Turkey – religious freedom profile

Executive summary

Freedom of religion and belief, including the freedom to manifest and to proselytise a religion or belief, are protected in Turkey by the Turkish Constitution and Turkish Criminal Law. These freedoms are further protected by binding international human rights treaties to which Turkey is a party. These treaties include the Treaty of Lausanne of 1923, the UN International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR) and the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR).

However, these promising legislative advances are overshadowed by a long history of human rights abuses in Turkey, which has resulted in social and political pressure on today’s minority ethnic and religious communities, and has also contributed to the decline of these populations.

European Union (EU) negotiation talks and accession requirements have resulted in some welcome new legislation pertaining to freedom of religion and belief in Turkey. However, the implementation of this legislation is often fraught with difficulties, and religious persecution continues as a result of direct or indirect involvement of the state structures: an increasing number of mob attacks against Christians were reported between 2007 and 2009.

This briefing highlights the current concerns of religious minorities in the country, and seeks to provide background information on their legal and socio-political contexts.

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