The
Human Rights Association of Turkey, Amnesty International,
Helsinki Watch and the Council of
Europe criticize Ankara’s human rights record
1992: ANNUS HORRIBILIS
The Human Rights Association (IHD) Chairman Akin
Birdal stated on the last day of the year that 1992 had been a fiasco
for human rights in Turkey, and that no decrease whatsoever had been
observed in the number of human rights violations since the coalition
government came to power following the October 20, 1991 general
elections.
Birdal said that 43 people had either died or gone
“missing” under police custody in 1992, and that the number of
“suspicious deaths” was as high as 171.
Addressing a press conference in Ankara, Birdal
argued that 1992 had been an annus horribilis for Turkey’s already
deplorable human rights record, and no improvement whatsoever had
occurred.
Calling on Prime Minister Süleyman Demirel and
Deputy Prime Minister Erdal Inönü to announce they would severely
punish perpetrators of torture, Birdal said this would definitely curb
the widespread practice of torture in the country.
In November, Amnesty International published a
20-page report entitled Walls of Glass, a reference to an election
pledge made by Demirel in October 1991 that in the “New Turkey - the
walls of all police stations will be made of glass.”
The report draws attention to the continued
allegations of torture and the worrying increase in reports of
extra-judicial killings.
Of the killings the report says “there is a striking
degree of coincidence between the targets of these mysterious killings
attributed to the Hezbollah, and the targets of police harassment,
arbitrary detention, ill-treatment and torture, and it is widely
believed that the security forces collude in such assassinations, and
may actually instigate them.”
Helsinki Watch released in December a 78-page report
entitled Broken Promises: Torture and Killings continue in Turkey.
Helsinki Watch stated that in 1992 “Turkish security
forces have shot and killed 74 people in house raids, and the evidence
suggests that the killings were deliberate executions. Security forces
also shot and killed more than 100 peaceful demonstrators during
1992. Besides, 165 community leaders in south-east Turkey have
been assassinated by unknown assailants in 1992 and Turkish authorities
have failed utterly to investigate these killings and prosecute those
responsible.”
Furthermore, the Council Of Europe's Committee For
The Prevention Of Torture released a highly critical report on
December 21, 1992, about police torture in Turkey.
The report, which proved particularly embarrassing
for the Turkish Government having just completed the six-month
presidency of the Council, concluded that "the practice of torture and
other forms of severe ill-treatment of persons in police custody
remains widespread in Turkey and that such methods are applied to both
ordinary criminal suspects and persons held under anti-terrorism
provisions." (The extracts of the public statement will be given
in the next issue of Info-Türk.)
The main target of the State terrorism in Turkey has
been without any doubt the Kurdish militants and intellectuals who
demand the recognition of their national rights. The
semi-official Anatolian news agency reported on December 31 that in
operations launched by security forces in eastern Turkey, 162
“terrorists” were killed while 150 PKK militants were caught alive. The
police arrested 204 locals accused of aiding and abetting PKK
activities.
However, these figures are in flagrant contradiction
with those given by the security authorities. The State of
Emergency Regional Governor Ünal Erkan said on December 30 that Turkish
security forces killed a total of 3,000 “separatists terrorists” in
1992. As 2000 of them were killed in the recent Turkish operation in
northern Iraq, the rest had fallen victim to security operations in
southeast Turkey.
More precisely, he said a total of 1,650
“terrorists” had either been killed, wounded or captured in
southeastern Turkey and that 8,136 suspects had been caught for
assisting the PKK.
Erkan added that 3,290 of the suspects had been
arrested while the investigations of 4,846 suspects were continuing.
According to the governor, a total of 467 soldiers,
113 village guards and 552 civilian were killed by the “terrorists” in
the same period..
To more clearly illustrate the situation, we present
below the the practices of human rights violations perpetrated either
directly by the State forces or by obscure forces instigated and
protected by the State in last three months of 1992..
THREE-MONTH STATE TERRORISM
1.10, in Silvan, Medeni Bucak (22) and Ihsan Bucak
(20) were allegedly shot dead by the Hezbollah.
1.10,in the province of Kocaeli, 18 alleged
militants of the Revolutionary Communist Party of Turkey (TDKP) have
been detained during police operations in September.
1.10, in Adana, two brothers were detained for
propaganda in favour of the PKK.
1.10, in Fethiye, a group of 200 people attacked
cars and shops belonging to Kurdish people and wounded three persons.
HEP local chairman was placed under police protection.
2.10, in Mazidagi (Mardin), two gunmen shot dead a
grocer named Davud Acar. Same day, in Midyat, Ferit Cakar (50) was
killed by three gunmen.
2.10, in Ankara, a member of Parliament, Ömer Faruk
Ekinci (RP), was beaten by police as attending a student demonstration
against the rise of traffic accidents.
2.10, in Istanbul, police announced the arrest of 18
people accused of leading pro-PKK activities.
2.10, in Istanbul, the SSC sentenced Soner Kardaslar
to 7 years 3 months and 15 days in prison, and Eylem Pamukcu to 4
years, 10 months and 10 days for being members of an underground
organization.
3.10, in Diyarbakir, ten attorneys of Kurdish origin
were taken into custody for having chanted Kurdish songs during a
wedding ceremony.
4.10, the first congress of the Trade Union of
Public Forestry Servants (Or-Kam-Sen) was banned by the Ankara Governor
on pretext that the public servants do not have the right to organize.
4.10, in Ceylanpinar (Urfa), Seydo Korkmaz (52) and
his wife Zübeyde Korkmaz (50) were shot dead by unidentified people.
4.10, in Fethiye,some shops belonging Kurdish people
were again attacked. Twenty people were taken into custody for
attempting to put an fire a Kurdish restaurant. It is reported that ten
Kurdish families had to quit Fethiye in fear of being assassinated.
5.10, in Silvan (Diyarbakir), Mehmet Sait Isci (40)
was shot dead by the Hezbollah.
5.10, twelve members of the HEP were sent to the
Ankara SSC for their declarations during the party convention held in
Ankara on September 13.
5.10, in Eskisehir, the Association for Rights and
Freedoms (Özgür-Der) was closed down by the governor's order on pretext
that the association's officials were indicted by the Konya SSC.
5.10, in Istanbul, during the funeral of three
youths, killed by police raids on September 28, security forces opened
fire for preventing a protest march and 60 peoples were taken into
custody.
5.10, the Istanbul SSC sentenced four persons
accused of having participated in PKK actions to prison terms of up to
8 years and four months. Another defendants, Mrs. Hakime Esmeray
who had declared being tortured and sexually harassed during police
interrogation was acquitted.
5.10, in Batman, Fahrettin Celik (32) was shot dead
by unidentified gunmen.
7.10, in Istanbul, nine people were put under arrest
by a tribunal on charges of having taken part in PKK activities.
8.10, in Bursa, three university student detained a
few days ago alleged after their release that they had been subjected
to torture during their interrogation.
8.10, in Adana, police arrested nine alleged PKK
members. Same day, 70-year old Dervis Yün and four other Kurds were put
under arrest by the SSC for separatist activities.
