Droits
de l'Homme / Human Rights
Foundation Investigates Human Rights in School
Books
Following a project carried out from 2002 to 2004, in which school
books were analysed in terms of human rights issues, the History
Foundation (Tarih Vakfi) has started a new project.
Now, books prepared for a new curriculum are to be analysed.
The aim is to complete the analysis of the new books by April 2008. The
foundation will rely heavily on voluntary help, and thus carried out a
two-day workshop for project volunteers at the Turkey Human Rights
Foundation (TIHV) Ankara centre.
The volunteers are mostly made up of teachers, undergraduate and
graduate students, as well as parents. The workshops were attended by
around 70 people. Ayse Erzan, member of the project managing board, as
well as seven members of the advisory board, Ayse Gül Altinay,
Sedat
Aslantas, Melike Türkan Bagli, Kenan Cayir, Betül
Cotuksöken, Gürol
Irzik, and Mutlu Öztürk spoke of "criteria of qualitative
analysis."
The findings resulting from the project will be evaluated by academics
and published as a book. Volunteers and academics have come together in
Istanbul once before, and will meet in Istanbul and Ankara in January.
The project is being organised by the History Foundation in partnership
with the Turkey Human Rights Foundation, supported by EU grants. The
first project was carried out in order to improve the content of school
books and curricula, and in order to educate new generations who would
respect differences, different beliefs, cultures and identities, and
who would be pacificist and creative.
At the time, 190 school books of primary and middle school (i.e. of the
first eight years of school) were examined in terms of form, content
and pedagogical methods, within the main criteria of human rights and a
culture of democracy. In total, 4,000 problems were found.
Analysis of changes and continuing problems
The second project now aims at examining the curriculum changes of the
last years in a systematic manner in order to identify improvements as
well as continuing problems.
The project also foresees two panels for teachers, educators and
schoolbook writers, a survey to measure how teachers and students
evaluate coursebooks in terms of human rights, and an international
symposium on the issue. (BIA, Gökce Gündüc, December 28,
2007)
Activist Keskin's Case Awaits 301 Changes
Despite the Supreme Court of Appeals overturning her sentence, Eren
Keskin, a lawyer and former president of the Istanbul branch of the
Istanbul Rights Association (IHD) has been retried by the Kartal 3rd
Penal Court in Istanbul.
The court case has now been postponed until 7 February, by which time
changes in Article 301 are predicted to have been made. Minister of
Justice Mehmet Ali Sahin announced on 25 December that the changes
would be presented to cabinet within fifteen days.
Sentenced for speaking of sexual torture by the state
When in Köln, Germany, in 2002, Keskin spoke about sexual torture
by
the state at a conference entitled "Women's Rights Equal Human Rights".
The court case was brought after the Turkish Armed Forces and Prof. Dr.
Necla Arat filed complaints against Keskin. She was sentenced to 10
months imprisonment, converted into a fine of 6,000 YTL for "insulting
the psychological personality of the military forces."
The Supreme Court of Appeals later overturned the sentence on
procedural grounds. (BIA, Tolga KORKUT, December 26, 2007)
Nine Educators Condemned over Literature Contest
Nine educators received criticism over a literature essay contest since
sultan Vahdettin was criticised as “traitor” in one of the essays.
A literature essays contest was launched in the elementary and
secondary schools in Edirne's Keşan province on 29 October Republic
Celebrations. It was argued that the essay which received the third
best essay prize, carried insult to Ottoman sultans.
A local paper reported the affair with the headline “swear at your
ancestors and win the prize”. Keşan Education Department launched
investigation against nine executive members and teachers of the
commissions who assessed the essays, commission members were criticised
and received condemnation. (www.antenna-tr.org,December
26, 2007)
Police Claims 12 terrorist organizations active in
Turkey
The Security Department has revealed there are 12 active terrorist
groups in Turkey, four of them ultra left wing, three separatist groups
and five with religious tendencies.
According to a study conducted by the counter terrorism department of
the Security Directorate the PKK terrorists are the least educated.
The left wing groups include Revolutionary Peoples Liberation
Party/Front (DHKP/C), Maoist Communist Party (MKP), Turkish Communist
Party/Marxist Leninist Conference (TKP/ML-KONFERANS) and Marxist
Leninist Communist Party (MLKP).
The separatist groups are Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) which is also
called KONGRA-GEL, Kurdistan Revolution Party (PSK) and Kurdistan
Democrat Party/Bakur (PDK).
The religious orientated terrorists groups include the Hizbullah, the
Khilafat State (HD), Islamic Great Eastern Raiders Front (IBDA/C), the
Jerusalem Warriors (Tevhid-Selam) and El Qaida (Turkish branch).
According to a study conducted among 262 PKK inmates in prisons 54
percent of the PKK militants are between the ages of 140 to 25, 34
percent between the ages of 26 and 37 and 12 percent between the ages
of 38 to 58.
Also according to the study 11 percent of the inmates are university
graduates, 16 percent are high school graduates, 13 percent are
secondary school graduates and 39 percent are primary school graduates
while only nine percent are illiterate.
About the terrorist organizations based on religion 2.5 percent of
their members are between the ages of 10 to 14 while 72.5 percent are
between the ages of 14 to 25. The study shows 17 percent of the
militants are between the ages of 25 to 29 and 6 percent between the
ages of 30 to 34. Only 2 percent are between the ages of 35 to 65.
The study showed that the members of the terrorist organizations based
on religion are relatively well educated. 22.5 percent are university
graduates, 40.5 are high school graduates, 14 percent are secondary
school graduates, 18 percent are primary school graduates, 2.5 percent
know how to read and write and 1.5 percent are illiterate.
Among the left-wing militants who number around 826 in prisons 65
percent are between the ages of 14 to 25, 16.8 percent between the ages
of 25 to 30 and 17.5 percent above 30.
20.4 percent of the left-wing militants in the prisons are university
graduates, 33.5 are high school graduates, 14 percent are secondary
school graduates, 29.9 are primary school graduates and 1.9 are
illiterate. (The New Anatolian, 25 December 2007)
Une pierre tombale frappée de censure pour
« propagande organisationnelle »
Le père de Zeliha Güdenoglu, une militante abattue dans un
affrontement
en 1995, est poursuivi en justice car la pierre tombale de sa fille
porte l’inscription « Ils sont morts invaincus ». Cette
inscription
restera couverte d’une couche de mastic jusqu’à l’issue de son
procès.
Une pierre tombale située dans le cimetière du district
de Kadinhani à
Konya a été saisie par les autorités judiciaires
pour motif de «
propagande organisationnelle » en raison de l’inscription «
Ils sont
morts invaincus » Mehmet Güdenoglu, père de la
défunte a été inculpé
pour avoir été le commanditaire de l’inscription.
Cette curieuse histoire commence avec la mort lors d’une fusillade
d’une femme dénommée Zeliha Güdenoglu à
Tokat. Les parents de cette
femme originaire de Konya ont fait venir le corps auprès d’eux
pour
l’inhumer dans le hameau de Atlanti situé dans le district de
Kadinhani.
La pierre tombale a été profanée par des inconnus
le 4 novembre 2007.
Avec l’aide de l’Association de solidarité avec les
détenus et les
condamnés (TAYAD), une nouvelle pierre tombale a
été érigée ornée de
l’inscription « Ils sont morts invaincus ». A propos de ses
travaux de
restauration menés le 15 décembre, le père
Güdenoglu raconte ceci: «
J’alignais les mosaïques lorsque la gendarmerie est
arrivée. Ils m’ont
dit : «Ils sont morts invaincus », c’est le slogan de
l’organisation
DHKP-C. Nous allons confisquer la pierre. » Nous nous avons
été
conduits [des membres de TAYAD ainsi que des ouvriers du service des
pompes funèbres, NDT] au commissariat. Ils ont pris notre
déposition.
