Bulletin de liaison et d'information - Institut kurde de Paris

REVUE DE PRESSE-PRESS REVIEW-BERHEVOKA ÇAPÊ-RWISTA
STAMPA-DENTRO DE LA PRENSA-BASIN ÖZETi
Human Rights Association:
1993 withnessed more
torture and deaths in Thrkey
Number of executions, murders, missing people, deaths by torture,
unidentified killers and journalists in detention increased during the past year
135 fall victim to 'extrajudicial killings,' 21 killed
under torture, 29 reported 'missing' under detention,
6 journalists and 8 newspaper distributors murdered
By Sinan y,lmaz
Turkish Daily News
ANKARA- Turkey's human rights record
has suffered another blow with an increasing
number of deaths and abuses occurring
in the past year, accorqing to a recently
issued report by the Ankara-based Turkish
Human Ril!hts Association (lHD). In
announcinl! these findings in its 1993 annual
report, me IHD said that because of the
rapid increase in human rights abuses, this
year it would begin issuing reports on a
monthly basis.
The association said that in 1993, attacks
by security forces on groups and individuals
increased as did extrajudicial deaths
(killings by security forces without due
legal process), especIally in Istanbul. In the
Southeast 3,750 civilians were killed and
1,490 wounded in ongoing clashes and there
is still no solution in sigbt to the Kurdish
problem.
The association, whose report concentrated
on alleged rights violations by the security
forces and state agencies, did not refer to
deliberate attacks on civilian targets by the
outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK).
It did, however, accuse Ankara of hiding
Turkey's economic and social realities
behind the excuse of terrorism.
No mention was made in the report of the
PKK's syqematic campaign in the
Southeast which targ,eted engineers, teachers,
students and CiVil servants, but association
sources said that in 1994, such activities
would be closely monitored. The commentary
noted that 1993 had been a nega-
live year regarding democratization and
human .righ.ts and said. that "day l''' day
Turkey IS bemg dragged mto darknes~ ..
It continued that all criticism of current
economic, political, social and cultural policies
was reßarded by the authorities as a
criminal oflense and that any strul!l!le for
~ghts was faced with new bans anfoppressIOn.
The report also noted that the debate on
capital punishment had resurfaced in 1993
and that nothin~ had yet been done regarding
the form.atlOn of a ministry of human
rights as had been promised by the coalition
government. State Minister Mehmet
Kahraman has recently threatened to resign
if the proposed ministry is not established.
Observers have said that in the past, ~overnments
had been very keen to deClare
their 0rr0siti01' to human ri~hts ahll't's
while at the same time denying that there
have been any violations. The failure, however,
to establish a human rights ministry, is
cited as the main obstacle m proving that
~he coalition government is sincere on this
Issue.
The IHD's 1993 human rights summary
listed 21 people suspected of being killed by
police torture and 29 people wlio "disappeared"
while in detentIOn.
The report also said that in 1993, a total
of 510 people had been killed in "mystery
murders," a reference normally used to
e~plain political as~as~in~tions i.n which the
killers escape. It SaId SIXJournalIsts, three of
whom were working for the .pro-Kurdish
ÖzgtirGündem newspapèr, were killed
along with eight newspaper distributors.
. A total o~ 51journiilists were imprisoned
In 1993, while In the 1992- I 993 period 260
newspapers and magazines were seized.
~ome 33 books we.re banned from publicatIOn
and all caples were confiscated.
Journalists and authors were sentenced to a
total of 231 years imprisonment and fined
TL 21.000 billion. The report noted than in
1993. four political parties had been closed
down while cases were being prepared for
the closure of two others. The defunct parties
were identified as the Socialist Party
(SP), the People's Labor Party (HEP), the
Socialist Turkish Party (STP) ..and the
Freedom and Democracy Party (OZDEP).
The Socialist Unity Party (SBP) and the
Democracy Party (DEP) now face the threat
of closure. A total of 48 associations were
closed down in 1993.
The report said that during security operations
in southeastern Turkey, security forces
had evacuated a total of 874 villages and
hamlets, of which some were torched to prevent
them from beino used again by the villagers.
It also said ltat the situation in the
region was deteriorating.
The IHD is an independent organization
whose main function is to monitor Turkish
human rights violations. The Human Rights
Foundation (TIHV) which is more instltutionalized,
concentrates mainly on the rehabilitation
and treatment of torture victims
and publishes its own annual reports. In
1993, a total of 323 people applied to the
TIHV for medicaltreatment and to participate
in rehabilitation programs for torture
victims. Of these, 115 applied in Ankara,
107 in tzmir and 101 in Istanbul.
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