9.10, police announced that 17 alleged Dev-Sol
members had been detained in Istanbul.
9.10, in Diyarbakir, a Hezbollah team shot dead
teacher Zülküf Sani (32) and wounded another teacher, Necati Günes.
10.10, police, raiding a house supposed to be a
Dev-Sol shelter in Istanbul, shot dead a young woman named Sultan Cenik
(23)..
10.10, in Batman, tradesman Mehmet Emin Basaran (27)
was shot dead by the Hezbollah.
10.10, the Istanbul office of the Human Rights'
Association (IHD) was raided by police and many documents were
confiscated.
11.10, in Izmir, a meeting of public servants
affiliated to trade unions was raided by police. The local chairman of
the Human Rights' Association (IHD), Yesim Islegen and four persons
were wounded during the operation.
11.10, police announced the arrest of 23 alleged
Dev-Sol militants in the provinces of Izmir, Denizli and Aydin.
11.10, in Batman, Besir Aslan was assassinated by
the Hezbollah.
12.10, in Batman, Mehmet Siddik Öztekin (24) was
shot dead by the Hezbollah.
12.10, in Istanbul, the Association for Fighting
Expensiveness and Unemployment (IPSD) by the Governor on pretext that
such a name might be against the public interests.
13.10, a student meeting on the occasion of the
opening of new educational year at the Dicle University of Diyarbakir
was raided by police using force and about 80 students were detained.
13.10, in Batman, the Hezbollah shot dead a
tradesman, Mehmet Sah Tangünes (32).
14.10, the Istanbul SSC put under arrest ten people
recently apprehended by police for participating in Dev-Sol activities
14.10, in Istanbul, during the funeral of Sultan
Cenik, assassinated by police on October 10, police detained nine
people.
14.10, the Istanbul SSC sentenced five people to
prison terms of up to 12 years and 6 months for being members of PKK.
15.10, in Istanbul, a young woman under arrest,
Nursemin Yilmaz announced that she had been tortured during her
interrogation by police. The torture was certified by a medical report.
15.10, in Zara (Sivas), six people were arrested by
a tribunal on charges of giving aid to Dev-Sol.
15.10 in Nusaybin (Mardin), Mahmut Turan (19) was
assassinated by the Hezbollah.
15.10, the Ministry of National Education announced
that 622 primary or secondary schools had been closed in the area of
state of emergency. Of the closed schools, 201 are in Elazig, 188 in
Mardin, 127 in Siirt, 59 in Sirnak, 35 in Van and 12 in Diyarbakir.
16.10, HEP Diyarbakir deputy Sedat Yurttas announced
that a Kurd named Mehmet Ertak had disappeared since his detention on
August 22.
16.10, in Mardin, Kadri Elmas reported that he had
been subjected torture after his detention on October 4.
16.10, the trial of 35 people arrested after the
Newroz Incidents in Sirnak began at the Diyarbakir SSC. Accused of
separatist activities, 16 of the defendants face capital punishment.
The court decided to hold the trial closed to public on grounds that
some of the defendants are younger than 18 years. Among the defendants
facing prison terms of up to 15 years are also local IHD chairman
Sekvan Aytu, Sirnak Mayor Ahmet Hamdi Yildirim, HEP provincial chairman
Feyzullah Demir and for Siirt deputy Kemal Birlik.
16.10, in Silvan, two workers were assassinated by
unidentified persons as they were going to their work in the morning.
In Siirt, a taxi driver named Kasim Efe, kidnapped three days ago, was
found assassinated.
17.10, on the road Midyat-Nusaybin, a team of
village protectors shot dead Cumhur Göktürk (47) and his son Cemal
Göktürk (27). Same day, taxi-driver Izzettin Akgül (37) was shot dead
by unidentified persons in Kiziltepe and tradesman Serif Basci by the
Hezbollah in Batman.
18.10, a political detainee at the Malatya E Type
Prison, Bahayettin El said having witnessed to the death under torture
of Agit Salman at the police headquarters of Adana on April 27.
18.10, in Istanbul, 59 people were put under arrest
for having attended the funeral of two persons, assassinated by police
during a raid on September 28.
19.10, in Batman, Metin Tan (22) was assassinated by
unidentified people. The victim is the son of Siddik Tan, a IHD
official who had been shot dead in July. In Nusaybin, electrician
Abdulkadir Demirbag (32) was assassinated by the Hezbollah.
20.10, the Hezbollah shot dead Necmettin Keles (20)
in Batman and taxi driver Sinan Demirtas (18) in Nusaybin.
20.10, in Istanbul, police detained ten people
during an operation against the Dev-Sol. Same day, five people
were detained in Izmir.
21.10, the hunger strike launched by 100 political
detainees at the Buca Prison in Izmir on September 14 ended
on the acceptation of the majority of the demands. Three of the
strikers were sent to hospital.
21.10, in Ankara, police detained eight people
during a series of raids on houses.
21.10, a PKK militant, Mahmud Muhammed was sentenced
to life imprisonment by the Kayseri SSC.
21.10, the Ankara SSC Prosecutor indicted 24 people
for PKK activities. The defendants face prison terms of up to 20 years
for separatism.
21.10, the Bar Association of Diyarbakir announced
that lawyer Cuma Yakut was tortured and wounded at the Gendarmerie
Headquarters of Ergani to where he had been taken for an investigation.
22.10, a candidate for the municipal elections in
Izmir, Hüseyin Aslan was arrested by the Izmir SSC for separatist
propaganda.
22.10, in Nusaybin, a welder named Hasan Cetin was
assassinated by the Hezbollah. Same day, 17 year-old Zeyni Dag who had
been wounded by the Hezbollah died in hospital.
23.10, the trial of two alleged Dev-Sol members,
Yasemin Okuyucu and Metin Dikme, began at the Istanbul SSC under the
menace of capital punishment. The defendants declared that they had to
sign their police depositions under torture.
23.10, the trial of 32 trade union officials accused
of illegal activities began at the penal court N° 16 of Ankara..The
prosecutor demands prison terms of up to three years for each.
23.10, a young detainee named Remzi Basalak was
reportedly died as a result of cerebral haemorrhage during his
interrogation at the Adana Police Headquarters.
24.10, three persons were assassinated by
unidentified persons: Mehmet Yigit (67) in Midyat, Zülküf Kacmaz (38)
in Hani and teacher Mehmet Sirin Kaya (36) in Diyarbakir.
25.10, unidentified persons shot dead a driving
school owner, Mehmet Beser (42), in Nusaybin, Seyhmuz Kursun (32) in
Batman and a women named Birgül Eken (21) in Hazro.
25.10, the headman of the Sugeldi Village, Tahir
Saday (56) was killed under torture at the gendarmerie headquarters of
Van. He had been under custody since October 20.
26.10, two construction workers, Anter Yalcin (40)
and Sükrü Kilic (56) were shot dead by unidentified persons in Batman.
26.10, in Savur (Mardin), fifteen people were
arrested in relation with a PKK assault to the town of Sürgücü.
27.10, the trial of 23 people arrested after the
August 92 incidents in Sirnak began at the Diyarbakir SSC. 22 of the
defendants face capital punishment by virtue of Article 125 of the
Turkish Penal Code.