Ils ont renouvelé leur volonté de confisquer la pierre.
J’ai demandé de
ne pas le faire pour que la tombe ne demeure pas anonyme. J’ai
proposé
de recouvrir provisoirement l’inscription dans l’attente du verdict de
mon procès. Ils ont accepté. L’inscription sur la
pierre tombale a été
recouverte d’un mastic blanc. Nous agirons selon l’issue du
procès. »
Le père Güdenoglu rappelle que cette inscription figure
depuis 11 ans «
selon la volonté de ma fille ». Et d’ajouter : « Je
ne comprends pas
qu’aujourd’hui, cela devienne un problème ». Le mois
dernier, la pierre
tombale d’une militante dénommée Fatma Hülya Tumgan
décédée des suites
d’une grève de la faim jusqu’à la mort et inhumée
à Merzifon en
province de Samsun a été saisie par la justice en raison
de la même
inscription pour motif de « faire l’éloge du crime et du
criminel ». (Article paru dans le quotidien
turc « Sabah »
- bahar_kimyongur@yahoo.fr, 23 décembre 2007)
TIHV: Kevser Mizrak's Death in Police Raid is Murder
After 38-year old Kevser Mizrak [presumed DHKP-C member] was killed by
police during a raid at
her house on 10 December, the Turkish Human Rights Foundation (TIHV)
said:
"Every death during police raids is a muder. We say no to extrajudicial
and judicial team killings."
Last such cases in Ankara/Istanbul
in 1995
The foundation has called on the government to make all efforts to shed
light on the case. It pointed out that such violations of the right to
life had not happened in Ankara or Istanbul since 1995. The foundation
was worried about a possible return to the period of 1993-1995:
"The last deaths during a police raid were the murders of Mustafa
Selcuk, Sirin Erol and Seyhan Ayyildiz on 12 April 1995 in Ankara. This
is a situation where law is suspended, where judiciary organs are left
out the process, and where the police decides who is guilty or
innocent."
Guns are last resort
TIHV argued that this kind of practice was used to spread fear and
pointed out the principle of gun use:
"Guns are supposed to be used as a last resort and in order to disable
a person who is trying to flee or attack. We want to believe that the
police and gendarmerie forces remain within legitimate limits when
using guns. However, this recent event has made us believe that guns
are not being used as a last resort." (BIA, Tolga Korkut, December 14,
2007)
No
Information on the Execution of Erdal Eren
78 Generation Initiative requested a reopening of the case of Erdal
Eren under the Law on the Rights to have Information, on the
anniversary of his execution last year. The initiative wanted to know
the contents of his autopsy report.
The spokesperson of the Initiative Celalettin Can said they received an
answer one month after their application yet the reply merely said
“there is no truth to the claims” and 'record is not found'. Attorneys
of the foundation opened a case in Istanbul Administrative Court in
January 2006. Can said that there was no progress in the case.
78 Generation Initiative said:
Eren was among the 24 people who was arrested on 2 February 1980 at a
demonstration protesting the killing of METU student Sinan Suner.
Eren
was charged with killing Private Zekeriya Önge during a fight at
the
demonstration. He was fast tracked and got condemned to capital
punishment on 19 March 1980.
Eren was 17 when he was executed. The autopsy report of the private
Zekeriya Önge said that the bullet that killed him was from G-3
arm
(used by state). Reports were covered up. (www.antenna-tr.org,
December 12, 2007)
Prof. Yayla Faces Five Years in Prison
The prosecutor asked the court to condemn Prof Yayla to five years
prison sentence in the case over his statements at a panel discussion.
Prof Yayla had attended a panel discussion organised by AKP’s Youth
branch, on ‘the social effects of the relations between Turkey and the
EU' where Yayla was claimed to have referred Mustafa Kemal Atatürk
as
'this man”. He was charged under the law on crimes against Ataturk.
The prosecutor told İzmir Criminal Court of First Instance Num. 8 that
Yayla had insulted the memory of Ataturk and asked the court to punish
him with 5 years prison sentence. As Yayla’s attorneys wanted to submit
defence in writing, the court set the next hearing on 28 January 2008.
"(In EU process) They will ask us why there are statues of Atatürk
everywhere? Why there is the picture of the same man in every single
official room? We will discuss it sooner or later..."
Academician Filiz Silenced
As the new head of Universities Higher Board (YÖK) Prof. Dr. Yusuf
Ziya
Özcan declared that all bans would be removed; an academician from
Konya Selçuk University filed an investigation on Doç.
Dr. Şahin Filiz
who expressed his views on TV. Filiz is being investigated for being
out of town without permission and speaking on TV. Filiz's attorney Ali
Altay said he was punished for his views on the headscarf. Filiz had
said on TV that there was no headscarf in the Koran.
(www.antenna-tr.org, December 12, 2007)
IHD-TIHV: Turkey's Human Rights Situation "Discouraging"
The Human Rights Association (IHD) and the Turkish Human Rights
Foundation (TIHV) released a report on the occasion of 10 December,
Human Rights Day, saying: "Although 59 years have passed since the
Universal Declaration of Human Rights, Turkey has not developed its
constitutional and legal system as envisaged by the United Nations and
the principles of the declaration."
Hüsnü Öndül, president of the IHD, and Yavuz
Önen, president of the
TIHV, established the following in their report:
Right to live: Turkey has not been successful enough in protecting the
right to life. Although the death penalty was abolished in 2002, there
are still deaths on the hands of security forces and deaths from
torture.
Torture: Although Turkey’s legal system forbids torture, the frequent
and systematic use of torture is still continuing in detention centres,
prisons and informal detention centres. There has been no determined
effort to put preventative measures into place, there are no effective
investigations; in short, there is a policy of impunity. Turkey must
ratify the Optional Protocol to the United Nations’ Convention against
Torture.
Personal freedom and security: Changes in the Law on Police Duties and
Authorities have left this right insecure and have allowed the police
to act at their own discretion. Examples of this danger are the
executions by the police in Istanbul and Izmir, the arbitrary ID
controls the police has carried out in several cities, the body
searches, arbitrary arrests and the judiciary decrees which allow these
practices.
Freedom of expression: At least 14 articles in the Turkish Penal Code,
Articles 6 and 7 in the Anti-Terrorism Law, and many clauses in laws
that foresee punitive sanctions threaten the freedom of expression.
Speaking out on any topic can be turned into a crime.
Fair trials: Generally, the judiciary does not decree according to the
case law of the European Court of Human Rights. There are no effective
investigations in trial processes. The state’s interests and
understanding of security can be more important than human rights.
Kurdish issue: The constraints in learning one’s mother tongue, the
restrictions on education and the mandatory use of Turkish for
political parties continue. There is not enough process in the issue of
displaced persons. The neglect of economic and social rights in the
Southeast continues.
Prisons: Isolation in cells continues and the mandate to ease
conditions is not being applied. There are still complaints about
torture. There is no monitoring by civilian bodies.
Demonstrations and marches: The police intervene in peaceful
demonstrations and uses excessive force; however, when there are racist
or nationalist attacks, this is evaluated as “the right to demonstrate”
and the perpetrators are not brought to justice.
