Turkey's Unlikely Human Rights Crusader

Turkey is knocking on the European Union's door. Whether it gets in or not depends on the commitment of the Turkish parliament to political and economic reform. But it may also depend on one M.P. who has transformed herself from an internist at a provincial hospital into a human rights warrior.

Piskinsut is a member of the ruling Democratic Left Party and, until October 2000, was the head of the parliamentary Human Rights Commission. During her two-year tenure, Piskinsut vigorously investigated a wide range of issues, from press freedom to the penal detention system, both topics hindering the country's efforts to join the E.U. Full Story...