27.10, the Istanbul SSC sentenced 21 members of the
Islamic Party of Kurdistan (PIK) to different prison terms of up to
life-prison.
27.10, in Istanbul, the police announced the arrest
of 26 alleged PKK militants during last one-month operations.
27.10, a taxi driver, Hadi Baltaci (24) was shot
dead in Kiziltepe.
28.10, unidentified persons assassinated a
tradesman, Zeki Aslan (38) in Nusaybin.
28.10, in Izmir, a young woman named Nihal Aslantürk
was wounded and detained by police on charge of putting on wall a
poster of the Union of Revolutionary Communist of Turkey (TIKB).
28.10, in Tatvan, Hüsnü Özer (25) who had
disappeared since October 12 was found dead with the traces of beating
on the body.
29.10, during the funeral of a soldier who died at
the Northern Iraq Operation, some groups attacked on shops belonging to
Kurds and attempted to lynch two Kurds.
Same day, similar anti-Kurdish attacks occurred in Kusadasi, Bursa and
Erzurum.
30.10, in Diyarbakir, a contractor named Sevki Kaya
(43) was killed by unidentified persons.
31.10, in Batman, the dead body of Ramazan Altunses,
detained on October 21, was given to his family. Police authorities
claimed that he died because of his illness. However, his family
members denied the police's claim by saying that his dead body was full
of the traces of torture.
31.10, in Alanya, anti-Kurdish groups attacked again
the shops belonging to Kurds and wounded by beating two Kurds, Ali
Nergiz and Ali Asik.
31.10, in Batman, taxi driver Ali Teymur (39) was
assassinated by unidentified persons.
31.10, during the funeral of six TKP-ML militants,
killed during an armed conflict, police detained 13 people
31.10, Birol Savas (23) was killed at the
gendarmerie station in Bismil when he went there to collect his monthly
newspaper fee. A NCO whose named is not revealed was arrested for the
murder.
1.11, in Istanbul, Abdullah Tanriverdi, detained as
a robbery suspect, declared in court that he was tortured for four days
while under detention.
1.11, in Gebze, police raided a number of houses and
detained 14 people, mainly members of the HEP.
2.11, the Diyarbakir SSC sentenced nine people to
prison terms of up to 12 years for PKK activities.
2.11, in Cizre, the Workers' Party (IP) local
chairman Resul Sakar (45) was found hanging from an electricity pole.
He had been kidnapped by twenty people raiding his house.
3.11, in Nusaybin, a taxi driver, Bülent Daglar (25)
was assassinated by unidentified people.
4.11, the Hezbollah shot dead a worker, Sultan Erol
(30) in Nusaybin.
4.11, in Istanbul, police raided the Aksaray
headquarters of the Association for Rights and Freedoms
(Özgür-Der). On the other hand, a cultural association at the
Esenler Quarters (EYKAD) was closed down by the governor's order.
5.11, in Izmir, political police detained eight
people for illegal activities.
5.11, HEP Kovancilar (Elazig) chairman Rodi
Demirkapi was assassinated by an unidentified persons. Same day, in
Diyarbakir, the Hezbollah shot dead a worker, Abdülbaki Kisin. His
brother Nizamettin Kisin too had been assassinated by the Hezbollah on
January 23, 1992.
6.11, the Adana section of the IHD was closed down
by the Governor. Police searching the IHD office confiscated all
documents inside and detained three members.
6.11, police detained six people in Izmir, three in
Batman and three in Ankara for illegal activities.
6.11, HEP Icel Chairman Sedat Kalaba detained by
police. After his release, Kalaba said that he had been tortured during
his interrogation.
6.11, in Mersin, HEP member Heybet Keskin was
reportedly tortured by police after being detained on October 31.
7.11, in Ankara, a university student, Hatun Özcelik
announced that she had been tortured by police after being detained on
November 4.
7.11, two Canadians, Wilf Gray and Bromley Robert,
were detained in Istanbul for Christian propaganda.
9.11, the Diyarbakir SSC sentenced eight PKK members
to life imprisonment each. Four other defendants were sentenced to
prison terms of up to 12 years.
9.11, in Istanbul, police announced the arrest of 20
people for participating in the activities of the Communist Party of
Turkey/Marxist-Leninist (TKP/ML).
9.11, in Tatvan, the Hezbollah assassinated Sabri
Coskun (33) by destroying his car with a bomb.
10.11, families of eight missing suspects launched a
campaign at the IHD Ankara Section, demanding to learn the fate of
their relatives. They were armed with placards titled "missing," and
portraying a picture of their relatives.
10.11, in Elazig, 34 people were detained for
carrying out activities in favour of a Islamic sect, Aczmendi.
10.11, a 70-year old shepherd, Mehmet Akkan was shot
dead in Dargecit (Mardin) as grazing a cattle.
12.11, police announced the arrest of 20 people in
Ankara and two university students in Afyon.
12.11, Diyarbakir Mayor Turgut Atalay was wounded at
an armed attack in front of his house.
13.11, the hunger strike of 180 prisoners in the
Elazig Prison entered its 41st consecutive day. Hunger strikes also
continue for better prison conditions and human rights in the Malatya,
Gaziantep and Sagmalcilar prisons.
15.11, in Batman, grocer Suphi Aslan (27) was
assassinated by unidentified people.
16.11, in Aydin, eight people were detained for PKK
activities.
16.11, in Diyarbakir, a taxi driver, Menaf Tohumeker
was assassinated by unidentified people.
17.11, in Batman, a photographer, Semdin Turan (48),
was shot dead by the Hezbollah.
17.11, in Dogubeyazit, two persons named Semsettin
Güner and Menderes Bayram were found assassinated. In Silvan, Kamil
Yalciner (40) was shot dead by the Hezbollah.
17.11, police announced the arrest of nine people in
Kocaeli and Gebze for the Workers'-Peasants' Liberation Army of Turkey
(TIKKO) activities.
18.11, in Bulanik (Mus), police detained eighteen
people during a series of raids on houses.
19.11, the IHD announced that three persons, Hasan
Akdemir, Yusuf Gündür and Tahir Yalcin, were subjected to torture
during their interrogation after being detained on November 15 in Izmir.
20.11, a university student, Filiz Cinar (21) who
had been detained on November 18 for putting posters on the
university's wall, said after her release that she had been subjected
to torture during his interrogation. The traces of torture were
certified by a medical report.
20.11, police announced the arrest of 16 people in
Bursa and Balikesir for Dev-Sol activities, six university students in
Balikesir for TDKP activities and 13 people for PKK activities in
Istanbul.
20.11, in Izmir., 52 people were detained for having
participated in demonstrations to celebrate the anniversary of the
PKK's foundation.
20.11, the hunger strike of 261 political inmates at
the Elazig Prison ended o after an agreement with the prison
administration.
r 20.11, university student Nurhayat Varol who had
been detained on November 18, announced after her release that she had
been tortured during her interrogation at police.
20.11, in Karakoyunlu, peasant Nurettin Serhayat
(32) was shot dead by unidentified people.