Laicism, freedom of religion: The existence of the Department of
Religious Affairs, obligatory Religious Education classes at school,
and clothing rules are still problems. There are still attacks on
non-Muslims. Cem houses, the places of worship for Alevis, are denoted
as “culture centres”.
Protection of human rights activists: Court cases against IHD leaders
and members continue. The president of the Adana branch was given a
prison sentence, while a court case demanding the closure of the Mersin
branch started on Human Rights Day. The Chief Prosecutor of the Supreme
Council of Appeals, when opening a case to close the pro-Kurdish
Democratic Society Party (DTP), judged the IHD as well. (BIA, Tolga
KORKUT, December 10, 2007)
Une militante du DHKP-C abattue dans une fusillade
à Ankara
D'après le communiqué du bureau du gouverneur d'Ankara,
repris par
l'AFP, une militante d'extrême gauche a été abattue
par la police
turque lors d'une fusillade lundi dans un appartement du centre-ville
d'Ankara. La femme, considérée comme une "terroriste",
selon les termes
du communiqué, a ouvert le feu contre les policiers venus
l'arrêter,
blessant deux d'entre-eux, avant d'être abattue.
La fusillade a eu lieu dans un appartement situé dans le
quartier
résidentiel et universitaire de Kurtulus de la capitale turque.
Toujours selon le communiqué officiel, un complice de la victime
a été
appréhendé par la police devant l'immeuble de
l'appartements avant que
les forces spéciales ne donnent l'assaut. Deux pistolets ont
été
trouvés dans l'appartement au cours de la perquisition, mais les
premières informations ne signalent pas la découverte
d'explosifs. Les
autorités n'ont pas précisé à quelle
organisation illégale appartenait
la "terroriste" tuée lors de l'intervention de la police.
Selon la TV Halkin Sesi (www.halkinsesi.tv), la femme abattue par la
police s'appelle Kevser Mizrak et militante du DHKP-C.
Agée de 38 ans, elle aurait été
arrêtée en 1993 à Izmir et condamnée
à
la perpétuité pour son appartenance à une
unité de guérilla urbaine du
DHKP-C. En 2002, Kevser aurait été relachée pour
une durée de 6 mois
pour raison de santé, après plusieurs mois de
grève de la faim. Lorsque
la justice décide de la réincarcérer, elle entre
en clandestinité. Deux
autres militants auraient été capturés au cours de
l'opération
policière menée aujourd'hui à Ankara. Refusant de
parler, l'un des
militants n'a toujours pas été identifié par la
police. L'autre
militant connu des services de police en raison de son long
passé
révolutionnaire et carcéral est Sezgin Celik
âgé de 41 ans.
Selon la même source, les premiers experts indépendants
interrogés sur
l'opération de ce matin sont formels: les militants auraient pu
être
neutralisés au moyen de gaz lacrymogènes. Certains
témoins oculaires
parlent de tirs sans sommations de la police. Depuis juin dernier, la
police turque jouit d'une liberté sans précédent:
on dénombre depuis
l'été dernier, une quinzaine d'exécutions
extrajudiciaires et de décès
suite aux tortures policières. (AFP-TV Halkin Sesi, 10
décembre 2007)
Happy Human Rights Week in Turkey!
It is Human Rights Week. 59 years ago on 10 December 1948 the Universal
Declaration of Human Rights was accepted. The declaration is accepted
as the constitiuion of Human Rights and the week of its declaration is
celebrated every year as “Human Rights Week”. It will be celebrated in
Turkey too. However the activities will be a bit different. Courts will
celebrate this week by trying academics, politicians, artists, writers,
publishers and journalists for expressing their ideas. The program will
be on all through the week in İstanbul, İzmir and Şırnak. All welcome,
it is free.
The program of activities:
10 December, Monday :
Academics', Writers' and Publishers' Day
Trial of Atilla Yayla: Izmir 8th Criminal Court of First Instance, 10
December 2007 at 09:45 am
Prof. Dr Atilla Yayla of Gazi University who was suspended stands trial
under ¨the Law protecting the memory of Ataturk¨. Yayla was
suspended
for criticising ¨the existence of Ataturk pictures and statues
everywhere¨. Yayla had said ¨ın the integration to the EU
process they
will ask us why there are the statues and pictures of this man
everwhere?... Our guys will react to that strongly they will say that
Kemalism is our own issue.. but sooner or later we will discuss that...
Kemalism is a regression rather than progress.¨
Trial of Ismail Besikci, Mehmet Ali Izmir, Ferzende Kaya: Bakirkoy 2nd
Criminal Court of First Instance, 10 December 2007 at 11:00 am
The chief of Staff of the Army filed a ¨classified¨ complaint
on 19
January 2006 to the Ministry of Justice over an article written by
İsmail Beşikçi published in popular culture magazine
¨Esmer¨ in
December 2006 issue. A case was opened against executives of the
magazine Ferzende Kaya and Mehmet Ali İzmir under article 301 of TPC.
12 December, Wednesday :
Journalists' Day
Trial of Umur Hozatli, Nurettin Akalp: Beyoğlu 2nd Criminal Court of
First Instance, 12 December 2007 at 09:30 am.
12 September is a good day to kill a boy in Diyarbakır (meaning Fevzi
Abık). Good kids of 12 September coup have become known under the names
of ¨TİT¨, ¨JİT¨ or JİTEM¨. Hozatlı is charged with
insulting the
security forces.
Trial of Irfan Ucar, Hasan Bayar: Beyoglu 2nd Criminal Court of First
Instance, 12 December 2007 at 10:30 am
The case was opened against journalists Irfan Uçar and the
responsible
editor of Gündem daily Hasan Bayar over an article ¨number
301¨ by Uçar
published on 13 December 2005 dated issue of the paper. The complainant
is Ministry of Justice. Uçar and Bayar are charged with
humiliating the
government, the justice system, police and the military forces of the
state.
13 December, Thursday :
Artists' and Politicians' Day
Trial of Aydin Budak: Cizre Criminal Court of First Instance, 13
December 2007 at 09:00 am
Cizre mayor Aydın Budak stands trial over a speech he made at Newroz
celebrations with the charge of “inciting hatred and hostility among
the people” and “praising a crime and a criminal”. Cizre prosecution
office’s indictment argued that Budak said “Hello Imralı, Happy Newroz”
celebrating Ocalan. The indictment also noted that an examination of
the whole sppech text, considering Budak´s position and the crowd
he
addressed it was not possible to consider his speech in the limits of
freedom of expression.
Trial of Ferhat Tunc Yoslun, Mehmet Colak: Beyoglu 2nd Criminal Court
of First Instance, 13 December 2007 at 10:00 am
The case is about Ferhat Tunç´s piece titled ¨A
REVOLUTIONARY LEYLA AND A SONG¨ published in Özgür
Gündem newspaper.
14 December, Friday : Publisher's
Day
Trial of Ahmet Onal: Istanbul 11th. High Criminal Court, 14 December
2007 at 09:10 am
Owner of Peri publishing house Ahmet Onal stands trial for Hejare
Samil´s book ¨The Kurds in Diaspora¨.
See
http://www.antenna-tr.org/dunya/first_page_en.asp
for this month’s cases on freedom of expression and other statistics.
Terreur avec « erreur zéro »
à Sarigazi: 36 gardes à vue
Sarigazi est un quartier stambouliote situé aux abords de
l’arrondissement d’Ümraniye. Il est l’un de ces nombreux faubourgs
dissidents où la gauche radicale est traditionnellement fort
implantée.
