Sir, – It struck me as odd that in your Editorial (“Talking to Turkey”, June 26th) you make no mention that more journalists are imprisoned in Turkey for what they have written than in China or Iran. In addition, the Committee for the Protection of Journalists (CPJ) has recorded hundreds of cases there involving the regular harassment of journalist and writers.
Then there is the treatment of women in Turkey. Channel 4's Unreported World reported on the prevalence of "honour killings" and "forced suicides" of girls and women in Turkey. Its reporter Ramita Navai discovered that even in supposedly advanced Istanbul there was an average of one "honour killing" per week.
Given that it borders such bastions of peace and happiness as Iran, Iraq and Syria, surely Turkey is not, as you suggest, “an important bridge to the Middle East” but rather a potential bridgehead for chaos and extremism into the EU? – Yours, etc,
KARL MARTIN,
Bayside Walk,
Bayside, Dublin 13.