cultural Rights Studies Group, approved in a Human Rights Advisory Council (IHDK) meeting, is not binding.

(Today's Zaman, 20.10.2004) The Prime Ministry Human Rights Council (HRC) Chair Associate Professor Vahit Bicak announced that the report by the Minority and Cultural Rights Studies Group, approved in a Human Rights Advisory Council (IHDK) meeting, is not binding. The report caused a public outcry. Also criticizing the way the report was approved in the IHDK meeting, Bicak said yesterday, "This report is approved by only 24 members of 78 members of the Council. According to these numbers, I leave it to public opinion to evaluate whether or not the opinions of all the members are reflected in it." Bicak went on to say that they received several opposition faxes from the representatives of many institutional members of the Council. Organizing a press meeting, Vahit Bicak expressed that the IHDK services for consultancy provided for dialogue between the state and NGOs. Bicak also underlined that the Prime Ministry did not request a report into minority rights. On the other side, IHDK member Society of Law Sovereign (HED) President lawyer A. Erdem Akyuz and a Societal Though Association President Fethi Bolayir announced that the Minority Rights Report is composed of the personal opinions of its authors. 20.10.2004 Erdal Sen, Suleyman Kurt Ankara

Haberin Tarihi : 27.04.2008