21.11, the Üsküdar Association for Culture and Arts
(ÜKSD) in Istanbul was closed down by the Governor for unauthorized
activities.
21.11, HEP Eleskirt chairman Ibrahim
Gümüstekin was detained by police.
22.11, in Silvan, photographer Mehmet Firat Gecmez
(22) and teacher Mehdi Sanli (37) were shot dead by unidentified people.
22.11, Alkan Demirci holding a press conference at
the IHD's Istanbul office charged that he was tortured at a police
center after being detained by police.
22.11, the IHD Van section announced that students
at the Van Health School were beaten and forced into religious
education. 13 students were reportedly hospitalized in the past year.
23.11, in Malatya, the Association for Rights and
Freedoms (Özgür-Der) was closed down by the Governor for unauthorized
activities.
23.11, police announced the arrest of 24 alleged PKK
members in Erzurum.
23.11, the Hezbollah assassinated Mehmet Emin
Gezer (45) in Batman.
25.11, police announced the arrest of 21 people in
Mersin.
25.11, the Malatya SSC sentenced two alleged PKK
members to prison terms of up to 12 years and 6 months.
26.11, in Izmir, seven persons were detained by
police for PKK activities. in Viransehir, 50 people were reportedly
taken into custody at a series of police operations.
27.11, in Istanbul, eleven people were detained for
carrying out activities for an Islamist organization entitled IBDA-C.
27.11, the trial of 36 people accused of illegal
demonstration on August 15 began at the Istanbul SSC.
28.11, in Izmir, 17 out of 40 people who were
detained in November for PKK activities reported that they were
subjected to torture during their police interrogation. Their claims
are confirmed by medical reports.
29.11, security forces placed 240 people under
detention at the Basdegirmen village of Mardin on grounds of staging an
illegal demonstration. Besides, 470 people were detained in Kiziltepe,
Malazgirt and Mazidagi.
29.11, in Istanbul, 40 students participating in a
festivity at the Bogazici University were detained by police.
30.11, police announced the arrest of 25 people in
Siverek, 20 people in Diyarbakir, Van, Tunceli and Mardin at the end of
November for PKK activities..
1.12, a HEP official in Antalya, Idris Celik (40)
was shot dead by unidentified people in front of his house
2.12, four people were arrested in Urla on the
grounds that they insulted Mustafa Kemal Atatürk.
3.12, the trial of 19 alleged PKK members began at
the Istanbul SSC with the Prosecutor's demand of prison terms of more
than ten years for each. Defendant Baran Bingöl said at his
interrogation that he had been tortured at the police detention and the
traces of torture were certified by a medical report.
3.12, the Hezbollah shot dead a prison guard,
Tacettin Yilmaz (31) in Diyarbakir.
3.12, in Midyat, Mehmet Isler (18) was shot dead by
unidentified people. In Dargecit, a girl named Melek Bora was killed by
a bomb explosion.
4.12, a HEP official in Antalya, Yusuf Solmaz was
assassinated by unidentified people.
4.12, in Istanbul, a 58-year old SHP member,
Sadettin Köse, who had been detained on November 28, announced at a
press conference after his release that he had been tortured during his
interrogation.
5.12, in Batman, Mehmet Salih Kaplan (33) and Nuri
Kaya (38) were gunned down by unidentified persons.
5.12, police beat a number of demonstrators and
detained 60 people for shouting pro-Kurdish slogans, following a joint
meeting held in Istanbul under the auspices of 11 trade unions and the
Socialist Turkey Party (STP).
5.12, a suspect, Attila Aksu, reported that he was
tortured for five hours in police custody. He was given a medical
report confirming the torture.
5.12, a meeting organized by the unions of public
servants in Adana was banned by the Governor. When some groups
attempted to carry out an unauthorized demonstration, police detained
about 20 people.
5.12, the New Democratic Women's Association (YDKD)
was closed down by the Governor of Istanbul. During the execution of
the order, police seized a number of documents in the association's
office.
7.12, police announced the arrest of 15 alleged PKK
militants in Aydin and Nazilli.
8.12, in Söke, Hüseyin Iskeceli (23) reported that
he was tortured at police detention. He was given a medical report
certifying the torture. In Istanbul, a public servant named Adem Tunali
too alleged to be tortured after his detention on November 29.
8.12, in Istanbul, 30 people were detained for
carrying out Dev-Sol activities.
8.12, the Diyarbakir SSC sentenced four persons to
prison terms of up to 15 years for PKK activities.
9.12, police announced the arrest of 16 alleged PKK
members in Denizli and 200 suspects of illegal activities in Antalya.
9.12, street vendor Mehmet Aras (24) was shot dead
by a police officer in Istanbul.
9.12, police detained six HEP officials in
Fethiye and the HEP local chairman Eyüp Karagecili in Urfa.
10.12, in Siverek,a police team raiding a house shot
dead two persons inside.
10.12, in Gebze, a gendarmerie unit wounded three of
the workers on strike.
10.12, in Diyarbakir, Nezir Aklar was shot by
unidentified gunmen.
10.12, the IHD Samsun section was closed down by
the governor's order. The celebration of Human Rights Day was
also banned.
10.12, in Tatvan, taxi driver Mehmet Emin Orak was
shot dead by an unidentified gunman.
10.12, Beytüssebap Mayor Mustafa Dursun was detained
by police together with two State officials.
11.12, Silopi Mayor Levent Taysun was arrested on
charges of aiding the PKK.
11.12, security forces detained 50 people during
anti-PKK operations in Batman, Siirt, Mardin and Diyarbakir and 50
other people in Siverek and Ceylanpinar.
11.12, the trial of six people, accused of being
TIKKO members, began at the Istanbul SSC. The defendants were beaten
and ousted from the court-room when they shouted slogans against
torturers.
12.12, Dr. Tayfun Gönül, a member of the Association
Against War, was detained in Izmir after delivering a speech at a IHD
meeting. Mrs. Gülay Toraman, wife of a missing IHD member, too was
detained in Izmir.
13.12, in Nusaybin, the Hezbollah shot dead Sinan
Yilmaz (19).
14.12, Selahattin Behcet (22) reported that he had
been tortured by police during his 20-hour detention in Istanbul.
14.12; Patnos Mayor Ihsan Celik was discharged from
his post on charges of giving aid to the PKK.
15.12, in Batman, unidentified gunmen shot dead
Mehmet Yilmaz (30).
15.12, a woman named Sevim Pinar was sentenced to a
20-month imprisonment and a fine of 42 Million TL (5,250 Dollars) for
shouting separatist slogans during the Newroz celebrations in Antalya.
16.12, in Istanbul, a meeting by the Bogazici
University students in protest against the human rights violations in
Turkey was prevented by police and 15 students were detained.
16.12, the Hezbollah gunmen shot dead Sait Yildiz
(28) in Batman, Ali Tuac (26) and Bedrettin Kilic (26) in
Nusaybin.
16.12, HEP Deputy Chairman Mahmut Kilic declared
that security forces in the Southeast raped women and bombed villages,
killing civilians. He added that some terrorist attacks alleged to have
been perpetrated by the PKK were actually carried out by the
Counter-guerrilla.