Sarigazi est aussi la chasse gardée de la gendarmerie (sorte de
police
militaire appelée « jandarma » en turc) qui se livre
quotidiennement à
des actes d’intimidation, des arrestations et des tortures. La terreur
militaire et policière s’est à ce point multipliée
dans l’ensemble du
pays, ces derniers mois, grâce notamment à l’extension de
la « loi sur
les fonctions et la compétence de police » que le ministre
de
l’intérieur Besir Atalay a dû se raviser en adoptant une
circulaire qui
appelle la police à agir avec une marge « d’erreur
zéro ».
Cette recommandation n’a pas empêché la gendarmerie (qui
dépend certes
de l’armée et non de la police) de mener une
énième rafle ce mercredi
matin à 5h à Sarigazi durant laquelle 36 personnes ont
été arrêtées de
manière brutale et injustifiée.
Parmi ces 36 personnes interpellées, seuls les noms des
personnes
suivantes ont été communiquées à la presse:
Ugur Celik, Kemal Avci,
Hüseyin Avci, Mahir Boz, Deniz Külek, Sercan Saritas et Cem
Nacar. La
plupart d’entre elles sont des membres actifs de la section locale de
la Fédération pour les droits et les libertés
fondamentaux (Temel
Haklar ve Özgürlükler Federasyonu). On compte aussi le
fils du maire de
Sarigazi parmi les personnes interpellées.
Aux familles qui se sont rendues à la caserne de la gendarmerie
pour
exiger la libération de leurs proches, on a répondu
sèchement que les
personnes arrêtées formaient une liste de 85 personnes
recherchées et
que les perquisitions allaient se poursuivre.
Sitôt dit sitôt fait : à 16h, les gendarmes ont
investi le local de la
Fédération pour les droits et les libertés de
Sarigazi en espérant
pouvoir y trouver le reste des 85 personnes recherchées.
D’autres quartiers d’Istanbul, notamment ceux du « 1er mai
» (1 Mayis)
et de Karabayir ont été le théâtre de
perquisitions similaires
perpétrées cette fois par la police. Yetis Kirman,
sympathisant de la
section anatolienne de la Fédération pour les droits et
les libertés
fondamentaux et Emre Iskender, membre de la locale située
à Ikitelli
ont été arrêtés sans le moindre motif. La
circulaire ministérielle
semble avoir été suivie par les forces de
sécurité à la lettre : la
terreur d’Etat continue avec « erreur zéro ».
(Sources : www.halkinsesi.tv
- www.temelhaklar.com )
Une
députée européenne appelle
la Turquie à un "rebond démocratique"
Une députée du Parlement européen a exhorté
mercredi le gouvernement
turc à un "rebond démocratique" afin d'étendre les
libertés
individuelles dans le pays et à réviser un article
pénal controversé
qui est à l'origine de la poursuite d'intellectuels.
"Il faut un nouvel élan démocratique, un rebond
démocratique (...) afin
de lever les obstacles qui sont mis sur la route de la
démocratie en
Turquie", a déclaré Hélène Flautre
(Verts/ALE), présidente de la
sous-commission des droits de l'Homme qui a conduit une mission en
Turquie.
La parlementaire européenne a appelé, au terme de ses
entretiens,
Ankara à faire "avancer réellement les réformes"
entreprises pour
s'aligner sur les normes démocratiques européennes.
Mme Flautre, qui a rendu compte de sa rencontre avec le ministre turc
de la Justice Mehmet Ali Sahin, s'est félicitée du fait
que ce dernier
lui ait fait part d'une volonté de révision "imminente"
de l'article
301 du code pénal afin que celui-ci ne serve plus "à des
discriminations ethniques".
L'article 301 porte sur le "dénigrement de l'identité
turque" et a valu
des procès à plusieurs écrivains et journalistes,
dont le prix Nobel de
littérature 2006 Orhan Pamuk et le journaliste d'origine
arménienne
Hrant Dink, assassiné en janvier.
"Le ministre nous a indiqué que les pensées, y compris
les plus
choquantes, ne devaient pas être l'argument d'une condamnation",
a
souligné la parlementaire.
La Commission européenne a plusieurs fois exhorté Ankara
à réviser l'article 301.
Mme Flautre s'est par ailleurs indignée de la persistance de la
torture
en Turquie, qui a entamé en 2005 des négociations
d'adhésion à l'Union
européenne, insistant sur la nécessité d'une
"condamnation systématique
des agents publics impliqués dans cette pratique".
"L'objectif de tolérance zéro prônée par le
gouvernement (turc) est un
objectif louable", a-t-elle jugé, dénonçant
toutefois "la grande
impunité" dont jouiraient les forces de sécurité
soupçonnées d'infliger
de mauvais traitements. (AFP, 5 déc 2007)
A Judge: “I Don’t Care about the law if my country
is at Stake”
Mithat Sancar and Eylem Ümit from Economic and Social Studies
Foundation (TESEV) held a poll among judges and prosecutors on "the
interests of the state or the justice? Democracy or security?"
According to the results judges and prosecutors mostly think that there
can be a conflict between democracy and the security of the state or
justice and the interest of the state in which case the interests of
the state should be upheld.” Here are some answers:
"I am a pro-state law professional”, "State comes first", "we are from
pro-state school", "there can be no law without the state, nor can we."
"I don’t care about the law if my country is at stake."
"My individual rights are useless without the existence of my state."
Judges and prosecutors answered another question with “Human rights are
a bit exaggerated.”(www.antenna-tr.org, December 1, 2007)
La
Turquie condamnée pour plusieurs
violations des droits de l'Homme
La Cour européenne des droits de l'Homme a condamné jeudi
la Turquie
pour plusieurs violateions des droits de l'Homme, notammen pour avoir
déchu avoir déchu de son mandat un député un
député pro-foulard islamique, jugeant qu'il
s'agissait d'une atteinte au droit à des élections libres.
Bekir Sobaci était depuis 1999 député du Fazilet
Partisi (Parti de la
Vertu) qui a été dissout en juin 2001 parce que certains
de ses membres
avaient qualifié de persécution l'interdiction du port de
foulard
islamique, en contradiction avec le principe de laïcité
inscrit dans la
constitution turque. Le député déchu et trois
autres membres du parti
reçurent en outre l'interdiction d'adhérer à un
autre parti politique
pour une période de cinq ans.
Le requérant se présenta aux élections
législatives de novembre 2002 comme candidat indépendant,
mais ne fut pas élu.
Dans son arrêt, la Cour européenne conclut à
l'unanimité, à la
violation de l'article 3 du Protocole n° 1 (droit à des
élections
libres) de la Convention européenne des droits de l'Homme.
Elle admet que la déchéance parlementaire avait pour
finalité de
préserver le caractère laïc du régime
politique turc mais estime
qu'elle n'était pas proportionnée aux buts poursuivis.
"La déchéance
d'un mandat parlementaire est une sanction d'une extrême
gravité" selon
la CEDH.
La Cour observe par ailleurs que certains membres du Fazilet Partisi,
dont le président et le vice-président qui se trouvaient
dans une
situation comparable à celle du requérant, n'ont subi
aucune sanction.
La mort d'un manifestant dans un
commissariat
La Turquie a été condamnée jeudi par la Cour
européenne des droits de
l'Homme après la mort par balle d'un homme de 29 ans dans un
commissariat d'Istanbul.
Les juges de Strasbourg ont alloué 15.000 euros pour dommage
matériel
au frère de la victime, un habitant de Montreuil (France) qui
avait
porté plainte devant la CEDH pour violation du droit à la
vie.
Vedathan Gülsenoglu, un étudiant âgé de 19
ans, avait été arrêté en
mars 1994, alors qu'il participait à une manifestation à
Istanbul.
