EU defends Turks' right to peaceful protests

ISTANBUL -- A senior European Union official yesterday criticized the Turkish police crackdown on protesters in the last week, telling an audience that included the prime minister that abusers should be punished and that Turkey should aspire to the highest standards of democracy.

Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan has been openly frustrated by the pace of his country's talks to join the 27-nation bloc and sounded irritated after the comments at a conference aimed at furthering Turkey's decades-long ambition.

Turkey's efforts have been hampered by a dispute over EU member Cyprus, Turkey's previous human rights problems and some political resistance among EU members.

The protests sweeping Turkey could further set back the bid by the country held up as a democratic model. In a week of demonstrations, three people have been killed -- two protesters and a policeman -- and thousands wounded or affected by police tear gas.

The protests were triggered by a police crackdown on a peaceful sit-in by a group opposed to the demolition of an Istanbul park and have grown into disturbances by thousands challenging Erdogan's perceived autocratic ways.

Turkey's government has apologized for the excessive use of force by police and promised an investigation. But Erdogan has remained combative, insisting that democracy happens only at the ballot box.

Putting pressure on Erdogan, Stefan Fule, the EU enlargement commissioner, said people in democratic societies have the right to hold peaceful demonstrations and that police excesses had "no place" in democracies.