Turkey identity cards

Turkey censured over identity cards 

THE European Court of Human Rights has ruled that Turkey’s insistence that its citizens specify their religion on identity cards is a breach of its duty of neutrality and impartiality. “Freedom to manifest one’s religion or beliefs has a negative aspect, namely an individual’s right not to be obliged to disclose his or her religion or to act in a manner that might enable conclusions to be drawn as to whether he or she holds such beliefs,” it ruled on 2 February. The case was taken to Strasbourg in 2005 by Sinan Isik, a member of the Alevi community in Turkey. (Church Times 26.02.2010)