Turkey Condemns European Rights Body Decision to Put It on Notice

The Turkish Foreign Ministry on Tuesday said it strongly condemned the “unjust decision” of a European rights body to put it on a monitoring watchlist, adding that Ankara was left with no choice but to reconsider its relations with the body.

“Deciding to reopen the monitoring procedure on Turkey …  under the guidance of malicious circles at the PACE is a disgrace to this organ, which claims to be the cradle of democracy,” the ministry said in a statement, adding that xenophobia and Islamophobia were “spreading with violence” across Europe.

The Council of Europe’s Parliamentary Assembly (PACE) has put Turkey on a monitoring watchlist, citing concerns over what they say is the stifling of dissent and rights violations under President Tayyip Erdogan as he concentrates power.