16.12, Hüseyin Aslan, a candidate for mayor in
Narlibahce (Izmir) was sentenced to 18 months imprisonment and fined 83
Million TL (10,375 Dollars) for his electoral speeches.
16.12, unidentified gunmen shot dead Garibe
Karasakal (18) in Nusaybin and Mustafa Ucakan (41) in Diyarbakir.
17.12, lawyer Fethiye Peksen was sentenced by the
Izmir SCC to a prison term of 3 years and nine months for helping the
Dev-Sol.
17.12, HEP Igdir Chairman Abdullah Ipek was detained
together with three other persons.
17.12, the Izmir SSC sentenced three Dev-Sol members
to prison terms of up to 4 years and 2 months.
18.12, in Viransehir, thirteen detainees said after
their release that they had been subjected to torture for 15 days
19.12, in Istanbul, university student Sabahat Varol
reported in Istanbul that she had been tortured after her detention on
December 12.
19.12, a new trial concerning 26 alleged PKK
members began at the Istanbul SSC. Three of the defendants face
capital punishment.
20.12, a meeting of the Mesopotamia Cultural Center
was banned by the governor.
21.12, the Interior Ministry ordered all governors
to start administrative proceeding against public servants
participating in trade union activities. In Ankara, 6,000 public
servants held a rally for demanding the recognition of their trade
union rights.
21.12, Abdulselam Tunc, kidnapped two days ago by
the Village Protectors was found killed in Midyat.
21.12, in Cinar (Diyarbakir), Mehmet Atli and
Süleyman Atli found assassinated.
21.12, in Midyat, two persons kidnapped earlier,
Hüseyin Eser and Seyfettin Kardes were found assassinated.
22.12, in Istanbul, a tradesman named Mehmet Baltas
reported that he had been tortured after his detention on December 15
and torturers confiscated a total of 20 Million TL in his possession.
22.12, police announced the arrest of 30 alleged PKK
militants in Izmir.
22.12, in Diyarbakir, Ubeydullah Dalar (40) was
assassinated by the Hezbollah.
22.12, in Edirne, 157 university students were
detained by police for having shouted pro-PKK slogans.
23.12, in Konya, teacher Halit Cigal was sentenced
to 18-month imprisonment for propaganda against secularity and Atatürk.
He was discharged of his post as well.
23.12, in Batman, Faik Öztas (28) was assassinated
by the Hezbollah. In Midyat, Abdülselam Tunc was found assassinated.
24.12, in Suruc (Urfa), security forces raiding a
house shot dead seven people inside on charges of PKK activities.
24.12, in Ankara, high school student Rahsan Eren
was reportedly tortured after being taken by a police team on December
20.
24.12, police announced the arrest of 30 people in
Antalya on charges of PKK activities.
24.12, in Batman, a former political detainee,
Mehmet Sirin Özbek (34) was assassinated by unidentified people. He had
stayed for ten years in prison after the 1980 coup.
24.12, in Nusaybin, the Hezbollah shot dead Ali
Aslan.
24.12, in Istanbul, six alleged PKK militants were
arrested during police operations.
24.12, three persons were sentenced by the Malatya
SSC to prison terms of up to life-prison for PKK activities.
24.12, in Bismil, Ihsan Icer who had been kidnapped
eleven days ago was found assassinated.
25.12, in Istanbul, thirteen people detained in
November on charges of Islamist activities reported that they had been
subjected to torture. The traces of torture were certified by a medical
report. Again in Istanbul, 23 people detained in November for PKK
activities claimed to have been tortured by police.
25.12, the trial of 15 HEP officials, accused of
having made separatist declaration at the party's congress on September
19, began at the Ankara SSC. By virtue of Article 125 of the TPC, each
faces capital punishment.
25.12, the Hezbollah assassinated a village headman,
Naif Keles (45) and grocer Alptekin Sevim (24) in Batman.
26.12, the trial of Nilgun Gök and Bülent Yildirim
who had been arrested in November for putting some anti-war posters on
walls began at the Istanbul SSC. They declared to have been tortured
during police interrogation.
26.12, in Mugla, HEP Yatagan chairman Mehmet Nuri
Ermis and 29 other people were detained during a series of police raids
on some houses and shops.
28.12, the Istanbul SSC began to try 12 people on
charges of participating in Dev-Sol activities. Three of the defendants
face capital punishment.
28.12, in Diyarbakir, Mehmet Salih Eksi was
assassinated by unidentified people.
29.12, in Diyarbakir, Abdulkadir Cesur was wound
assassinated.
31.12, closing the year, the IHD disclose that a
total of 32 people have been shot dead by unidentified gunmen in
December and that a total of 22 newspapers and magazines have been
seized.
THREE-MONTH PRESSURE ON THE MEDIA
1.10, a new book entitled The Logic of the
Revolution and the Question of Power, written by Salih Ilter, was
confiscated by the Istanbul SSC for inciting the people to revolt.
3.10, the Gaziantep office of the monthly Newroz was
raided by police and two persons inside, Sait Yildirim and Halil
Türkmen were taken into custody.
4.10, in Adana, about 300 people were detained by
police for having take part in a picnic organized by the monthly review
Devrimci Proletarya.
5.10, the October issues of two periodicals, Newroz
Atesi and Imza, were confiscated by the Istanbul SSC for separatist
propaganda.
6.10, the issue N° 20 of the Islamist review Taraf
was confiscated by the Istanbul SSC for separatist propaganda.
6.10, a new book published by the Yurt Yayinlari and
entitled The Ismail Besikci Cases 5 was confiscated by a penal court of
Ankara.
7.10, the Istanbul SSC Prosecutor opened two legal
proceedings against Kurdish publisher Recep Marasli. He faces a total
of 10 years in prison for having published a book entitled Political
Defence, comprising of documents about his trial after the 1980 Coup on
the one hand, and on the other, for his speech at a meeting organized
by the Human Rights' Association on March 1992.
7.10, the recent issues of four periodicals,
Partizan, Newroz, Devrimci Yurtsever Genclik and Mücadele, were
confiscated by the Istanbul SSC.
7.10, the Istanbul office of the monthly Hedef was
raided and searched by the police. After the operation, the review's
chief editor Asli Günes and six other people inside were taken into
custody.
8.10, two journalists of the monthly Iscilerin Sesi
were condemned by the Istanbul SSC according to the Anti-Terror Law.
Chief editor Günnur Ilhan was sentenced to 20-month imprisonment and a
fine of 41 million TL (5.125 Dollars), publisher Cetin Uygur to a fine
of 835 million TL (10.438 Dollars). Besides, the October issue of the
same review was confiscated by the same court.
8.10, in Istanbul, police raided the house of Özgür
Gündem correspondent Mehmet Aktas by breaking down the door and
detained the journalist together with his sister and two brothers.
After being released, Aktas said to be tortured during his
interrogation.
11.10, five issues of the daily Özgür Gündem of
October of from October 7 were confiscated by the Istanbul SSC for
containing a series of interviews with PKK leader Öcalan..
