A Council of Europe report says Turkey is making progress in enforcing its new zero-tolerance policy on prisoner abuse, but there is still cause for concern.
The report, released Wednesday, is based on December interviews with people who had been in police custody. While most of those interviewed said they had not been ill-treated, the council noted serious allegations of verbal and physical abuse.
Medical experts confirmed that some of the former prisoners' injuries were consistent with ill-treatment.
Turkish officials responded by saying they investigate claims of rights violations, and punish all who are found guilty.
Earlier this week, the European Parliament said Turkey had made insufficient progress in guaranteeing freedoms of expression and religion to minorities, possibly jeopardizing the country's bid to join the European Union.
The Council of Europe brings together lawmakers from all democratic European countries to review various issues including implementation of human rights.
Some information for this report was provided by AP and Reuters.