Jordan’s King Abdullah, Crown Prince Hussein get COVID-19 jab

Jordan’s King Abdullah, Crown Prince Hussein get COVID-19 jab

ANKARA: Human Rights Watch (HRW) released its World Report 2021 on Jan.13 and its chapter on Turkey highlights the country's increasing crackdown on human rights over the past year.

The New York-based watchdog criticized the Turkish government for using the COVID-19 pandemic as a pretext for increasing authoritarianism by silencing dissident views and adopting legislation that further sidelined opposition parties.

HRW asserts that the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) further consolidated its authoritarianism in part by adopting a law on early prison release in April that excluded political prisoners, including journalists and politicians.

The report also highlights restrictions on social media adopted in July that allow the government to further monitor alternative media channels on which opposition views were being freely expressed and fine them for not removing or blocking content when told to do so.

A legal change in the structure of independent bar associations further undermined judicial independence in the country because the new law was designed to "reduce the institutional strength of Turkey's largest bar associations, which have strongly criticized Turkey's backsliding on human rights and the rule of law,“ according to the report.

HRW also criticized a law that was passed at the end of 2020 giving the Interior Ministry