Turkey Accuses UN High Commissioner for Human Rights of Colluding with Terrorists

Turkey, in response to criticism from the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights regarding the state of emergency and the detention of thousands in the country, accused him of 'colluding' with 'terrorists.' The UN Human Rights Office in Geneva criticized the continued state of emergency following the failed coup in 2016. The Turkish government has declared Fethullah Gülen, a dissident cleric residing in the US, as the mastermind behind the failed coup and has punished tens of thousands for alleged connections to Gülen's network. Zeid Ra'ad al-Hussein, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, noted in his report that nearly 160,000 people, including 300 journalists, were detained from July 2016 to the end of 2017. According to this report, 152,000 government employees were dismissed during this period, and over 100,000 websites were blocked. Zeid Ra'ad al-Hussein stated, 'It is clear that the repeated declaration of a state of emergency in Turkey has become a pretext for severely and arbitrarily restricting human rights for a very large number of people.' In reaction to this report, the Turkish Foreign Ministry called it 'meaningless' and stated that Zeid Ra'ad al-Hussein ignored the terrorist threats Turkey faces. The Turkish Foreign Ministry's statement said, 'This person, who heads an important international organization, has unfortunately reduced the UN to an accomplice of terrorist organizations.' Zeid Ra'ad al-Hussein is a former Jordanian diplomat and a member of the Hashemite royal family. Meanwhile, Turkish officials announced on Tuesday the detention of 100 Kurdish activists on charges of planning illegal protests and conducting attacks during Nowruz celebrations. These individuals are accused of being connected to the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK).