Strasbourg, France  - Turkey must do more to protect the rights of minority ethnic groups such as Kurds, the Council of Europe's commissioner for human rights said in a report Thursday, saying that he was "very concerned" by some current restrictions.

The report from the council, which is not related to the European Union, has no legal force, but puts political pressure on Ankara to address issues of minority rights and asylum seekers.

Thomas Hammarberg, the council's top human rights official, said in the report that he was "very concerned at a number of persisting restrictions imposed upon education of minority members, including teaching and learning of their mother tongues."

Turkey's current laws only permit the existence of schools for the Armenian, Greek and Jewish minorities. "At least until early 2009, the language of a number of minority groups, such as the Kurds or the Roma, has been impossible to be learnt either in a public or a private school," the report said.

His concerns also spread to the issue of freedom of speech, especially in the continued use of Article 301 of Turkey's criminal code, which mandates a jail term of up to two years for insulting "the Turkish nation, the state of the Turkish Republic, the Turkish Grand National Assembly, the government of the Republic of Turkey or the judicial organs of the state."

The report said that Hammarberg "remains very concerned about the wording and application by prosecuting and judicial authorities of the amended Article 301."

However, Hammarberg also praised the current government for its apparent willingness to improve its record in key areas.

He "appreciated the positive signs of good will shown by the Turkish authorities for resolving a number of issues concerning human rights of minority groups," the report said.

He also "commends the readiness to dialogue with minority religious communities that the authorities demonstrated."

Hammarberg visited Turkey from June 28 to July 3. (dpa)