Conduit au commissariat, il avait été atteint
mortellement à l'arrière
du crâne par un coup de feu tiré par l'un des agents de la
circulation
qui l'avait appréhendé. L'agent fut condamné
à 20 ans de prison,
jugement ensuite cassé pour vice de procédure et
l'affaire est toujours
pendante.
La Cour a considéré que le recours à la force
meurtrière tombe
pleinement sous le coup de la Convention européenne des droits
de
l'Homme même si on avait prétendu que la victime
était en possession
d'une arme à feu au moment des faits.
Aucune réponse n'ayant été donnée à
cette question, le gouvernement a
manqué à son obligation de fournir une explication
convaincante aux
événements litigieux, selon l'arrêt.
Condamnation dans deux
affaires pour garde à vue abusive
La Cour européenne des droits de l'Homme (CEDH) a
condamné mardi la
Turquie pour la durée jugée abusive de la garde à
vue de citoyens turcs
soupçonnés d'appartenir au Parti des travailleurs du
Kurdistan (PKK) ou
de l'avoir aidé.
Dans une première affaire, les juges de la CEDH ont
alloué un total de
7.000 euros pour préjudice moral à trois
requérants, Medine Yakut,
Sebiha Zengin et Huseyin Hutanc, interpellés en 2000 et
accusés d'être
membres du PKK, dont la durée de la garde à vue, huit et
neuf jours,
est jugée trop longue.
Les juges de la Cour ont jugé à l'unanimité qu'il
y avait eu violation de l'article 5.3 (droit à la liberté
et à la sécurité).
Dans une deuxième affaire, le requérant, Mehmet Siddik
Celepkulu,
soupçonné d'avoir aidé le PKK, s'était
plaint de tortures infligés par
les policiers et d'aveux extorqués "sous la pression" en 1997,
ainsi
que d'une durée excessive de la garde à vue.
Dans son arrêt, la Cour n'a pas retenu les faits de tortures,
estimant
que "les allégations du requérant ne sauraient passer
pour avoir été
dûment étayées", mais elle alloue au
requérant une somme de 2.500 euros
pour préjudice moral pour violation de l'article 5.3. (AFP,
27-29 nov 2007)
Pression
sur les médias / Pressure on the Media
New
Year Cards to 18 Journalists Imprisoned in Turkey
President
Abdullah Gül's claim that there is no imprisoned person for
opinion in
Turkey is contested by the of Solidarity Platform of Imprisoned
Journalists
(TGDP). According to a list issued by this organization, 18 journalists
are imprisoned in Turkish prisons as of December 26, 2007 and
they
will
probably pass the New Year without
liberty. Many of
them were detained under Anti-Terror Act (TMY) which was put in to
effect on September 2006.
Recently,
two journalists were put in prison: Erdal Güler, former editor of
the
Journal Devrimci Demokrasi, and Mehmet Bakir, former editor of the
review Güney.
TGDP appeals everybody to send to 18 imprisoned journalists New Year
cards in sign of solidarity.
The below list indicates the names of 18 journalists with the
mention of the media for which they had worked and the prison
where
they are kept:
Ibrahim Cicek, Atilim, prison
type-F N°2 in Tekirdag
Sedat Senoglu, Atilim, prison type-F N°1 in Edirne
Füsun Erdogan, Ozgür Radio, special prison in Gebze
Hasan Cosar, Atilim, prison type-F in Sincan
Ziya Ulusoy, Atilim, prison type-F N°1 in Tekirdag
Bayram Namaz, Atilim, prison type-F N°1 in Edirne
Hatice Duman, Atilim, special prison in Gebze
Erol Zavar, Odak, prison type-F in Sincan
Mustafa Gök, Ekmek ve Adalet, prison type-F in Sincan
Baris Acikel, Isci Köylü, prison type-F N°1
in Kandira
Behdin Tunç, DIHA News Agency, prison type-D in Diyarbakir
Faysal Tunç, DIHA News Agency, prison type-D in Diyarbakir
Mehmet Karaaslan, Journal Gündem, prison type-E in Mersin
Ali Bulus, DIHA News Agency, prison type-F in Mersin
Hüseyin Habip Taskin, Review Güney, prison of Manisa
Mahmut Tutal, Journal Gündem, prison type-D in
Diyarbakir
Mehmet Bakir, Review Güney, Tekirdag Prison
Erdal Güler, Journal Devrimci Demokrasi, Bayrampasa Prison in
Istanbul
The Platform of Solidarity With Imprisoned Journalists (TGDP)
Communication: Necati Abay, Spokesman of TGDP; GSM: +90 0535 929
75 86
e-mail: tutuklugazeteciler@mynet.com
One Month Closure
Penalty for Yürüyüs Magazine
The "March (Yürüyüs) for Independent Democracy
Socialism" magazine
featured Kevser Mizrak on the cover of its 135th issue. Mizrak was
killed in a police raid on her home.
The Istanbul 9th Heavy Penal Court said that the cover and expressions
such as "revolutionaries die, but revolutions continue" and "they could
not force surrender" represented "propaganda of an illegal
organisation" under Article 7/2 of Law No. 3713 and the magazine was
closed for a month.
Also citing Article 25/2 of Press Law No 5187, the issue was
confiscated, and the sale and distribution of the issue has been
forbidden. The court said that the photo was of "member of an illegal
organisation who died in an armed battle with security forces."
"Freedom to express racism, fascism and support for sharia"
Halit Güdenoglu, owner and editor of the magazine, said: "If there
were
freedom of expression and the press in Turkey, then prosecutors would
not be opening dozens of cases against articles in democratic
publications."
Güdenoglu said that racist, fascist, sharia-supporting and
religious
thoughts were freely expressed in Turkey: "In this country, the press
is free to defend American imperialism, the exploitation by a
monopolising bourgeoisie, to spread their ideological and cultural
propaganda, to applaude the occupations of imperialists, and to praise
fascist terrorism, executions and lynching."
The editor of the magazine, which has been publishing for three years,
said that it was permissible to kill Kevser Mizrak when she could have
been taken alive, but that it was not permissible to write about her
murder.
Güdenoglu called on others to protest against the closure of
Yürüyüs magazine. (BIA, Emine ÖZCAN,
December 26, 2007)
Dissident Journalist Bakir Imprisoned Without
Evidence
International press cardholder journalist and editor-in-chief of
"Güney" magazine Mehmet Bakır was put in Tekirdag Prison on
December
18, 2007, to serve a two and-a-half-year prison sentence.
He was arrested in July 2002 and convicted in December 2006 on the
charge of being a member of a "non-armed terrorist organization."
Human rights groups claimed that lack of any concrete evidence against
Bakır as well as a reasoned decision by the Supreme Court amounts to a
"legal scandal".
The Platform of Solidarity With Detained Journalisted (TGDP), Amnesty
International (AI), Human Rights Association (İHD), Contemporary
Lawyers Association (CGD) and Human Rights Foundation of Turkey (TİHV)
have declared their deprecation of the trial process.
(tutuklugazeteciler@mynet.com, December 24, 2007)
Prosecution
of the Art and Culture Festival speakers
Diyarbakır Greater City Council organised “The 6th. Art and Culture
Festival of Diyarbakır” in the first week of June 2006. The festival
was planned to create a space of expression for all ethnic identities
and cultures of the region. Films, literature days, panel discussions
and concerts were held. Diyarbakır Mayor Osman Baydemir said in his
closing speech that the festival had fulfilled its mission: “We have
demonstrated the courage and tolerance of having Duduk (an Armenian
instrument) and drum, the hymns of Sryian orthodox girls and Alewi
songs, the dengbejs (Kurdish poets) and Laz musicians together on the
same scene”.
