Türkiye
27.09.00
Urgent Interventions
Turkey: release
URGENT ACTION - THE OBSERVATORY
New information
TUR 002/9807/OBS 056.06
Release
TURKEY
27th September 2000
New information :
The Observatory for the Protection of Human Rights Defenders, a joint programme of the FIDH and the OMCT, has learnt, with great pleasure, of the release on 23rd September 2000 of Akin Birdal, former President of the IHD and Vice-President of the FIDH.
The Observatory would like to thank all persons and organisations which intervened in favour of his release.
Nevertheless, the Observatory recalls that several other judicial cases against him are still open, which are related to his stance on peace.
Moreover, the Observatory urges the Turkish authorities to repeal article 312 of the Turkish Penal Code, under which Akin Birdal was condemned, as well as many other prisoners of conscience and opinion, who wrote or spoke on subjects considered taboo by the regime, such as the Kurdish question.
The Observatory also urges the Turkish authorities to extend the scope of the draft amnesty law, which is still under discussion, so that all prisoners of conscience and opinions which were condemned for crimes under article 312 of the Penal Code be also included in this law.
By reforming the law and ensuring that no one can be imprisoned for peaceful freedom of expression, Turkey would demonstrate its will to conform with the Copenhagen criteria, which condition the opening of negotiations for the adhesion of Turkey to the European Union.
Reminder of the facts :
Akin Birdal, a prominent human rights activist, had been condemned to a two year prison sentence, on the basis of two courts rulings convicting him for « inciting people to hatred and enmity on the basis of class, race or regional difference ». These sentences were related to two speeches he made in 1995 and 1996, during which he spoke out publicly for a peaceful solution to the ongoing conflict in the South East of Turkey.
He had been put in prison on 3rd June 1999 and temporarily released for medical reasons on 24th September 1999 for a duration of six months (he was undergoing medical treatment on his right arm following an attempt on his life in May 1998 - an attack carried out because of his human rights work). He was put in jail again on 28th March 2000.
Geneva-Paris, 27th September 2000
New information
TUR 002/9807/OBS 056.06
Release
TURKEY
27th September 2000
New information :
The Observatory for the Protection of Human Rights Defenders, a joint programme of the FIDH and the OMCT, has learnt, with great pleasure, of the release on 23rd September 2000 of Akin Birdal, former President of the IHD and Vice-President of the FIDH.
The Observatory would like to thank all persons and organisations which intervened in favour of his release.
Nevertheless, the Observatory recalls that several other judicial cases against him are still open, which are related to his stance on peace.
Moreover, the Observatory urges the Turkish authorities to repeal article 312 of the Turkish Penal Code, under which Akin Birdal was condemned, as well as many other prisoners of conscience and opinion, who wrote or spoke on subjects considered taboo by the regime, such as the Kurdish question.
The Observatory also urges the Turkish authorities to extend the scope of the draft amnesty law, which is still under discussion, so that all prisoners of conscience and opinions which were condemned for crimes under article 312 of the Penal Code be also included in this law.
By reforming the law and ensuring that no one can be imprisoned for peaceful freedom of expression, Turkey would demonstrate its will to conform with the Copenhagen criteria, which condition the opening of negotiations for the adhesion of Turkey to the European Union.
Reminder of the facts :
Akin Birdal, a prominent human rights activist, had been condemned to a two year prison sentence, on the basis of two courts rulings convicting him for « inciting people to hatred and enmity on the basis of class, race or regional difference ». These sentences were related to two speeches he made in 1995 and 1996, during which he spoke out publicly for a peaceful solution to the ongoing conflict in the South East of Turkey.
He had been put in prison on 3rd June 1999 and temporarily released for medical reasons on 24th September 1999 for a duration of six months (he was undergoing medical treatment on his right arm following an attempt on his life in May 1998 - an attack carried out because of his human rights work). He was put in jail again on 28th March 2000.
Geneva-Paris, 27th September 2000