Raid on TIHV Offices in Diyarbakir
On 07.09.2001 at 1500 hours, a police raid was carried out on the Diyar bakiroffices of Turkey’s Human Rights Foundation (TIHV). The TIHV is the most important non-governmental organisation in Turkey concer-ned with the treatment and rehabilitation of victims of torture. Patient files and doctors reports were seized on people who had been advised by the organisation. There is a risk that torture victims, as well as their doctors, could be subjected to harassment, arrest or further torture.

The police had no authorization to carry out the search. When TIHV workers realised this, the police telephoned Diyarbakir’s state prosecutor. They then received authorization at 1700 hours which cited the treatment of torture victims as being unlawful. The state prosecutor ordered the seizure of all documents relating
to such. Police then confiscated all files and documents as well as computers. Amongst the documents were patient files, ethically confidential information between patient and doctor. The TIHV had been very diligent in ensuring that this confidential information was not published. The police also confiscated a banned magazine. However, it is not forbidden in Turkey to merely possess such publications. The police left the offices at around 2000 hours. One of the doctors, Dr. Emin Yüskel, was then taken by the police to make a statement. Since their foundation in 1990, the TIHV have been running a treatment and rehabilitation project for torture victims. They have established five treatment and rehabilitation centres. The offices in Diyarbakir were opened in 1998. They have an important role in the treatment and rehabilitation of torture victims from urkey’s
south-east, a region mainly inhabited by Kurds where torture and abuse is wide-spread. The TIHV won the European Human Rights Prize from the European Council in 1998 because of their outstanding contribution towards the protection of human rights in Turkey, and their campaign to end torture. 
(Sources: Barbara
Neppert, Democratic Turkish Forum, AI, 07.09.01)
 
   Turkish Court Convict 16 Prison Warders to Imprisonment
A state security court in Ankara have imprisoned 16 prison warders because they publicly spoke out on conditions in the new Turkish prisons. Those convicted were members of the judicial employees trade union, with its entire leadership amongst them. According to reports in the Turkish newspaper Radikal, the warders were each sentenced to 3 years and 9 months imprisonment for “supporting a terrorist organisation”. 

Their lawyer, Senal Sarihan, told the court that it was the right and responsibility of her clients to speak out about prison conditions. The convicted Tekin Yildiz spoke of a political decision which undermined his trust in the judicial system. He indicated that he would be appealing against the decision. The union’s leader, Sami Selcuk, is considered to be a liberal. As the court judgement was revealed he made a speech in Ankara where he demanded a new Turkish constitution, labelling the current one as “rights for police”. (Source: dpa, 07.09.01; SZ, 08.09.01))
 
               HADEP Protests on World Day of Peace
Massive action was taken by Turkish police against protesters in nationwide demonstrations by HADEP, on the occasion of the World Day of Peace. In Ankara, around 700 people were detained by police in a demonstration which had initially been authorized by the governor and then later banned. According to official information, 877 people were arrested nationwide.

Many HADEP members and officials were arrested during the days following September 1st. Many parts of Ankara were under police control. Around 5000 police were on duty and Ankara’s governor, YahaGür, set up a crisis team. Around 7000 HADEP supporters travelled in 40 buses and 250 minibuses from Batman to Ankara for the occasion of the World Day of Peace. HADEP supporters
who remained in Batman carried out a sit-in strike after the buses had left. This was broken up by police. 150 people were arrested with HADEP provincial head Murat Ceylan, being amongst them. Twenty people were injured. The journalist Salih Batman from the newspaper Yedinci Gündem, was surrounded and beaten by 15 police when he refused to delete pictures from his digital camera. The police
destroyed his camera. He then spent 11 hours in police custody, being forced to kneel and stare at a wall. Around 5000 people assembled in Diyarbakir to travel to the demonstration in
Ankara. Strict security measures were also undertaken there. Police used force to break up the demonstration with 28 HADEP supporters being arrested. Fourteen police and 11 demonstrators were injured in the clashes. In Istanbul, police used gas against the demonstrators who had assembled in the Topkapi square. The demonstrators allegedly attacked the police with stones when police attempted to prevent the buses from reaching the square. Two hundred
people are believed to have been arrested. A HADEP supporter was involved in a fatal accident when fleeing from police in Istanbul. The 19-year-old Yasar Öuzdurak fell from the roof of the party building in Istanbul, into a ventilation shaft and died. Zeynel Durmaz, who also fell into the shaft, survived with serious injuries. Protests also took place in Izmir, Elazig, Siirt, Urfa, Mardin, Van, Bingöl, Adiyaman, Sirnak, Mus, and Malatya. (Sources: IHD, Hürriyetim, Cumhuriyet, Evrensel, Radikal, Yedinci Gündem, afp, FR, 31.08.-06.09.01)
 
                Kurds and EU Should Speak Turkish
Turkey Still Does Not Fulfil Many of Brussel’s Entry Requirements
Diyarbakir’s governor, Cemil Serhadli, initiated an investigation against the new regional councillor from the south-east Anatolian province of Cinar, Osman Yenidogan, because he made an announcement in Turkish and Kurdish at a film show. Following the investigation, the governor decided that there was no case to answer. 

