Erdogan’s opponents vow fresh start on Turkish human rights

President Tayyip Erdogan's opponents say they will repair the damage done to human rights during his rule, promising a new era for democracy and freedoms if he loses power in an election on Sunday.

With Erdogan facing his toughest test yet at the ballot box, rights advocates hope his defeat will draw a line under an era which they say has seen judicial independence eroded, freedom of speech curbed, and journalists and politicians jailed.

"If we take power, everyone will speak freely and be harshly criticized," Gokce Gokcen, deputy chairwoman of the opposition Republican People's Party (CHP), told Reuters in an interview.

"We will focus on building a pluralistic democracy. As we put an end to the autocratic rule in Turkey, we will take comprehensive measures so that no authoritarian regime will emerge again," she said.

While Ankara defends its rights...