Türkiye
05.04.04
Urgent Interventions
Turkey: beatings and arrests in relation with local elections
Case TUR 050404
Arbitrary detention / Ill treatment
The International Secretariat of OMCT requests your URGENT intervention in the following situation in Turkey.
Brief description of the situation
The International Secretariat of OMCT has been informed by a reliable source of two cases of human rights violations surrounding the recent elections in Turkey. The first consists of the beating of 17 demonstrators and media representatives by members of the police and the second concerns the arbitrary arrest and detention of a newly elected official and his wife.
On March 28th, 2004, local elections were held throughout Turkey, and observers said they appeared to be fair. The atmosphere was calm in Diyarbakýr during the day of the voting, however, after the voting was completed at about 10 p.m., members of the security forces beat and injured some local citizens and members of the media.
Between 8 and 10 p.m., after the polls closed in Diyarbakýr, bags of ballots were carried into the local courthouse for verification. Some citizens observing the procedure believed they saw several bags of ballots being stolen, and they began arguing with the security forces about this in front of the courthouse. They dispersed after being warned by the security forces, however, a small group of these protesters and some members of the media passing in front of the nearby Yeniþehir Police Station were attacked by about 30 plainclothed and uniformed police using batons and chains.
Journalists, correspondents and cameramen for DÝHA, Gün TV, Söz TV, SHOW TV and Kanal 21, including Iclal Guclu, Bayram Bulut, Besir Ariz, Ahmet Bulut, Mehmet Sirin Hatman, Firat Duzgun, were beaten by the police and their cameras were smashed and confiscated. Furthermore, demonstrators Hasan Orak, Ilknur Ozlem, Hida Gulaydin, Vedat Tanriverdi, Muhlis Abik, Bilal Senturk, Veysi Durudemir and Mustafa Polat, were beaten up and seriously wounded by police officers using batons and chains. After the security forces had badly beaten the citizens and the media representatives, they reportedly left them in the street. Zeynep Katar, Seyro Ece and lawyer Mehmet Ayata were also wounded during the attacks before being arbitrarily arrested.
Although the police intervention was conducted in violation of the law, no explanation has been given regarding the attack. It is important to note that this attack was not provoked by a violation of the law on the part of the demonstrators - the group was not protesting or chanting slogans but were rather in the process of leaving the area. A number of seriously injured people were taken into police custody in handcuffs and were not released until the next morning.
In a separate incident, after the outcome of the elections were announced, the home of Mr Süleyman Anýk, the newly-elected mayor of Dargeçit, a town of Mardin in south-east of Turkey, and his wife Mrs Sultan Anýk was raided by police authorities, who subsequently arrested both of them.
According to the information received, on March 30th, 2004, at around 10:00-10:30, about 200 “gendarme” officers and 100 police officers with automatic machine guns and walkie-talkies raided Mr Süleyman Anýk' s house. They searched the house for one hour and detained the newly-elected mayor and his wife, Mrs Sultan Anýk. The security forces did not allow anyone to enter the area during this time. The victims were then transferred to Dargeçit Gendarme Station (Dargeçit Ýlçe Jandarma Komutanlýðý) where they underwent interrogation by the gendarme officers.
It is important to note that Mr Süleyman Anýk was originally a member of the DEHAP political party and SHP, the coalition of DEHAP, ÖDP, SDP, EMEP, and Özgür Parti. Many members of DEHAP have become the victims of extra-judicially execution, forced disappeared, torture and judicially harassment, and there is also a recent legal case against DEHAP that is to be brought before the Constitutional Court. Mr Süleyman Anýk and Mrs Sultan Anýk were reportedly released on April 2nd, 2004 and it remains unclear at this time whether they were subjected to ill treatment while in detention.
The International Secretariat of OMCT is gravely concerned about the beating of the 17 demonstrators and media representatives on the day of the elections, as well as the arbitrary arrest and detention of Mr Süleyman Anýk and Mrs Sultan Anýk. OMCT urges the authorities in Turkey to launch an immediate investigation into the beatings and arrests and undertake measures in order to immediately dismiss the perpetrators of these acts from duty, to prosecute them, and to apply the penal and/or administrative sanctions as provided by law.
