Wave of assaults against the opposition in Turkey


THERE’S NO END OF HUMAN RIGHTS VIOLATIONS IN TURKEY


February 26, 2004


During the last weeks at least 200 activists in Turkey, mainly members of the TAYAD were brutally attacked and arrested by police.


A summary of the recent events:

- On February 10, 19 people, who hang-up posters in different parts of Istanbul saying “107 people died in the prisons, have you heard about it?”, were beaten up and arrested by police. Because of totally legal posters the arrested had to stay at custody for one day.
- Also in Ankara 17 people were beaten up and arrested for the same reason. Alleged the police even used fire guns against the activists.
- In the Abdi Ipekci Park (Ankara), where members of the TAYAD carry out a hungerstrike against the isolation in the prisons for 5 months, 2 members were arrested, other people were arrested from their houses.
- Furthermore the offices of the Ankara Youth Association, the Association for fundamental rights and freedoms, the Idilcan Cultural Center and the newspaper Ekmek ve Adalet were searched by police, after the doors were broken by force at dead of night. 4 of the 32 persons, who had been arrested at that day were put in prison.
- On Saturday, 14th of February, members of TAYAD were brutally attacked and arrested during a press release at Istanbul/Mecidiyeköy. The group of approximately 60 persons, was attacked, while gathering in front of the Associated Press Agency. They arrested dozens of people. The Association of prisoner’s families TAYAD stated that Ruken Kilic suffered a skull fracture and a fracture of the arm due to the arrest. It was told, that those arrested had traces of mistreatment on their bodies.
- After this attack another group came in front of the building to read out a statement. But their attempt ended with another attack and the arrest of around 20 people. It was reported that Mustafa Erol lost his consciousness as a result of blows and the use of pepper gas.
- The following group of Tayad families went into the office of BBC, which is located in the same building. The TAYAD members asked the BBC staffing to send a text to all press agencies by fax and started to wait at the bureau.
- Meanwhile another group of Tayad members came in front of the building. 5 people were arrested during a police attack.
- On 15th February 5 people were arrested in Adana, when they tried to hang-up the same posters.
- On 16th February 2 persons were arrested while hanging-up posters in Samsun. They were also reporting about mistreatment at the police station. But they had been released the same day.
- In Mersin 2 people were arrested while hanging up posters.
- 4 TAYAD members who visited the Union of industrials and employers of Mersin, MESIAD having an appointment, were arrested in front of the building.
- 3 TAYAD- members, who went in front of the stock exchange in Izmir to ask “if it was known that 107 human beings died in the prisons” were arrested by the use of truncheons.
- Members of TAYAD made an indictment at the Sultan Ahmet Court in Cagaloglu against the arbitrary attacks and rights violations of the police on February 17.

The members of TAYAD point at the events of last week and declare:
“The jurists say that everybody can express their opinion, that everbody can say what they want. They say that there are no legal hindrances for it. Nobody calling her- or himself as jurist claims the opposite. But the law doesn’t have any value in this country. Both freedom of opinion and democracy are left to the conscience of the police officers armed with truncheons.
Only the week before, on 6th February around 50 persons were arrested at the Taksim Square (Istanbul).
They were “removed” by the police even before they could start with their press release. They also arrested people, who were at the Taksim Square by chance in that moment.
It was reported that the arrested were exposed to slaps in the face, kicks, truncheons and gas spray. During the ride to the police center at Vatan street, they were beaten in the police busses.
There were also old and ill people among them. It was told that they sprayed gas inside the bus and closed the doors. The people were endangered from suffociation. Those who were taken out of the bus, were led through corridors with mobile action forces on each side. There they were beaten until unconsciousness. During their arrest the people were menaced, reviled, humiliated and degraded. The demagogies “We join the EU”, won’t change anything at this reality.


Further raids and arrests
The police terror against democratic institutions and persons in Turkey still continued on 19th February.
On 19th February around 4:45 p.m. units of the Anti-Terror Department of the Istanbul Police searched the rooms of the Marmara Tayad. As they couldn’t find anything illegal in the association they made a record on this and left the building after an hour.
But the arbitrariness didn’t end: After Tayad president Tekin Tangün left the building at around 8:20 p.m. policemen mobbed on him an arrested him. According to TAYAD members, who tried to intervene, when Tekin Tangün was dragged into a minibus of the Anti-Terror police, it was the same police officers who searched the building.

After 4 days of interrogation, on 23rd February, TAYAD president Tekin Tangün was detained by the State Security Court (DGM) in Istanbul. This was only based on the statement of a person, who doesn’t even know Tekin Tangün.
These statements were clearly dictated by police. Tekin Tangün was detained without any proof, merely due to a testimony of any person.
This is a plot and another attempt to silence the democratic opposition in Turkey.

Another scandal of justice happened yesterday, 25th of February during the decision in the process of the Armutlu massacre, in which 4 people were killed by security forces two years ago.
Without any legal basis all accused were sentenced each to 12,5 years imprisonment, being accused of membership of an illegal organisation.
To protest these outlawed penalties, members of TAYAD gathered in front of the Court. 60 people were physically attacked and arrested by the police. In a statement TAYAD stressed that it was not the murderers but the victims who were indicted and that they were punished additive.

TAYAD is active against human rights violations in Turkish prisons and other anti-democratical measurements since 1984. It became especially target of the Turkish state, since the introduction of the “F-Typ” prisons, which have caused the death of 107 people. Cause since then there almost passed no day on which TAYAD didn’t draw attention to the inhuman conditions in prisons, either on the streets, in front of factories, institutions of the EU and even abroad. Since a couple of weeks there’s a campaign against censorship, which is still imposed on the enduringly death fast in the prisons and isolation.

In the face of the continous repression and the violent prohibition of democratic activities, we appeal on all progressive and sensible people to make a visit of solidarity to the members of TAYAD in Turkey, and to report about the situation after their return.


International Platform against Isolation

Rue Stevin 190, 1000 Brüssel - Belgien
Tel: 0032 2 230 08 66
 isolation@post.com





PLEASE SEND PROTESTS TO FOLLOWING NUMBERS:

State president:
Mr. Ahmet Necdet Sezer,
Cumhurbaskanligi
06100 Ankara,
Turkey
Fax: +90 312 468 5026

Minister of Interior:
Mr Abdulkadir Aksu
Ministry of Interior
Içisleri Bakanligi
06644 Ankara, Turkey
Télégramme: Interior Minister, Ankara, Turkey
Fax: + 90 312 418 17 95
 aaksu@icisleri.gov.tr

Minister of Justice:
Mr Cemil Ciçek
Ministry of Justice
Adalet Bakanligi
06659 Ankara, Turkey
Télégramme: Justice Minister, Ankara, Turkey
Fax: + 90 312 418 5667
 ccicek@adalet.gov.tr

Prime Minister:
Mr Abdullah Gül
Office of the Prime Minister,
Basbakanlik,
06573 Ankara, Turkey
Fax: + 90 312 417 04 76
 agul@mfa.gov.tr

Police president:
Mr Gökhan Aydiner
Emniyet Genel Müdürlügü
Dikmen Caddesi No : 89
Dikmen / ANKARA
 bphism@egm.gov.tr
Fax: + 90 312 231 96 05

Police chief of Istanbul
Mr. Celalettin Cerrah
Fax : 00 90 212 636 18 32