A report submitted by the Turkish Alliance of Protestant Churches to Parliament’s Human Rights Commission on the state of religious minorities in Turkey alleges that non-Muslim groups in Turkey have been made into targets for attacks. The report was submitted to the head of the Human Rights Commission, Professor Zafer Uskul, who has gone to Malatya to observe the ongoing trial over the brutal murder of three Christian missionaries last year. The report covers some of the human rights violations that have occurred recently against non-Muslims in Turkey, noting especially that many of the suspects involved in attacks against non-Muslims in this country have not been found or arrested. Part of the report reads as follows: “Despite the fact that freedom of belief is protected by the Constitution, the last decade has witnessed the development of campaigns aimed at denouncing, slandering and provoking non-Muslim groups. Included in this campaign are physical attacks against these groups. This campaign has been contributed to both actively and passively by a concern for media ratings in the Turkish press. Disinformation regarding non-Muslim groups has helped make these groups a target, especially for more radical circles in the nation.”

Labels: Christians, Human Rights, Turkey