The use of Kurdish in private has not been forbidden for the past 10 years. However, Article 26 of the constitution forbids the use of a banned language for official communications.

In their ”Entry Partnership Document”, the EU requested Turkey to delete this directive in the constitution by the end of 2001, as a pre-requisite for entry negotiations. An all-party parliamentary committee also agreed in spring to omit the passage. It is still doubtful as to whether this agreement will be passed through
parliament. The amendment to Article 26, along with 36 other EU relevant constitutional changes, are to be put before parliament in the second half of September. There are complaints concerning this, particularly from the governing camp; the powerful military have already expressed their doubts back in the spring. The military and the nationalist dominated government see de-restriction of the
Kurdish language as a first step towards a division of the country and the establishment of a Kurdish state in southeast Anatolia. Co-governing parties from this nationalist revival, have therefore submitted counter proposals to any de-restrictions on the Kurdish language: i.e. more vigorous teaching of Turkish to the Kurds. Concerning the EU, the parties also have a response: Turkish should be made one of the official EU languages. (Sources: az online (Aargauer Zeitung), Hürriyet, 04.09.01)
 
                  Floods of Penalties from RTÜK
At the end of August, the Turkish Radio and TV Authority (RTÜK) revealed a number of penalties that had been imposed on radio stations. Radio Mihr in Denizli is to be closed for 365 days because of discrimination against religion. Anadolu’nun Sesi has been banned for 30 days for comments on the death fasts. The TV broadcaster Olay TV has also been closed for 7 days because of comments on the hunger strikes. Radio Imaj in Ankara received 2 penalties: 7 days for playing Kurdish music and 15 days for comments on Hizbullah. Radio
Imaj are accused that through their broadcasts “they incited violence, terror and ethnic discrimination within society, and provoked feelings of hate”. Yön FM in Istanbul are not permitted to broadcast for 7 days because they conveyed the impression that the former police security head in Diyarbakir, Gaffar Okkan, was killed by state agents.

Many TV stations also had to close for a number of days because they had breached a paragraph on “the general morals and harmony within society and the Turkish family”. The authority also accused the stations of not being careful in selecting which adverts to broadcast. They reminded many radio and TV stations to be more aware of the Article. (Source: Akit, 01.09.01; anadolu ajansi, 08.09.01)
 
         Acquittal for Publishers of “Freedom of Thought 2000”
The legal process before the military courts in Ankara against 16 prominent intellectuals and human rights activists, who had published a book entitled “Freedom of Thought 2000”, has ended with an acquittal. The publishers had been accused of inciting hate towards the military. 

In order to hinder international publicity of the hearing, the 20 visitors’ seats in the courtroom were all occupied by unknown persons. Therefore, no international diplomats or representatives of international organisations could gain access to the court. Sanar Yurdatapan, a spokesperson for an initiative on freedom of thought,
said that he did not recognise any of the visitors and that their resence was a plot by the general staffs to exclude the public.

The lawyer for the defence requested the identities of those present and said that the public had also been prevented in this way from attending the court at two previous hearings. This was a breach of court rules on public openness. The chief prosecutor, Saim Öztürk, rejected this as being a political demand. Judge Major Aykanat Kacmaz rejected it under the individual rights of the public. 
Although Saim Öztürk expressed the opinion that such publications were a risk to national security because of the separatist and reactionary movements within Turkey, he requested the acquittal of the defendants. In this case, the offence of inciting hate towards the military had not been committed. The court acquitted the defendants because of lack of evidence. TIHV head Yavuz Önen remarked that
there were currently still 2 cases before civil courts concerning the same publication. (Sources: Sanar Yurdatapan, 05.09.01; Turkish Daily News, anadolu ajansi, 08.09.01)
 
                 Two Further Victims of Death Fasts
On 31.08.2001, Hülya Simsek died on the 285th day of her death fast against the F-type prisons. She had begun her death fast at the Human Rights Association in Bursa. Following a police raid, she was arrested and continued her protest in prison. After being detained for 40 days, she continued her death fast in Istanbul-Kücükarmutlu where many members of the Solidarity Organisation of Prisoners’
Families (TAYAD) were also on protests. Around 500 people attended her funeral in her home-village of Elazig. Amongst the mourners were HADEP and IHD supporters. Nine TAYAD members, who had travelled from Istanbul, were arrested. The DHKC information office in Brussels revealed that the death faster, Gülay Kavak died, on 07.09.2001 in Kücükarmutlu. She had belonged to the initial group of death fasters. Following the storming of the prisons on 19.12.2000, she had been taken to hospital, forcibly treated and had lost consciousness. Having
regained consciousness, she began her protest outside the prison. (Sources:hürriyetim, 01.09.01; TIHV, 02.09.01; Yedinci Gündem, 04.09.01)
 