12.10, the responsible editor of the monthly
Deng, Kamil Ermis was sentenced by the Istanbul SSC to 5 months in
prison and a fine of 41 Million TL (5.125 Dollars). The owner of the
review, Hikmet Cetin too was sentenced to a fine of 92 Million TL
(10.250 Dollars) by virtue of the Anti-Terror Law.
13.10, the October issue of the monthly Toplumsal
Kurtulus was confiscated by the Istanbul SSC for separatist propaganda.
An Islamist monthly review, Ak-Zuhur too was confiscated on same
accusation.
13.10, in Agri, three correspondents of the weekly
Azadi, Mustafa Isik, Cengiz Taskin and Fatih Yalvac were detained by
police.
14.10, the issue N° 15 of the weekly Mücadele was
confiscated by the Istanbul SSC for separatist propaganda.
14.10, the Diyarbakir correspondent of the weekly
2000e Dogru, Ahmet Sümbül was taken into custody together with his
brother Mehmet Sümbül for having in his possession a fire-arm. Under
the menace of death, he had asked many times an authorization of
carrying a fire-arm, but all demands remained without answer.
15.10, journalist Zekeriya Özdinc, owner and chief
editor of the monthly Barikat, was sentenced, in two different trials,
to 10-month imprisonment and a fine of 1,024 Million LT (128,000 US
Dollars) in total for separatist propaganda.
15.10, the Batman correspondent of the daily Özgür
Gündem, Hayrettin Celik, and his 4-month pregnant wife Sebahat Celik
were detained by police.
19.10, the recent issues of the weeklies Yeni Ülke
and Gercek and the fortnightly Medya Günesi were confiscated by the
decision of the Istanbul SSC for separatist propaganda.
20.10, author Edip Polat was indicted by the Ankara
SSC Prosecutor for his last book entitled The Kurds and Kurdistan in
Scientific Language - A reply from Biology to the Official Ideology.
Polat faces, by virtue of the Anti-Terror Law, a prison term of up to
five years and a fine of up to 50 Million TL (6,250 Dollars). The
publisher of the book, Vedat Yeniceri, and Dr. Ismail Besikci who wrote
a preface for the book too will be tried together with the author.
20.10, the issue N° 24 of the monthly Özgür Halk was
confiscated by the Istanbul SSC for separatist propaganda.
20.10, three local correspondents of the political
review Mücadele, Devrim Demir in Izmir, Enver Inan in Kars and Ahmet
Kiral in Elbistan, were reportedly detained by police.
25.10, it is reported that 54 of 75 issues of the
fortnightly Emegin Bayragi published for five years had been
confiscated for different pretexts. The number of the seized copies
rises to 300 thousand. Besides, 23 members of the review's editorial
board have been taken into custody for varying periods.
26.10, the issue N° 5 of the monthly Iscinin Yolu
was confiscated by the Istanbul SSC for separatist propaganda.
27.10, in Istanbul, four journalists from the daily
Meydan, Sinan Doker, Ergun Güven, Bekir Sen and Eyüp Karasakal, were
beaten and wounded by policemen as they were covering a fire incident:
27.10, the issue N°16 of the weekly Mücadele was
confiscated by for containing an interview with some Dev-Sol officials.
28.10, the Cizre correspondent of the daily Sabah,
Ramazan Imrag was indicted for having shot and distributed a photo in
which a military armoured car is seen pulling the body of a killed
Kurdish militant. The journalist is accused of having insulted the
State and security forces by distributing such a photo according to
Article 159 of the Turkish Penal Code.
28.10, the October 27-28 issues of the daily Özgür
Gündem were confiscated for separatist propaganda.
28.10, the Kars correspondent of the daily Özgür
Gündem, Birkan Celik was taken into custody by police.
29.10, a correspondent of the daily Türkiye, Metin
Akyürek was beaten by police as he was covering some incidents during
the Day of the Republic celebrations in Korgan (Ordu).
29.10, the Trabzon correspondent of the weekly
Mücadele, Nihat Aslantürk was taken into custody by a police team
raiding his house.
31.10, the daily Özgür Gündem was confiscated by the
Istanbul SSC for an interview with the PKK leader Öcalan.
2.11, the Eskisehir correspondent of the weekly
Mücadele, Fatma Dagli was detained by police.
3.11, the issues N° 15 of the fortnightlies Medya
Günesi and Devrimci Emek were confiscated by the Istanbul SSC for
separatist propaganda.
4.11,the issue N° 4 of the monthly Genclik ve
Gelecek was confiscated by the Istanbul SSC for separatist propaganda.
5.11, the weekly Mücadele's correspondents Rifat
Özgüngör and Sevinc Kaymak were detained in Sivas.
6.11, Turkey, along with other 14 countries, refused
to sign an agreement on protecting and promoting minority and regional
languages at the Council of Europe.
7.11, the issue N° 77 of the fortnightly
Emegin Bayragi was confiscated by the Istanbul SSC for separatist
propaganda. Besides, the review's correspondent Naci Uzun and his
wife, Hülya Uzun, were detained in Istanbul.
9.11, the Istanbul SSC Prosecutor indicted two
journalists of the weekly Azadi, responsible editor Sedat Karakas and
columnist Salih Özcelik, by virtue of Article 159 of the TPC. Both face
a prison term of up to five years.
10.11, the issue 26 of the weekly Azadi was
confiscated by the Istanbul SSC for separatist propaganda.
11.11, the issue N°19 of the weekly Mücadele was
confiscated by the Istanbul SSC for propaganda in favour of an illegal
organization.
13.11, the daily Özgür Gündem's two issues, of
November 10-11, were confiscated by the Istanbul SSC for contravening
the Anti-Terror Law. It is reported that the distribution of the daily
has been interrupted in Diyarbakir because of the menaces to the
distributor.
13.11, the Samsun office of the weekly Mücadele was
raided by police and many documents inside confiscated. The review's
Samsun representative Pervin Tuggan was taken into custody.
13.11, the Islamist review Taraf announced to stop
its publication because of increasing pressures. Just after this
declaration, police detained the review's editor, Kazim Albayrak, and
columnist Ünsal Zor.
15.11, Prime Minister Demirel, on a question about
the recent confiscation of books, said: "You cannot say that a book is
never a means of crime. Separatism, Kurdish racism, Kurdish separatism
are crimes in our country. There are other interdictions by virtue of
Article 14 of the Constitution. Police has to execute the orders given
by tribunals."
15.11, the Kurdish Institute in Istanbul was raided
by police on the Istanbul SSC's order. A number of books,publications,
films, photos and computer disks were confiscated and five persons
inside were detained.
16.11, the issue N°7 of the monthly Newroz Atesi was
confiscated by the Istanbul SSC for separatist propaganda.
16.11, the Tunceli correspondent of the daily Özgür
Gündem, Ali Dogan was taken into custody. .
17.11, the recent issues of the weekly Azadi
and and the monthly Devrim were confiscated by the Istanbul SSC
by virtue of the Anti-Terror Law.
18.11, the responsible editor of the monthly
Kurtulus, Cemil Turan was sentenced by the Istanbul SSC to a 6-month
prison and a fine of 50 Million TL (6,250 Dollars) for the articles in
the review's five special editions. By virtue of the Anti-Terror Law,
the review's owner Irfan Cüre too was sentenced to a fine of 100
Million TL 12,500 Dollars).
