The Progress of Human Rights Reform in Turkey Essay

Ataturk and Reza Shah had a large influence on the governments of Turkey and Iran by secularizing and westernizing each. This secularization has had a distinct role in shaping the language, education, religion and government of both Turkey and Iran. Their end goals were to create a powerful and prevalent world powers that is distinct. Comparing the two countries, there were many similarities between each reformation, but each is distinct in certain aspects.

Historically presidents have been held to a higher moral standard than the rest of the public. This is apparent when a president or some one close to the president is involved in a unethical or scandalous behavior. President Truman is a good example of how a series of smaller incidents convinced the American people that he was not doing his job very well. President Truman experienced a very typical slow downward trend in his approval ratings from 1945 to 1953. A lot of presidents seem to experience the same trend, however in 1952 his ratings made a final drop to 22%. This drop was due in part to IRS allegations involving bribes and corruption. The

Everyone’s views of the president are different. A portion of people could hate the president, like him, or would not care about him; it all depends on their views they carry towards the president. Which include the way the president chooses to handle, or throw away ideas of the public. In order for the public to prosper, the president must be able to help. By fully understanding their views and opinions to help them prosper, he will allow for the public to continue growing. However, if the president would continue to do the same things, the growth of America’s society could decrease, which cause cataclysmic effects from the lack of effort towards America from the president.

Throughout the history of the United States, the country has seen several different presidents of varying degrees of success. Some have been declared the greatest in history, while others are despised for being incapable of making the best decisions for the country. Presidents have been hailed for moving America forward during a time of turmoil and others have been accused of seeking personal gain.

Human Rights is one of the most fundamental rights individuals should have in society. As individuals, it’s our natural right to have the right to life. No one should be executed or discriminated because they do not fit in certain characteristics that those that are superior have outlined as fit for society. Many countries suffer from the lack of protecting their citizens’ human rights. For instance, citizens have been executed and discriminated because of their gender, race, and religion affiliations, which is unjust. Individuals have lost their lives because of not having their country making sure their right to life and freedom does not get taking away. For instance, the persecution of the Jews by the Nazi’s, many of them lost their life because of a lack of human right to protect them from being executed without a logic purpose. As a society we can not construct some criteria as to whom can have human rights and those that cannot. Society is not supposing to be built on unjust acts against those in society. As individuals, everyone should be able to live in a more just and humane society. This paper will focus on the human rights and exactly what is human rights. In addition, explore the genocide that happens under the leadership of Adolf Hitler, which resulted in millions of Jews lives being taken away and trying to cause extinction to the European Jewish community. In addition, focus on the aftermath of educating individuals about human rights after the historical

The Constitution of India is imbued with the spirit of promoting and protecting the human rights of its constituents. But, merely incorporating a comprehensive bill of rights will not deliver the goods. And, although Article 32 of the Constitution assures an individual the right to move the Supreme Court of India for the enforcement of his/her rights, other constraints (like court fees, large back log of pending cases, and the intricacies of legal procedures leading to inordinate delay in justice) make the legal option difficult and almost unapproachable for the ordinary person. The implementation of laws that guarantee constitutional rights can be overseen by special administrative or institutional measures. The Indian Government has set up many special institutions under different acts of parliament and the primary task of these institutions is to give effect to various constitutional rights, particularly the rights of vulnerable and disadvantaged groups. One such important institution is the National Human Rights Commission. In order to understand the powers and functioning of this commission it is necessary to know the various Indian Laws relating to Human Rights.

The shah based many of his ideals on his role model, Mustafa Kamal Attaturk. But he was less successful than Ataturk in forging a strong national ideology because “Ataturk was able to control the mullahs and to find a place for them as well as for merchants and intellectuals in the new Turkey. He governed as an autocrat but also as a twentieth century politician. By contrast, Reza Shah ruled as a monarch, proving adept as centralization but not at delegation. ”[6] He saw the clergy as a hindrance to his plans for modernization and did everything possible to

Beginning with President Kemal, women began to have a much bigger voice on long standing issues in Turkey. “The new Civil Code, adopted in 1926, abolished polygamy and recognized the equal rights of women in divorce, custody, and inheritance” (Kandogen). Implementing the Civil Code ushered in a new era of the Turkish nation. No longer were women tied down in marriage due to the previous held laws that were reformed under President Kemal’s authority. Additionally, other strides were made to ensure the inclusion of women. “The entire educational system from the grade school to the university became coeducational. Ataturk greatly admired the support that the national liberation struggle received from women and praised their many contributions” (Kandogen). Education had mainly been given specifically to men during the Ottoman Empire in order to prepare them for battle, but Kemal’s efforts truly changed the male dominated nation. Although women’s rights continues to be an issue in Turkey to this day, the efforts made (beginning in 1926) established a more accepting and equal