However one year and three months after the festival it became clear
that the judiciary did not share that tolerance: On 23 August 2007
Diyarbakır Public Prosecutor Turan Güzeloğlu charged Edip Polat
and
Eren Keskin who had spoken at a panel discussion as part of the
festival, on “Kurdish question and solutions”, and Murat Bağlı who did
a stand up performance.
They were charged with “inciting hatred and hostility among the people”
(TPC 216/1). The three participants face imprisonment for up to
three
years. Polat, Keskin and Bağlı will appear in Diyarbakır Criminal Court
of First Instance Num. 2 on 19 December 2007 at 09:00 am.
Murat Bağlı’s words which led to the trial:
“...wait, God help him, Ecevit is in a coma, pray God to protect
Ecevit, he said something once, he said: ‘I fear that I will see
Kurdistan before I die. And I said ‘God make you live for a thousand
year so you see four Kurdistan’.”
Writer Edip Polat presented Eren Keskin with an award of Kurdish PEN.
His charged words:
“...Before I hand this award... she is a right person she is brave, she
is Kurdish, and I am very happy that we can speak proudly in Kurdistan.”
Eren Keskin’s words:
“...I will defend to the end, the identity struggles of all oppressed
hence Kurdish people’s right to self determination, and I will continue
criticising the dominance of Turkish militarism over civilian politics.”
This week’s case of freedom of expression:
Edip Polat, Murat Bagli, Emine Eren Keskin: Diyarbakir 2nd Criminal
Court of First Instance, 19 December 2007 at 09:00 am
Murat Bağlı is charged over a stnd up show he performed at Diyarbakır
6th. Culture and Arts Festival; Edip Polat and Eren Keskin are charged
with inciting hatred and hostility among the people¨ over their
speeches at a panel discussion on ¨Solutions to Kurdish Problem in
the
past and today¨. (www.antenna-tr.org, December 18, 2007)
Writer
Magden Receives Suspended Prison Sentence
An article published in the weekly Aktüel magazine on 7 February
led to
her trial under Article 125 of the Penal Code, for "those ascribing a
concrete action or fact of a nature which can injure someone's honour
and respectability, or those fabricating facts or swearing".
Magden was thus tried for insulting district governor (Kaymakam) Aytac
Akgül, then the Kaymakam of Yüksekova, in the southeastern
province of
Hakkari.
The European Council, of which Turkey is a member, demands of its
member states that they avoid giving prison sentences for crimes of
"insult"; however, Article 125 foresees prison sentences from three
months to two years or legal fines.
Magden wrote an article entitled "The (Arrogant) Woman is the Wolf, the
Fox, the Turkey of Women: She Eats and Finishes", in which she
described what people told her of Kaymakam Akgül when she visited
the
area.
Akgül is now Kaymakam in the Bulanik district of Mus, also in the
southeast of Turkey, and it is here that the trial was initially held.
The Bulanik Chief Prosecutor Özgür Beyazit said in his
indictment of
May 2006 that the expressions Magden used were "an insult of a civil
servant due to their position".
The Bulanik Criminal Court of Peace accepted Magden's lawyer's demand
to transfer the case to the Istanbul 2nd Penal Court. This court
sentenced Magden on 4 December, arguing that the expressions went
beyond criticism. Following Article 51 of the Penal Code, her sentence
of 1 year and 2 months was suspended because she did not have a police
record.
In her article, Magden wrote: "It seems, according to those we spoke to
that the Yüksekova Kaymakam (no name needed) whose place of duty
was
later changed, was a real 'case'. Is it possible to hate the people
'out there' so much, to alienate, exclude, treat them like insects,
like enemies. We all said, is that much possible? One person said to
us, "The Kaymakam you saw yesterday? She is a Kurd from Erzurum." As a
'snow-white' Turk I could not believe it. Expressions of suprise, that
cannot be! Fervently and agitatedly. A mistake. Then an older guy among
us said: 'Do not be surprised: A Kurdish traitor is really
treacherous.'" (BIA, Erol ÖNDEROGLU, December 16, 2007)
Daily Ozgür Gündem Closed Down by the
Turkish Justice
The daily Özgür Gündem which was closed down many times
for 30 days by
the Turkish Justice has, after having completed the latest 30-day ban,
decided to stop its publication in protest against the cansorship on
the opposition press. On this occ asion, the latest issue of the daily
was printed entirely in black with the banner of "No to Censorship". On
the other hand, about 150 employees and readers of the daily carried
out a protest action in front of the Galatasaray High School in
Istanbul.
The chief editor of Özgür Gündem, Yüksel
Genç, reading a joint
communique entitled "We disclose a black spot in the history of the
Turkish press", said: "We cannot give information in this newspaper,
because Turkey is passing through a dark period, all freedoms are being
violated, all that we write are being considered a crime. For this
reason, it is no more possible to open white pages."
"In this country, only within one-year period, the publication of eight
newspapers have been stopped 18 times. They answer with military
operations to the Kurds defending peace and friendship. Hrant Dink and
others are assassinated for their opinions. The captive soldiers who
wish to use their right to life are arrested, human-beings are shot
dead by police for not obeying to the order of stop," he said.
He also confirmed their determination to defend freedoms by using all
means.
After the meeting, the dedmonstrators attempted to march towards to the
Taksim Square and to distribut there Özgür
Gündem's last issue were
pprevented by the police.
After having stopped its publication on paper, the daily
Özgür Gündem issued, on its Internet site, an appeal to
solidarity.
Joining this action, we appeal our readers to sign the petition by
visiting the following page: http://www.ozgurgundem.org/sansurehayir.asp
Singer Tunc's Trial Postponed by Five Months
Singer Ferhat Tunc has faced trials before for his involvement in peace
initiatives and speeches made at concerts.
His latest trial, opened for an article on Leyla Zana, which he wrote
for the "Yeniden Özgür Gündem" newspaper on 19 January
2004, has been
going on for four years.
Article 301 of the Turkish Penal Code has been applied to charge the
singer with "insulting and deriding the court" in the article entitled
"A Revolutionary Leyla and a Song".
In the article, Tunc wrote about the denial of release for Zana and the
other DEP MPs. He said that he was not suprised by this decision,
arguing that the result had been predictable, and that the trial was
not legal but political.
Ever since, Tunc, as well as Mehmet Colak, the responsible editor who
lives abroad, have been on trial at the Beyoglu 2nd Penal Court in
Istanbul. At the latest hearing on Wednesday, 12 December, the trial
was postponed until 8 May 2008.
An international organisation named Freemuse, dedicated to the freedom
of expression in the music sector, has started a campaign to support
Ferhat Tunc. As part of the campaign, the organisation has sent letters
to Prime Minister Erdogan and former Minister of Justice Cemil Cicek,
asking for the trial to be dropped.
Journalists denounce Article 301
Article 301 has been used against more than 100 people like Tunc and
Colak. The article was discussed at the prize giving night of the Sedat
Simavi Journalism Prizes on 12 December.
Orhan Erinc, president of the Turkish Journalists' Society (TJS) had
criticised the government for not keeping its promise to change the
article: "We consider it unacceptable that journalists continuously
feel pressurised by articles which foresee prison sentences and which
are open to interpretation." (BIA, Erol ONDEROGLU, December 16, 2007)
New Trials of Journalists and Artists
Irfan Ucar and Umur Hozatli, journalist and editor for the "Ülkede
Özgür Gündem" newspaper respectively, are on trial under
Article 301
for commenting on current affairs.
