KurdishMedia, UK
Dec 7 2004

11 days before the summit of December 17

… and yet, repression reigns in Turkey

371 years ago, in 1633, Galileo Galilei said: “And yet, it does
move!”

The European governments are preparing the opening of the negotiations
on Turkey’s adhesion by applauding “the process of political reform in
Turkey and the adopted constitutional and legislative changes.” As for
Ankara, it seems sure that “a clear date for launching the negotiations
of adhesion will be announced on December 17, without any condition
and the necessity of revaluation.”

However, in spite of this Turkish-European optimism, the violations
or the non-respect of humans right always continue in this country
candidate to the European Union.

Info-Türk, which has fought for 29 years for a real democratization
in Turkey, will remind the alarming facts until the European Summit
of December 17 the 2004.

1. In Turkish prisons, there are still thousands of political
detainees. Even the Minister for Justice Cemil Cicek, in answer to a
parliamentary question, announced on November 27 that the number of
the prisoners for ” offences of terror” climbs currently to 5,557 and
that they are kept in 73 grand prisons of the country including 11
prisons of type-F. He added that still two other prisons of type-F
are in construction in Van and Kirikkale. These prisons are the
cause of the death of 117 people on hunger strike. The new law on the
execution of punishments, adopted on December 4 by the Parliament,
still maintains this carceral system. The ill-treatment of political
prisoners, particularly in the prisons of type-F continues in spite
of the alarming affidavits of the prisoners or their parents. (See:
the reports of the NGOs such as AI, IHD, TIHV, Mazlum-Der and FIDH
in the issues 316, 315, 314 of Info-Türk in last three months)

2. The summary execution and torture under arrest are always being
practiced. Very recently, 12 years a 12-year old Kurdish child
was killed by forces of security under pretext of “hunting for the
terrorists”. Torturers are not pursued in many cases in spite of
the complaint of the victims or of human rights associations. As
detailed by a report of the Human Rights Foundation of Turkey (TIHV)
on November 25, rare lawsuits started against these criminals do not
lead to an exemplary judgment.

3. As it is often recalled by the press associations, the new Turkish
Penal Code, so applauded by the European Union, always constitutes
a threat against the freedom of press. Journalists are always judged
for insult to the Army, the government or the security forces because
of their criticisms, under the terms of article 302 (old article 159)
of the TPC. For example, an arrest warrant against the chief editor
of Info-Türk, Dogan Özgüden, is still in force within the framework
of a lawsuit relating to one of his articles criticizing the military
junta of the Seventies, and this in spite of the intervention of the
international press organizations and the Belgian ministry of the
Foreign Affairs. December 2, popular singer Ferhat Tunc was again
tried by a penal court for insulting the judiciary. November 26,
journalist Halit Ertas sentenced to eleven months for separatist
propaganda by means of Internet. (See: the reports of the NGOs such
as RSF, IFEX, IPI, NABA, WAN, WPFC, BIA and TGCin the issues 316,
315, 314 of Info-Türk in last three months)

4. In spite of some cosmetic reforms, the equal rights (teaching,
audio-visual expression, association) are still not recognized as well
for the Kurdish people as for the ethnic or religious minorities of the
country, in particular Armenians, Assyrians, Greeks and Alevis. All
the pacific initiatives of the Kurdish national movement in order
to arrive at a peaceful solution is systematically declined and the
military operations continue in order to satisfy the voracity of the
Army and the industry of war.

5. Ankara does not show any intention to recognize the injustices
and atrocities committed in the Turkish history and follows an
absolutely policy of negation. According to the statement of reasons
for Article 306 of the new Turkish Penal Code, a citizen who demands
the withdrawal of Turkish soldiers from Cyprus or declares that the
Armenian genocide actually took place during the First World War,
can be pursued by Justice. Moreover, the diplomatic missions of
Ankara often instigate the Turkish nationals and even the deputies
or candidates of Turkish origin of the European political parties
(Socialists, Liberals, Ecologists or Christians) to take part in the
demonstrations of negation.

6. In spite of the so-called “demilitarization” of the National
Security Council (MGK), the military continue to dictate their
militarist choices by well publicized declarations of the Chief
of the General Staff or the commanders of the land, air and naval
forces. Moreover, the Higher Military Council (YAS), charged to manage
the interne work procedure of the Army, continues to dismiss certain
officers considered “anti-secular” in spite of the opposition of
the government. Moreover, at the end of its last meeting on December
1st, 2004, the YAS released a completely political statement on the
relations with Europe and the neighbor countries. The commentators
estimate that the YAS thus gives the sign that it is rapidly replacing
the “demilitarized” MGK to ensure the military’s control over the
political life of the country.

7. Lastly, an undemocratic constitution preaching the superiority of
the Turkish race, imposed in 1982 by the military junta, is always in
force. Moreover, an electoral system imposing a national threshold
of 10% is always maintained with the detriment of the political
parties representing the different political opinions, in particular
pro-Kurdish or left-wing ones, so that the Islamist party remains
in power with an absolute majority in the Parliament in spite of its
electoral score less than 50%.

So, the European leaders should not yield to Ankara’s manipulations
or blackmails… Even if they are obliged to announce a date for
the opening of the negotiations, this opening must absolutely
be conditioned with the total suppression of all these failures
incompatible with the European Convention of Humans Right and with
the new European Constitution.

For all latest news on the situation of human rights in Turkey:

All news on the situation of human rights in Turkey since 1998:

–Boundary_(ID_uD2RBE3E0ivDrN66xhDQ2g)–