International watchdog slams Turkey's human rights record

Amnesty International has criticised Turkey's progress in the sphere of human rights in its annual report, but praises the progress made in freedom of expression, Hürriyet Daily News reports.

“Taboo issues are now being debated. I cannot say this new situation is at the level of international freedom of expression, but it's progress,” the director of the Turkish office of Amnesty International, Murat Çekiç, told the Hürriyet Daily News yesterday.

Çekiç also stressed that investigations were still being started into individuals who have voiced opinions questioning the government's position.