Their trial has been postponed until 22 May 2008 because the judge of
the Beyoglu 2nd Penal Code excused himself at the hearing today. This
means that the two journalists have to live with the label of
"defendant" for at least another five months. Ucar told bianet, "Even
if we do not get punished, we experience the stress all the time."
The journalists were supported at the trial by Barbara Neppert from the
German branch of Amnesty International (AI), Gillian Cleverley, also of
AI, and Sanar Yurdatapan, spokesperson for the Turkish Initiative
against Crimes of Thought.
Two journalists...
Ucar is on trial because, in an article entitled "Number 301", he
criticised the punishment of Aram Publications, which had published a
book called "They say you have disappeared". The book is about Nazim
Babaoglu, a journalist who disappeared in 1994 and was never heard of
again.
Journalist and editor Hozatli is on trial for an article entitled
"Lorin- The Good Father Started Work", published on 16 September 2006,
in which he criticised a bomb attack in a park in Diyarbakir which also
led to the deaths of children. He faces a potential prison sentence of
two years.
A singer...
Singer Ferhat Tunc is back in court today (13 December). He has been on
trial for around three years and stands accused of “insulting and
ridiculing the court".
Tunc wrote an article about Kurdish politician Leyla Zana entitled “A
Revolutionary Leyla and a Song”. It was published in the “Yeniden
Özgür
Gündem” on 19 January 2004. Tunc’s trial has been going on for
around
three years.
The responsible editor Mehmet Colak, who lives abroad, is also on trial
together with Tunc. The case is being heard at the Beyoglu 2nd Penal
Court in Istanbul.
And a urinating prosecutor...
It has emerged that Article 301, which has up to now always been used
against journalists, writers and human rights activists, will now be
applied against a prosecutor.
A.C., former prosecutor in Adiyaman, is being tried for urinating
against the court walls at night after drinking, and for swearing
heavily at members of the judiciary. The case will be heard by the
Adiyaman Heavy Penal Court. (BIA, Erol Onderoglu, December 12, 2007)
Publishers Deplore Continued Harassment as
Zarakolu Trial Drags On
Ragip Zarakolu, co-founder and owner of
Belge Publishing, is charged in Istanbul with "insulting the State"
(Article 301 TPC) and insulting the "memory of the founder of the
Republic, Atatürk" (Law 5816). This case was initiated against him
in
December 2004 for the publication of George Jerjian's book entitled:
"The truth will set us free/Armenians and Turks reconciled". The first
hearing of this case took place in Istanbul on 16 March 2005. Zarakolu
appeared again in court on 4 December 2007. Following numerous
postponements, this case was yet again postponed to 31 January 2008.
The charges carry a possible jail sentence of up to seven and a half
years.
Bjorn Smith-Simonsen, Chairman of the IPA Freedom to Publish Committee,
declares: "Ragip Zarakolu has been subjected to a series of long,
time-consuming and expensive court hearings. The case was postponed at
least seven times since the first hearing in March 2005. The conduct of
the trial in itself has begun to take the form of harassment and
punishment against the defendant for daring to produce works that touch
on sensitive issues".
Ana Maria Cabanellas, IPA President, adds: "Turkish legislation (Art.
301 TPC, Law 5816, etc.) must be amended to meet international
standards, including the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European
Union signed in Strasbourg today. Above all, it is this kind of trial
practice which will have to be changed in Turkey. In the meantime, IPA
continues to demand that publisher Zarakolu be acquitted and urges the
judiciary to complete this trial swiftly, efficiently and fairly".
The charges brought against Ragip Zarakolu are in direct conflict with
his right to freedom of expression - and freedom to publish - as
guaranteed by Article 19 of the United Nations Universal Declaration of
Human Rights, Article 19 of the International Covenant on Civil and
Political Rights (ICCPR), and Article 10 of the European Convention on
Human Rights, to which Turkey is a party. These charges are also in
breach of Article 11 of the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the
European Union. Article 11 of the Charter of Fundamental Rights, signed
in Strasbourg today by Hans-Gert Pöttering, European Parliament
President, José Manuel Barroso, Commission President, and
José
Sócrates, Portuguese Prime Minister and President-in-office of
the EU
Council, reads as follows:
"1. Everyone has the right to freedom of expression. This right shall
include freedom to hold opinions and to receive and impart information
and ideas without interference by public authority and regardless of
frontiers.
2. The freedom and pluralism of the media shall be respected."
There are currently an estimated 60 writers, publishers and journalists
under judicial process in Turkey for practicing their right to freedom
of expression.
The International Publishers Association (IPA) is the global
non-governmental organisation representing all aspects of book and
journal publishing worldwide. Established in 1896, IPA's mission is to
promote and protect publishing and to raise awareness of publishing as
a force for cultural and political advancement worldwide. IPA is an
industry association with a human rights mandate. IPA currently has 65
member associations in 53 countries. (IPA/IFEX, December 12, 2007)
Hrant Dink nommé "héros de la
liberté de la presse" par l'IPI
L'Institut international de la Presse (IPI) a nommé lundi le
journaliste turc d'origine arménienne Hrant Dink,
assassiné à Istanbul
en janvier dernier, 52ème "héros de la liberté de
la presse dans le
monde".
L'attribution de ce titre à Hrant Dink "est un hommage à
sa bravoure et
une reconnaissance de sa contribution significative à la
liberté
d'expression et à la liberté de la presse en Turquie", a
souligné le
directeur de l'IPI, Johann Fritz, dans un communiqué.
Militant de la réconciliation entre Turcs et Arméniens,
Hrant Dink
avait été assassiné de trois balles par un
militant ultra-nationaliste
le 19 janvier à Istanbul, devant les locaux de l'hebdomadaire
bilingue
turc-arménien Agos qu'il avait fondé en 1996 et qu'il
dirigeait.
Il avait auparavant été condamné par la justice
turque pour ses écrits
sur les massacres d'Arméniens de 1915-17 sous l'empire ottoman.
"Son assassinat a privé la Turquie de l'une de ses voix les plus
courageuses et les plus indépendantes et a
représenté un coup terrible
pour la liberté de la presse en Turquie", a souligné M.
Fritz en
remettant la distinction à sa veuve, Rakel Dink, au siège
de l'IPI à
Vienne.
Quelque 100.000 personnes avaient assisté aux funérailles
de Hrant
Dink, le 23 janvier, en demandant un assouplissement de la
liberté de
la presse en Turquie, selon IPI.
L'an passé, l'institut avait nommé "héroïne
de la liberté de la presse"
la journaliste russe Anna Politkovskaïa, assassinée en 7
octobre 2006 à
Moscou. (AFP, 10 déc 2007)
Case Against Ismail Besikci and "Esmer" Dropped
Sociologist Ismail Besikci had written an article entitled "We did not
talk, we were suppressed" for the December 2005 issue of the
"Popüler
Kürtür Esmer" ("Popular Kurture Dark"), a pro-Kurdish
magazine
published in Turkish and Kurdish.
Besikci as well as magazine owner Ferzende Kaya and editor Mehmet Ali
Izmir were then charged under Article 216 of the Turkish Penal Code,
i.e. "inciting hatred and hostility". Sentences of 4 years and six
months each were being demanded.
Ironically, the case was dropped on Human Rights Day yesterday
(10 December) because a case was not opened within the stipulated 2
months from the date when the issue of the magazine was delivered to
the prosecution.