          Constitutional Reforms to be Debated by Parliament
Contrary to the Turkish military’s request to firstly allow development of the constitutional reform proposals before being passed by parliament, a meeting of the coalition leaders have decided to go ahead with the reform process. They stated that they were prepared to debate the extensive 37 article reform packet at a special sitting of parliament, planned for the 17.09.2001. The packet includes
important reforms which are pre-requisites for any EU entry. The Turkish National Security Council expressed their doubts on the reforms at their meeting on 21.08.2001, and demanded restrictions on reforms concerning rights and freedoms. The military-dominated council have doubts concerning, amongst other things, the lifting of the death penalty, protection for political parties against closure, changes to the composition of the security council and the relaxing of language bans and freedoms of opinion. (Source: Turkish Daily News, 05.09.01)
 
                    CHP for Kurdish Institutes
A CHP party commission, under the chairmanship of its deputy head, Algan Hacaloglu, have submitted a “Democratisation Report” entitled “Human Rights and the Constitutional State”. It determined that there was a need for private education in the Kurdish language and proposed the setting up of Kurdish institutes within universities. 

On the occasion of the World Day of Peace, the Republican Peoples Party (CHP) criticised the human rights situation in Turkey. Hacaloglu stated that the backbones of democracy were freedoms of thought, opinion and assembly and the representation of organisations within parliament. In Turkey, however, there were bans on freedom of thought, and restrictions on the freedom to express an opinion.
This was an attempt to intimidate society.

The CHP consider the Kurdish question to be one of democratic tolerance, of equal rights and of cultural diversity. The forced evacuation of villages in east and south-eastern Turkey were mass abuses of human rights and it was necessary to
lift the state of emergency situations in the regions  and to reinstate normal laws. The Kurdish question would not be resolved with policies based on racism, militarism or fanaticism. It was, however, important for Turkish citizenship to be a single, uniting official and political identity. It should not happen that sub-identities, such as Kurdish or other cultural identities, were to come into collision with main
identities. It should be made possible for all ethnic identities, including citizens of Kurdish origin, to agree that along with Turkish, the republic’s official language, they can continue to learn, care for and develop their own languages, culture and folklore. Everyone should have the opportunity, within the scope of Turkish Cultural Ministry regulations, to take private lessons in their own native languages, as well as being able to establish academic institutions within universities and to use all methods of private communication, the press, publications and other media. It was necessary to lift all bans and obstacles concerning this issue. (Sources: ANKA, hürriyetim, 01.09.01
 
               Court: Birtan Altinbas Killed by Torture
Ankara’s No. 2 criminal court have acknowledged that torture was the cause of death of the student Birtan Altinbas in 1991. The defendants, who included Ibrahim Dedeoglu (advisor to the minister of state Faruk Bal), claimed Altinbas had fallen from a wall, had gone on hunger strike, and had injured himself in a minibus and had therefore died. The Court rejected these claims as invalid. Each accused
police officer was sentenced to 4 years and five months imprisonment. (Source: ANKA, hürriyetim, 01.09.01
 
       Iraq Reward Arabs and Palestinians for Settling in Kurdistan
In letters to the UN General Secretary Kofi Annan, the UN Security Council, the Islamic Community, human rights organisations and US President Bush, the Centre for Opposition to Forced Deportations and Ethnic Cleansing have condemned Iraq’s policies of ethnic cleansing, forced deportations and the consistent attempts to Arabise the Iraqi controlled Kurdish regions. The policy of Kurdish persecution has increased enormously in the Kurdish regions of Kirkuk and Khaneqin. It is not only Arabs who are being encouraged to settle there
through money and cost-free land, but also Palestinians. (Sources: KurdishMedia.com, 30.08.01, aus: Anba' Kurdistan, 29.08.01)
 
Amnesty International: Iraq Lead With Most Disappearances
Amnesty International have determined that Iraq is the country with the most missing persons. Amnesty refer to “disappearances” when they suspect the authorities of being involved in the unlawful arrest of a person. The number of “disappearances” in Iraq are estimated to be around 100 000, in Latin America 90 000, in Bosnian 18 000, in Kosovo 3 000, in Chechnya and in the Lebanon 1 000. According to AI, hundreds of thousands of Shiite Muslims, allegedly of Iranian
origin, disappeared during the Iran-Iraq war from 1980-1988. A further 100 000 Kurds have been missing  in Iraq since the Anfal operation from 1988. Amnesty have called on all governments to carry out comprehensive investigations, complying with international standards, into all cases of disappearances and to bring those responsible to justice. (Source: BBC, 30.08. 01)
 
Report by UN Special Correspondent for human rights in Iraq, Mr. Andreas Mavrommatis
 
New Wave of Arrests in the River Azz Region
“We wish to inform you that the inhabitants of southern Iraq continue to be subjected to attacks from army units and security forces of the Iraqi regime. The aim is to kill the people there or to carry out countless arrests. 