18.11, the Izmir representative of the monthly Özgür
Halk, Mehmet Bayraktar was sentenced to a fine of 300,000 TL (375
Dollars) for keeping some banned publications in the office.
18.11, the Malatya correspondent of the daily Özgür
Gündem, Mahmut Dogan was arrested by the Malatya SSC for praising the
acts considered crime by the law.
21.11, in Batman, the driver of the daily Özgür
Gündem, Halil Adanir (32) was assassinated by unidentified people. He
had received a number of threats for ceasing to distribute the
newspaper.
22.11, the recent issues of the fortnightly Emegin
Bayragi and the monthly Devrimci Proletarya were confiscated by the
Istanbul SSC for separatist propaganda.
23.11, a German television reporter, Michael Wilhelm
Erger, and his Turkish translator, Yavuz Fersoglu, were briefly
detained by the police at the Harbour border gate with Iraq, for
behaving suspiciously.
24.11, in Istanbul, police raiding the weekly
Gercek's office, detained four persons inside.
25.11, the issue N°14 of the monthly Kurtulus was
confiscated by the Istanbul SSC for an anti-militarist article.
25.11, the Ankara SSC imposed a fine of 100 Million
TL (12,500 Dollars) for writer Mehmet Bayrak in connection with his
book My Memoirs on Dersim and the Kurdish National Question.
26.11, the recent issues of the weekly Azadi,
Toplumsal Kurtulus and Medya Günesi were confiscated by the Istanbul
SSC by virtue of the Anti-Terror Law.
26.11, in Istanbul, a police team raiding Fikirtepe
campus seized 200 books and detained eleven students.
28.11, the Ankara prosecutor opened a legal
proceeding against the Yurt Publishing House for its book entitled The
Occupation of the Bosporus. Accused of inciting the people to crime,
publisher Ünsal Öztürk was interrogated.
30.11, in Diyarbakir, 87 newspapers sellers, holding
a press conference, announced that they were being threatened for
ceasing to sell left-wing publications such as Özgür Gündem, 2000e
Dogru, Yeni Ülke, Azadi and Gercek.
30.11, the Istanbul SSC Prosecutor indicted two
journalists of the daily Özgür Gündem, owner Yasar Kaya and editor
Selcuk Gür, for carrying out separatist propaganda and demanded five
years imprisonment and a fine of 100 million TL (12,500$) for each. On
the other hand, the November 24 issue of the same daily was confiscated
by the Istanbul SSC.
1.12, the issue N°29 of the weekly Azadi was
confiscated for having reported a meeting held in Köln against
compulsory military service.
1.12, the Istanbul SSC launched a court case against
Melsa publications owner Murat Ilyas Burak for violating the
Anti-Terror Law with a book titled The Little Peshmerga.
2.12, the issue N°3 of the monthly Halkin Gücü was
confiscated by the Istanbul SSC for separatist propaganda.
2.12, two consecutive issues of the daily Özgür
Gündem were confiscated by the Istanbul SSC for separatist propaganda.
Up to now, 28 out 187 issues have been the object of confiscation.
3.12, the editor of the fortnightly Emegin Bayragi,
Nazim Taban was sentenced by the Istanbul SSC to 5-month prison and a
fine of 100 Million TL (12,500 Dollars) by virtue of the
Anti-Terror Law. Taban had earlier been sentenced to 18-month prison
and a fine of 123 Million TL (15,375 Dollars) in three other cases.
3.12, the November issue of the monthly Penthouse
was confiscated.
5.12, during a protest rally organized by the unions
of public servants in Istanbul, police detained 60 people and wounded
by beating two journalists covering the incident: Erkan Avcilar from
Milliyet and Nezahat Alkan from Sabah.
7.12, the issue N°30 of the weekly Azadi, N°4
of the monthly Genc Kurtulus and N°23 of the weekly Mücadele were
confiscated by the Istanbul SSC.
7.12, the Istanbul SSC sentenced journalist Hüseyin
Durmaz, owner and editor of the monthly Devrimci Emek to a prison term
of 5 months and 15 days as well as a fine of 83 Million TL (10.375
Dollars) by virtue of the Anti-Terror Law. The SSC prosecutor opened
another court case against Durmaz and Ugur Gündüz, author an article
about class struggles in Turkey.
9.12, the issue N°4 of the monthly bulletin by the
Confederation of Progressive Trade Unions (DISK) Research Institute was
banned by the same confederation's executive for containing a map
indicating Kurdish areas in Turkey.
11.12, Özgür Gündem correspondent Irfan Ucar and
Türkiye correspondent Ferhat Gülver were detained as they were covering
the incidents during the trial of TIKKO defendants at the Istanbul SSC.
12.12,the last issues of the fortnightly Emegin
Bayragi and the monthly Partizan were confiscated by the Istanbul SSC.
12.12, a new book containing the texts of the
International Conference on the Kurdish Question, held in 1989 in
Paris, was confiscated.
13.12, the issue N°12 of the monthly Newroz was
confiscated for separatist propaganda.
14.12, the publisher of the monthly Deng, Hikmet
Cetin was sentenced by the Istanbul SSC to 16-month imprisonment and a
fine of 41 Million TL (5,125 Dollars) for a speech he delivered on
January 10, 1992 in Izmir.
15.12, a newspaper kiosk owner in Diyarbakir, Kemal
Ekinci, was shot dead by unidentified persons. He had been threatened
to stop selling left-wing publications.
15.12, the daily Özgür Gündem dated December 11 was
confiscated by the Istanbul SSC.
18.12, the issue N°17 of the monthly Odak was
confiscated by the SSC for anti-militarist propaganda.
22.12, the issue N°32 of the weekly Azadi was
confiscated by the SSC for a report on hunger-strikes in prisons.
23.12, the recent issues of the weekly Yeni Ülke and
the monthlies Emegin Bayragi, Yeni Demokrat Genclik and Newroz Atesi
were confiscated by the Istanbul SSC.
25.12, journalist and writer Prof. Yalcin Kücük was
taken into custody at Istanbul Airport when he returned to Turkey from
Damascus. All of the notes, photographs and video bands on which were
registered his a week-long interview with PKK Leader Abdullah Öcalan
were confiscated.
25.12, the recent issue of the monthly Özgür Halk
was confiscated by the Istanbul SSC.
27.12, the International Federation of Journalists
(FIJ) claims in its 1992 report that Turkey and Bosnia-Herzegovina are
the world's two most dangerous countries for journalists.
28.12, the recent issues of the weeklies Yeni Ülke ,
Azadi and Mücadele were confiscated by the Istanbul SSC for separatist
propaganda.
31.12, a distributor of the daily Özgür Gündem,
Lokman Gündüz (20) was assassinated by unidentified people. In
Istanbul, the December 30 issue of this daily was confiscated by the
SSC.
A FINE OF $222,250 FOR A BOOK
A new record of fine to the press was registered on
December 24 in Turkey by a total sum of 222,250 US Dollars.
