TORTURE, extra-judicial killings, corruption and the oppression of minorities are still practised in Turkey, according to a highly critical report by the European Commission.

The Commission warned Turkey that it must stop backsliding on human rights reforms and gave it a two-year deadline to meet European standards. Talks with Turkey about EU membership began a month ago.

The Commission issued the report as it prepared for a new wave of enlargement involving Albania, Serbia, Montenegro and Bosnia. It has already begun membership talks with Croatia and recommended yesterday that it initiate talks with Macedonia. Romania and Bulgaria are on course to join in 2007.

The Commission tried to assuage the fears of those opposed to further enlargement by declaring that it would be more cautious in future about making commitments to entry.

Opposition to enlargement was a significant factor in the rejection of the EU constitution by French and Dutch voters last summer.

Olli Rehn, the European Commissioner for Enlargement, said that the EU’s ability to absorb new countries was “stretched to the limits” but that it had already promised the Balkan nations that they were destined for EU membership.

“We must not abandon our responsibility to enhance stability, security and democracy in southeast Europe,” he said.

“However, the pace of enlargement must reflect the EU’s absorption capacity. We need to be very cautious of any new commitments — but we must stand by our existing commitments.” In its detailed progress report on Turkey, the European Commission said that although bold reforms had been made by the Government, the pace of reforms had slowed after Turkish EU-membership talks were promised last December.

The report said that bringing human rights up to EU standards must be a short-term priority, to be accomplished within two years. It is expected to take Turkey up to ten years to adopt all EU legislation and be ready to join.

Although Turkey has introduced laws making torture a criminal offence, it is still practised by the police and torturers enjoy near-immunity from prosecution.

“Severe forms of torture and ill-treatment are now rarely used . . . but reports of ill- treatment outside of detention centres are still common, in particular during the transportation of detainees or in the context of demonstrations,” the report said.

Last year there were 1,831 prosecutions for torture but only 99 led to imprisonment and 85 to fines. Of the 1,239 cases of torture filed against law-enforcement officials in the first three months of 2005, only 447 prosecutions are being pursued.

“Convictions are rare and courts appear to be unable or unwilling to impose appropriate sanctions on those committing these crimes,” the report said.

Allegations of extra-judicial killings are increasing, mainly as a result of an escalating conflict with Kurdish activists in the southeast of the country.

Other human rights abuses are widespread and human rights activists are subject to “judicial harassment”.

In the past year there have been 1,307 complaints of human rights abuses to parliament and 1,003 to the Interior Ministry.

Non-Muslim minorities, who make up just 0.2 per cent of the 71 million population, remain oppressed, with bans on training their clergy, limited property rights and restrictions on maintaining churches and synagogues.

Corruption also remains widespread, partly because members of parliament retain immunity from prosecution.