The initiation of the 1980s Turkish Martial Law gave rise and effect to the oppression and unchecked legislative actions of the Turkish government against a member of its minority population, Kurdish citizens. This paper provides a critical analysis of Turkish state political violence towards is Kurdish minority population post 1980. The analysis provides and examination of the “Turkifying” methods used to dissolve Kurdish identity and assimilate citizens of the state to Turkish identities. The assimilation methods and practices led to to human rights violations conducted by the Turkish government and overlooked by the international community. State induced violence topics of discussion include: Kurdish citizen abductions (state “disappearances”), state authorized torture, the examination of the parameters for Legal Decree 430, state detention facilities and response to Kurdish citizen resistance. The conclusive evidence provided in this analysis identifies the Turkish State agenda for state nationalism without respect to civil liberties or international human rights law post 1980.

At the crossroads between Europe and Asia, Turkey is a fascinating country. Dominated by Greeks, Persians and Romans in turn throughout the classical area, what is now Turkey was once the seat of the Byzantine Empire. In the 11th century, however, Turkish nomads from Central Asia moved into the region, gradually conquering all of Asia Minor. First the Seljuk and then the Ottoman Turkish Empires came to power, exerting influence over much of the eastern Mediterranean world, and bringing Islam to southeast Europe. After the Ottoman Empire fell in 1918, modern Turkey was founded in 1923 from the Anatolian remnants of the defeated Ottoman Empire by national hero Mustafa KEMAL, who was later honored with the title Ataturk, or "Father of the Turks."

Turkey’s president Mustafa Kemal Ataturk believed that the entire world is the creation of women. Yet, we continue to witness the horrific crime of honor killings of women in Turkey. A report by Christie-Miller (2011) suggests that honor killings in Turkey have gone up 14 times in seven years. This emphasizes the conflict between conservative values and the country's rapid modernization. As pointed out by Sev’er and Gökçeçeçiçek (2001), these killings continue to happen in Turkey despite the fact that Turkey underwent a social, cultural, political and legal transformation under President Ataturk between 1926 and 1928 which, ensured gender equality.

So when Mustafa Kamal (Ataturk) began to form a Turkish nation state, it was not clear what constituted a Turk but soon, Kurds were considered as Turks and a policy aiming at the detribalization and assimilation of the Kurds was adopted… The Turkish government's pursuit of full assimilation has led to the proscription of publications of any book, newspaper, or other material in the Kurdish language. Moreover, there has also been an instance of arrests of entertainers for singing songs or performing in Kurdish.

The Ottoman Revolution of 1908 had drastically shifted the political nature of empire. The CUP’s reinstation of the constitution transformed Ottoman residents from subjects under imperial rule to contributing citizens of a nation. In short, it was a definitive step away from the Old World notions of imperialism, and a step towards a ‘new age’ of modern nation-status. Inevitably, this transformation had residual effects. While the press remained stifled under the previous Hamidian regime, it flourished in this new system. Thus, political rights guaranteed within the constitution were communicated widely throughout the empire. As a result, Ottoman populations started to become increasingly aware and active in their participation within the new nation.

In the aftermath of World War I, the once great Ottoman Empire was left in shambles. After having lost almost all of the empire’s territory to European mandates in 1918, what little they had left became occupied by Allied troops. In order to return the Turkish people to their former glory, the Turkish War for Independence was fought, resulting in the creation of a new government in Ankara. By 1923, this government declared the end of the Ottoman Empire and proclaimed the name of the Turkish Republic. At the forefront of this new nation’s birth was Mustafa Kemal, a man who would come to be known as Ataturk, or “Father Turk” for his contributions to

HUMAN RIGHTS ARE THE BIRTHRIGHTS OF EVERY HUMAN BEING AND THEY FORM AN INTEGRAL PART OF THE SOCIO-CULTURAL FABRIC OF HUMANITY ALL OVER THE WORLD. HOWEVER, THEY ARE VULNERABLE TO ABUSE AND VIOLATION.