Author Edip Polat was sentenced by the Ankara SSC to
two years in prison and a fine of 50 Million TL (6,250 Dollars)
for his book titled We Turned The Dawns into Newroz on the grounds that
the book was “making separatist propaganda.”
At the same trial, Hikmet Kocak, owner of the Basak
Publishing House and publisher of the book, too was fined 1,728,000,000
TL (216,000 Dollars).
“BASIC INSTINCT” REPRESSED
Screening of Dutch director Verhoeven’s film Basic
Instinct has been banned in Turkey by a series of legal proceedings
launched by Ankara and Istanbul public prosecutors. The judicial
actions are based on a report given by the notorious Censorship Board
which directly depends on the Prime Minister’s cabinet.
Soon after the first screening of the film in
Turkey, a group of Welfare Party (RP) deputies, Islamic
fundamentalists, had filed a complaint against Basic Instinct at the
Ankara public prosecutor’s office, claiming that it would produce
corrupting effects on Turkish society and should therefore be banned.
Thereupon, the Censorship Board delivered a report in this sense, and
it was followed by public prosecutors.
Ankara Prosecutor Hayri Tayhan said on December 23
that the movie owners who screen the film will be given a fine of at
least TL 20 million. If they fail to pay the fine, the amount may be
increased to TL 50 million with a court decision. Those who fail to pay
that amount may be given a prison sentence, according to the prosecutor.
THE ARMY ASKED SUIT AGAINST TV
The Chief of General Staff of the Turkish Armed
Forces, General Dogan Güres asked, on November 19, the Ministry of
Justice to launch a legal proceeding against journalist Mehmet Ali
Birand for an interview that he had made with Kurdish Guerrilla Chief
Osman Öcalan, the brother of the PKK leader Abdullah Öcalan,
broadcasted on November 16 by a private TV.
At this interview, Öcalan refuted the Turkish Army's
claims as regards PKK losses during the last anti-PKK Operation in Iraq.
Güres saying “They did not meet him or interview
him. The film was prepared with cuts from earlier appearances,”
complained that the program gave the impression that the PKK did not
suffer any losses during the recent Turkish military operation against
the PKK camps in northern Iraq.
However, just after this intervention, Birant
presented to the press the originals of the films shot by his TV-team
at the interview with Osman Öcalan and proved that General Güres was
misled by his intelligence services.
A GERMAN REPORTER ARRESTED
A German free-lance journalist, Stefan Waldberg, was
taken into custody on October 21 at Habur border gate as entering
Turkey after a 25-day mission in Iraq. The custom authorities claimed
that he was trying to introduce to Turkey some propaganda material in
favour of the PKK.
After his one-week interrogation at Silopi, Waldberg
was placed under arrest on October 29 for being tried at the Diyarbakir
SSC.
The court began to hear the case filed against
Waldberg on December 4. Accused of acting as a courier for the
PKK and facing a prison term of up to five years, Waldberg refused the
accusation and said: “I have come to Turkey to do general research and
broadcast it on Radio Dreyeckland. I do not know PKK people in
Germany. In Northern Iraq, my purpose was to search whether the
aid given by various organizations are used on the spot or not.”
ILO AGREEMENT VETOED BY ÖZAL
Although the Turkish Parliament adopted seven ILO
agreements on November 25, one of the agreements, Article 158 was
vetoed by President Turgut Özal on grounds that Turkish businessmen
could not afford it. The 158th Article of the ILO regulates employees
rights regarding the termination of their employment contracts, and
guarantees their right to apply to courts.
Labour Minister Mehmet Mogultay denounced the veto
as an action “against the will of the nation.”, while the Turkish
Employer Unions Confederation (TISK) welcomed it.
ON THE NEO-NAZI TERROR AGAINST TURKS
The citizens of Turkey are not only the victim of
the repression carried out by the State in the country, but also the
main target of the extreme right terror in European countries, mainly
in Germany.
Three Turks, a 10-year-old girl and two women aged
51 and 20, died when two houses set on fire by Neo-Nazis went up in
flames in the city of Moelln, near Hamburg, on November 23, 1992.
The murder has given rise to a European-wide
reaction against the extreme-right danger in Germany. Thousands of
Germans, hand in hand with foreigners, carried out mass demonstrations
and expressed their determination not to give way to Neo-Nazism. German
authorities too have been obliged to deliver speeches condemning the
racist attacks and promising measures for protecting the minority in
the countries.
In fact, the extreme-right attacks on foreigners or
their houses, shops and mosques in Germany as well as in other European
countries such as France, Belgium, Holland, Austria, Switzerland had
started ten years ago. But no serious measure has been taken up to this
recent murder for stopping the rise of the racist and xenophobe acts.
Only this year, right-wing extremists in Germany have carried out 1,900
attacks on foreigners, during which 17 people have been killed and 452
injured.
In a written message on a wreath laid at the German
Embassy in Ankara after the incident, Turkish journalists
recalled another racist attack on a Turkish family in December 1988,
during which four people, including one German, were killed, and said:
“If the German authorities had not remained silent then, Vahide Arslan,
Yeliz Arslan and Ayse Yilmaz [the three victims who died in the attack]
would still be alive today.”
In the daily Sabah of November 25, Mehmet Altan
said: “The German Neo-Nazi movement seems rather like a state-supported
scare campaign to accelerate forcefully the return home of two million
Turks. The failure to apprehend members of the Neo-Nazi gangs, the way
those apprehended are released so quickly, the claims that these gangs
include certain government officials and the failure to isolate these
groups despite high technology, all raise certain doubts. It looks as
if the Germans have staged a dirty play to oblige the Turkish
population in the country to leave.”
As the anti-racist protests and demonstrations were
growing, Turkish authorities and nationalist circles have done
their best in order to present the incident as a fresh proof of their
claim that Turkish nation is threatened everywhere by enemies. While
all other ethnic minorities, including the Kurds and Anatolian
Christians who constitute a third of the Turkish population in Europe,
too were exposed to Neo-Nazi attacks, the anti-racist demonstrations
after the Moelln drama were echoed by the Turkish media as a gesture of
excuse towards the Turkish nation only.
What is more, Turkish authorities attempted to
exploit this event for discrediting the European criticism towards the
violation of human rights in Turkey. For example, Turkish Premier
Demirel said: “Those who make the sparks fly and protest every small
incident in Turkey, should look at themselves first.”
And a few days later, on its December 17 issue, the
Turkish Daily News reported the following:
“In areas such as Antalya, Alanya, Bodrum and Izmir
[in Western Turkey], winter construction work depends almost completely
on labor of Kurdish origin. Two weeks ago, tens of Kurdish origin
citizens boarded passenger busses and abandoned Antalya in fear of a
Turkish attack against them. In Alanya, Side and Antalya, house owners
now refuse point to blank to rent flats or homes to people from the
southeast. At least 3,000 Kurdish origin people living there faced the
threat of starvation because shop owners are refusing to sell goods and
their bosses are refusing to employ them any longer.”
It is under the influence of this atmosphere of
xenophobia and racism reigning in their own country that, during the
anti-Nazi demonstrations in Germany, some groups marching under
Turkish flags attacked Kurdish immigrants.