According to recent information from the Documentation Centre, on 20.08.2001 the 18th Army Division and 95th Brigade carried out an attack on families of the Furijat and Amshan clans who live near the 4th canal on the River Azz. After their houses had been surrounded by tanks and stormed by armed soldiers, dozens of clan members were then arrested. Many people received bullet wounds and one women was killed as she carried a baby. Along with other women and children she had been defencelessly attacked.

With this letter, we would like to notify you of this attack and to request you to make efforts to protect the inhabitants of the region from such attacks and arbitrary arrests by the authorities, and to aid in ending the daily suppression and ill-treatment by forces loyal to the regime, under whom the people have had to suffer for decades.”
 
Safaa  Mahmoud
Representative of the Supreme Council of Islamic Resistance in Iraq (Source: Documentation Centre for Human Rights in Iraq, 31.08.2001)
                                                         
UN Committee Call on Syrian Government to End Discrimination Against Kurds
At its 26th sitting, the UN committee on economic, social and cultural rights concerned itself with, amongst other things, the Syrian Arabic Republic and made the following report:“In respect of the situation in Syria:

• The committee welcomes Syria’s efforts to improve the economic, social and   cultural rights of its population
• The committee is pleased to acknowledge the cooperation by state parties with international organisations and UN agencies, to reduce poverty and realise rights to nutrition and health
• The committee is concerned about discrimination towards certain minorities within the country because of their non-Arab origin, including those groups which have lived for many generations within the state’s territory
• The committee recommends that effective measures are taken to combat discrimination against minority groups, particularly the Kurds
• The committee recommends the implementation of effective measures, in both legislation and governmental policies, regarding equal rights of the sexes

By early afternoon, Greek police had arrested 185 illegal immigrants with 23 women and children amongst them. A doctor told a radio reporter, “They are tired, thirsty and hungry, but still well”. The authorities are searching for further illegal immigrants who may have hidden themselves in mountains on the island. According to the TV reports, there is no trace of any of the traffickers.The people, originating mainly from Iraq and Afghanistan, told reporters that they
had set out from Turkey four days earlier. They had numbered 350 and had had no drinking water for 2 days. Five people had allegedly died on board. However, the Ministry for Commercial Shipping indicated that Greek coastguards had found no bodies despite extensive searches of the sea, the island’s beaches and the ship.
According to the region’s prefect, the traffickers comprised 3 Greeks and 1 Turk. The illegal immigrants said that immediately upon reaching the island, 4 people boarded a dinghy and disappeared. These had received around 3000 dollars from each immigrant for the crossing.

Evia’s prefect said on radio, “The action was perfectly organised. There are indications that the traffickers were expected by accomplices on the island”. Apparently on the previous evening, island inhabitants had seen unknown persons on the beaches on Mantoudi with torches.
 
            Athens and Ankara Want to Stop Illegal Entry
Greece and Turkey are concerned about the increasing numbers of illegal immigrants who attempt to get into Europe over the Aegean. The Greek Foreign Ministry revealed that both states were to sign a memorandum on the ways in which these “illegals” could be returned. Greece and Turkey had already signed an agreement 2 years ago on the return of illegal immigrants.
 
                   Prison for Turkish Traffickers
Three Turkish traffickers have each been imprisoned for 10 years by a Greek court and received fines of around 3 million German Marks. The semi-official Greek news agency ANA reported that the 3 traffickers had taken 350 illegal immigrants, originating from various states of the Middle East, from Turkey to Greece in a 30m long rusted freighter. (Sources: dpa, 05./06./09.09.01)
 
             Another 400 Refugees Arrive on Italian Coast
  Another 400 refugees have arrived on the southern Italian coast. According to Italian TV, 294 people were found on a fishing boat which had been discovered by coastguards near Crotone in the early hours of the morning. The refugees   were Kurds. Five traffickers were arrested. In Lecce, Apulien, police   apprehended around 100 Kurds and Albanians who had apparently reached the cost during the night. The previous week, a refugee ship with 350 people   aboard was stopped in Crotone. Eleven traffickers were arrested by police.
  (Source: dpa, 01.09.01)
 

 
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