The World : Turks Tighten Police Rule

The Turkish Parliament passed a controversial bill giving police wide new powers, the Anatolian News Agency said. It said the bill sets out new areas of responsibility for the police, including moral behavior, control of entertainment, clubs and organizations and public health. Western diplomats in Ankara said their governments were concerned that the bill would worsen Turkey’s human rights record, already tarnished by charges of torture and what is seen as a failure to return fully to democracy since the 1980 military coup.