Action requested
Please write to the authorities in Turkey urging them to:
i. order a thorough and impartial investigation into the circumstances of the beatings and arrests of the 17 demonstrators and media personnel, as well as the arrests of Mr Süleyman Anýk and Mrs Sultan Anýk, in order to identify those responsible, bring them to trial and apply the penal and/or administrative sanctions as provided by law;
ii. guarantee that adequate reparation is provided to the victims of these abuses;
iii. ensure that all administrative and governmental authorities strictly abide by the internationally-guaranteed right to demonstrate;
iv. guarantee the respect of human rights and the fundamental freedoms throughout the country in accordance with national laws and international human rights standards.
Addresses
· President of the Turkish Republic, Mr Ahmet Necdet Sezer, Cumhur Baskanligi, 06100, Ankara, Turkey, Fax: +90 312 427 1330
· Foreign Minister and State Minister with responsibility for Human Rights, Mr Abdullah Gul, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Disisleri Bakanligi, 06100 Ankara, Turkey, Fax: + 90 312 287 15 81
· Minister of the Interior, Mr Abdulkadir Aksu, Ministry of Interior, Icisleri Bakanligi, 06644 Ankara, Turkey, Fax: +90 312 418 17 95
· Minister of Justice, Mr Cemil Cicek, Ministry of Justice, Adalet Bakanligi, 06659 Ankara, Turkey, Fax: +90 312 418 5667
· State Minister with responsibility for Human Rights, Mr Ertugrul Yalcinbayir, Office of the Prime Minister, Basbakanlik, 06573 Ankara, Turkey, Fax: +90 312 417 04 76
· Ambassadeur, Kurttekin, Türkekul, Mission permanente de la Turquie, Ch. du Petit-Saconnex, 28b, CP271, CH-1211,Genève 19,Suisse, E-mail : mission.turkey@ties.itu.int, fax: +4122 734 08 59
Please also write to the embassies of Turkey in your respective country.
Geneva, April 5th, 2004
Kindly inform us of any action undertaken quoting the code of this appeal in your reply.
Arbitrary detention / Ill treatment
The International Secretariat of OMCT requests your URGENT intervention in the following situation in Turkey.
Brief description of the situation
The International Secretariat of OMCT has been informed by a reliable source of two cases of human rights violations surrounding the recent elections in Turkey. The first consists of the beating of 17 demonstrators and media representatives by members of the police and the second concerns the arbitrary arrest and detention of a newly elected official and his wife.
On March 28th, 2004, local elections were held throughout Turkey, and observers said they appeared to be fair. The atmosphere was calm in Diyarbakýr during the day of the voting, however, after the voting was completed at about 10 p.m., members of the security forces beat and injured some local citizens and members of the media.
Between 8 and 10 p.m., after the polls closed in Diyarbakýr, bags of ballots were carried into the local courthouse for verification. Some citizens observing the procedure believed they saw several bags of ballots being stolen, and they began arguing with the security forces about this in front of the courthouse. They dispersed after being warned by the security forces, however, a small group of these protesters and some members of the media passing in front of the nearby Yeniþehir Police Station were attacked by about 30 plainclothed and uniformed police using batons and chains.
Journalists, correspondents and cameramen for DÝHA, Gün TV, Söz TV, SHOW TV and Kanal 21, including Iclal Guclu, Bayram Bulut, Besir Ariz, Ahmet Bulut, Mehmet Sirin Hatman, Firat Duzgun, were beaten by the police and their cameras were smashed and confiscated. Furthermore, demonstrators Hasan Orak, Ilknur Ozlem, Hida Gulaydin, Vedat Tanriverdi, Muhlis Abik, Bilal Senturk, Veysi Durudemir and Mustafa Polat, were beaten up and seriously wounded by police officers using batons and chains. After the security forces had badly beaten the citizens and the media representatives, they reportedly left them in the street. Zeynep Katar, Seyro Ece and lawyer Mehmet Ayata were also wounded during the attacks before being arbitrarily arrested.
