Call for a Decision on the Minorities Report

The inquiry opened by the Ankara Prosecutor into the Minorities Report, which had big repercussions in public opinion, is being criticized for remaining uncompleted after nine months. The reports' authors--Dr. Ibrahim Kaboglu, former head of the Prime Minister's Advisory Board on Human Rights, and Dr. Baskin Oran--against whom the inquiry was launched, called for a suit to be filed, or for the inquiry to be found groundless and dropped at once.

The report on minorities and cultural rights caused uproar because of several controversial conclusions and recommendations. It strongly criticized Turkey's record on minority rights and called for changes such as the use of the term "of Turkey" rather than "Turkish" to describe citizens of the Republic of Turkey.

The report, prepared by Dr. Oran under the aegis of the "Cultural Rights and Minorities Commission," was sabotaged at the press conference announcing it, as other members of the commission, upset about the report's conclusions, contacted the prosecutor about Oran and Kaboglu.

The prosecutor's office then started an inquiry into the accusations that they had "distorted facts to commit a crime against the people" and "insulted and derided Turkishness."

Professor Oran, reacting to the lack of conclusion of the inquiry despite the passing of nine months, told Radikal newspaper, "The prosecutor can find the matter groundless, or he can file a suit.

If he does the first, the report will be exonerated. If he does the second, we will make such a defense that the facts written in the report will cost him the support of public opinion." Oran's lawyer has also made a complaint to the prosecutor about the delay. The prosecutor conducting the inquiry, Nail Karaaslan, did not have anything to say regarding the matter. (EA/EK/YE)