"MR. SEZER, DO NOT RATIFY THE TERROR LAW"
Tolga Korkut

BÝA, Turkey
July 3 2006

Representatives of 15 organizations send letter to President Sezer
asking him not to ratify amendment in Turkey’s Anti-Terror Law:
"The law surrenders personal rights and freedoms to the conscience
of security forces; eliminates all basic human rights".

BÝA (Istanbul) – Representatives of 15 organisation including political
parties and democratic mass organisations have sent a joint letter
to President Ahmet Necdet Sezer requesting him not to ratify the
amendments in Turkey’s Anti-Terror Law (TMY).

Referring to last week’s Parliament General Assembly approval of the
controversial draft, the letter said the new TMY "surrenders personal
rights and freedoms to the conscience of the security forces and
eliminates basic human rights". The bill will go into force only if
the President ratifies it.

The letter stressed that the law had dangers to democracy and human
rights by listing a number of serious drawbacks and possibilities:

Disappearances under detention could be revived: "The law severely
restricts the right to defence. Personal safety is endangered with
the republic prosecutor being authorised to order for a suspect not
to be allowed to contact relatives or receive the assistance of an
attorney as of the moment of detention. This situation raises concern
that ‘disappearance under detention’ incidents could be revived.

Those thinking differently cannot express their opinion, organise:
"It is known that the whole of the society does not think in the
same way on issues such as the ‘Armenian Genocide, Cyprus Question,
Kurdish Problem’ which are the red points of the state. The law totally
abolishes the right of persons, intellectuals and institutions that
think differently [on these] to share their views with the public. Any
individual who expresses their opinion, organises according to their
opinion, can be put on trial for a terrorism offence under this law".

Gangs, killers encouraged: "Article 15 of the law rules that even
if an arrest is required, anti-terrorism officials on trial for
killing people, evacuating villages, torture, can be tried without
being remanded in custody. This article is an arrangement intending
to encourage the killers and gangs".

Tax pays for cost of offending officials: "The state will meet the
legal defence costs of security officials who commit an offence. The
limit of this payment has not been determined. It is disturbing that
the crimes of these officials will be paid for with our taxes".

Prof. Dr. Ibrahim Kaboglu told bianet in an exclusive interview
last week that due to articles in violation of the constitution,
he expected President Sezer to return the law to Parliament rather
than ratify it in its current form.

The organisations that have undersigned the letter to Sezer are:

Human Rights Association Ýstanbul Branch, Labout Party Istanbul
Provincial Organisation, Freedom and Solidarity Party Istanbul
Organisation, Democratic Society Party Istanbul Provincial
Organisation, Socialist Democracy Party Istanbul Provincial
Organisation, Initiatives of 78’s, Labour Movement Party, Peace
Mothers, Initiative Against Thought Crime, Socialist Platform of
the Oppressed, Young Civilians, Halkevleri Istanbul Branch, Kurdish
Institute, Socialist Solidarity Platform, Association to Assist
Prisoner Families.

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