Undermining International Justice

Alongside the United States, China, Russia, India, Indonesia, and Saudi Arabia, Amnesty International has specifically called on Turkey to join the International Criminal Court (ICC). Amnesty issued the statement in its annual "State of the World's Human Rights" report, which also documents the state of human rights in countries across the world. According to Amnesty's Secretary-General Claudio Cordone, "China, India, Indonesia, Russia, Turkey and the U.S. have stood aside from - if not deliberately undermined - international justice efforts." Turkey fell subject to harsh criticism from human rights activists last October when it extended an invitation to Sudanese president Omar al-Bashir to attend a meeting of the Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC) in Istanbul (see Jan. 20 post).

For Amnesty's Turkey-specific report, click here.