Although the police intervention was conducted in violation of the law, no explanation has been given regarding the attack. It is important to note that this attack was not provoked by a violation of the law on the part of the demonstrators - the group was not protesting or chanting slogans but were rather in the process of leaving the area. A number of seriously injured people were taken into police custody in handcuffs and were not released until the next morning.
In a separate incident, after the outcome of the elections were announced, the home of Mr Süleyman Anýk, the newly-elected mayor of Dargeçit, a town of Mardin in south-east of Turkey, and his wife Mrs Sultan Anýk was raided by police authorities, who subsequently arrested both of them.
According to the information received, on March 30th, 2004, at around 10:00-10:30, about 200 “gendarme” officers and 100 police officers with automatic machine guns and walkie-talkies raided Mr Süleyman Anýk' s house. They searched the house for one hour and detained the newly-elected mayor and his wife, Mrs Sultan Anýk. The security forces did not allow anyone to enter the area during this time. The victims were then transferred to Dargeçit Gendarme Station (Dargeçit Ýlçe Jandarma Komutanlýðý) where they underwent interrogation by the gendarme officers.
It is important to note that Mr Süleyman Anýk was originally a member of the DEHAP political party and SHP, the coalition of DEHAP, ÖDP, SDP, EMEP, and Özgür Parti. Many members of DEHAP have become the victims of extra-judicially execution, forced disappeared, torture and judicially harassment, and there is also a recent legal case against DEHAP that is to be brought before the Constitutional Court. Mr Süleyman Anýk and Mrs Sultan Anýk were reportedly released on April 2nd, 2004 and it remains unclear at this time whether they were subjected to ill treatment while in detention.
The International Secretariat of OMCT is gravely concerned about the beating of the 17 demonstrators and media representatives on the day of the elections, as well as the arbitrary arrest and detention of Mr Süleyman Anýk and Mrs Sultan Anýk. OMCT urges the authorities in Turkey to launch an immediate investigation into the beatings and arrests and undertake measures in order to immediately dismiss the perpetrators of these acts from duty, to prosecute them, and to apply the penal and/or administrative sanctions as provided by law.
Action requested
Please write to the authorities in Turkey urging them to:
i. order a thorough and impartial investigation into the circumstances of the beatings and arrests of the 17 demonstrators and media personnel, as well as the arrests of Mr Süleyman Anýk and Mrs Sultan Anýk, in order to identify those responsible, bring them to trial and apply the penal and/or administrative sanctions as provided by law;
ii. guarantee that adequate reparation is provided to the victims of these abuses;
iii. ensure that all administrative and governmental authorities strictly abide by the internationally-guaranteed right to demonstrate;
iv. guarantee the respect of human rights and the fundamental freedoms throughout the country in accordance with national laws and international human rights standards.
Addresses
· President of the Turkish Republic, Mr Ahmet Necdet Sezer, Cumhur Baskanligi, 06100, Ankara, Turkey, Fax: +90 312 427 1330
· Foreign Minister and State Minister with responsibility for Human Rights, Mr Abdullah Gul, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Disisleri Bakanligi, 06100 Ankara, Turkey, Fax: + 90 312 287 15 81
· Minister of the Interior, Mr Abdulkadir Aksu, Ministry of Interior, Icisleri Bakanligi, 06644 Ankara, Turkey, Fax: +90 312 418 17 95
· Minister of Justice, Mr Cemil Cicek, Ministry of Justice, Adalet Bakanligi, 06659 Ankara, Turkey, Fax: +90 312 418 5667
· State Minister with responsibility for Human Rights, Mr Ertugrul Yalcinbayir, Office of the Prime Minister, Basbakanlik, 06573 Ankara, Turkey, Fax: +90 312 417 04 76
· Ambassadeur, Kurttekin, Türkekul, Mission permanente de la Turquie, Ch. du Petit-Saconnex, 28b, CP271, CH-1211,Genève 19,Suisse, E-mail : mission.turkey@ties.itu.int, fax: +4122 734 08 59
Please also write to the embassies of Turkey in your respective country.
Geneva, April 5th, 2004
Kindly inform us of any action undertaken quoting the code of this appeal in your reply.