Besikci's lawyer Mükrime Tepe evaluated the decision for bianet,
saying: "We expected this decision. We kept drawing attention to the
issue of time. The prosecutor preparing the indictment should have
taken this issue into account."
The Bakirköy 2nd Penal Court, which calculated the relevant time
period
from when a letter from the Istanbul Public Prosecution was sent,
decreed that no case had been opened within the stipulated time. Citing
Article 26 of Press Law No. 5187, which was passed in June 2004 and
deals with the duration of court cases, the court dropped the case.
According to the article, "Criminal court cases related to crimes
committed in published works [...] have to be opened within two months
for periodicals and within four months for other works."
General Staff had complained
The General Staff filed a "secret" complaint with the Ministry of
Justice's Criminal General Directorate concerning an article entitled
"Ghost", written by Ahmet Kahraman and published in December 2005 as
well as the article by Ismail Besikci.
Following the complaint, an investigation was carried out. Prof. Dr.
Mehmet Emin Artuk, lecturer in the law faculty of Marmara University in
Istanbul, was applied to for a report of expertise. Concerning
Kahraman's article, Artuk concluded that "the rights to inform and
criticise were used, no expressions denigrating Turkishness or the
armed forces were used; there was strong criticism not of the army as a
whole, but of [chief of general staff] Yasar Büyükanit, and
thus there
was no crime committed under Article 301." There was then no case
opened against Kahraman.
According to Artuk, Besikci's article also did not represent a crime
under Article 301, but "some expressions could represent the crime of
'inciting hatred and hostility among the public'". Prosecutor Remzi
Yasar Kizilhan then prepared an indictment against Besikci and the
magazine representatives under Article 216.
When sociologist Ismail Besikci wrote about the Kurdish issue in the
"Özgür Gündem" newspaper and in his books published by
Yurt
Publications, he was on trial with more than a hundred years
imprisonment demanded.
Besikci, some of whose books are still banned, was in prison for years.
He was released under the Conditional Amnesty Law No. 4304. (BIA, Erol
ONDEROGLU, December 10, 2007)
EFJ
Calls for Investigation after Attack on Greek Journalist in Istanbul
Today the European Federation of Journalists (EFJ), the European
regional group of the IFJ, condemned the assault of a Greek journalist
in Istanbul and called for an immediate investigation to find his
assailants.
"We are shocked by this attack," said EFJ General Secretary Aidan
White. "Journalists have to work under difficult conditions in Turkey.
Authorities must carry out an immediate investigation to send the
message that journalists cannot be attacked with impunity."
Andreas Rompopoulos, a correspondent for the major Greek TV Channel
MEGA, correspondent of Greek daily newspaper ELEFTHEROS TYPOS, and
editor of the newspaper HXO, which is published for the Greek minority
in Turkey, was attacked yesterday by unidentified assailants. He
suffers injuries to his head, hands and other parts of his body. None
of the injuries are life-threatening.
The EFJ said that this attack is the latest in a series of attacks
against journalists by nationalistic elements in Turkey.
The journalists' Union of the Athens Daily Newspapers (JUADN) also
called upon the authorities to immediately identify and arrest all
persons responsible and deliver them to justice "in order to prevent
similar incidents in the future." (alerts@ifex.org, December 7, 2007)
Cette
fois, un journaliste d'origine grecque agressé à
Istanbul
Un journaliste turc d'origine grecque a été
légèrement
blessé tard mercredi à Istanbul par deux individus non
identifiés qui
l'ont roué de coups, a affirmé à l'AFP un proche
de la victime.
Andreas Robopulos, directeur de la rédaction de Iho, un
quotidien turc
de langue grecque tirant à quelques centaines d'exemplaires, a
été
agressé à coups de bâton devant les locaux de son
journal, dans le
quartier de Beyoglu (rive européenne), a déclaré
cette source parlant
sous couvert d'anonymat.
Le journaliste a été blessé à la tête
et a eu plusieurs doigts brisés
avant que ses assaillants soient mis en fuite par le voisinage. Son
état n'a pas justifié d'hospitalisation.
"Nous nous interrogeons sur les motivations de cette agression, car les
deux hommes attendaient Andreas et ils n'ont pas essayé de voler
quoi
que ce soit, mais ils n'ont pas non plus lancé de slogans", a
affirmé
le proche de M. Robopoulos.
Selon l'agence de presse Anatolie, l'incident a été
condamné par le ministère grec des Affaires
étrangères.
La Grèce "attend des responsables turcs que les agresseurs
soient
arrêtés et remis à la justice et que des mesures
soient prises pour que
de telles situations ne se reproduisent pas", a déclaré
le porte-parole
du ministère Yorgos Koumoutsakos, cité par Anatolie.
De retour d'une visite en Grèce, le chef de la diplomatie turque
Ali
Babacan a déclaré à la presse que les
autorités "se sont saisies du
dossier avec promptitude et entamé l'enquête".
L'agression survient après les meurtres de trois
chrétiens à Malatya
(est), d'un journaliste arménien en janvier à Istanbul et
d'un prêtre
catholique l'an dernier à Trabzon (nord-est), qui ont
semé l'inquiétude
au sein de la petite minorité chrétienne de Turquie, pays
à la
population musulmane à 99%.
La communauté grecque orthodoxe de Turquie est
évaluée à entre 2.000 et 6.000 personnes, selon
les estimations.
La Grèce réclame des mesures à la Turquie
après l'agression
La Grèce a réclamé jeudi que la Turquie prenne des
mesures pour
prévenir toute violence contre les membres de la minorité
grecque au
lendemain de l'agression à Istanbul d'un journaliste turc
d'origine
grecque.
"Nous attendons des autorités turques qu'elle arrêtent et
renvoient
devant la justice les agresseurs et prennent sans tarder toutes les
mesures requises pour que de tels actes ne se reproduisent pas", a
déclaré un porte-parole du gouvernement, Evangélos
Antonaros.
Il a imputé l'attaque à des personnes liées aux
milieux opposés à la
normalisation des relations entre les deux pays. (AFP, 6
déc 2007)
Writer
Jerjian Supports Publisher Zarakolu
Ragip Zarakolu, owner of Belge Publications, has been on trial for two
years for publishing the Turkish translations of Prof. Dr. Dora
Sakayan’s “Accounts of an Armenian Doctor: Garabet Haceryan’s Izmir
Diary” and George Jerjian’s “The Truth Will Set Us Free”.
Zarakolu has been charged with “insulting and ridiculing the state and
the Republic” and “insulting the memory of Atatürk”, with 7.5
years
imprisonment being demanded. While Zarakolu has been acquitted in the
trial concerning Sakayan’s book, the translator Atilla Tuygan is still
being tried.
At yesterday’s (5 December) hearing at the Istanbul 2nd Penal Court,
where Zarakolu has been tried for two years without detention, a letter
of support by Jerjian was presented to the court.
In the letter, which Jerjian sent from London on 1 June 2007, it said:
“I grew up in a family which was protected by a Turk, and it was thus
unthinkable for our family to have any bad intentions or thoughts
towards Turks. I spent three years at university in England and made
friends with around 40 Turkish students; I ate their wonderful
home-made food.”
Jerjian wrote that he wrote the book himself using information from Dr.
Vahakn Dadrian, Dr. Taner Akcam and journalist Stephen Kinzer. “I used
their data to develop a new understanding of history between Turks and
Armenians.”
Jerjian wrote that these writers were not “liars who create stories to
destroy the balance of Turkish society and weaken its base”. He called
for Zarakolu’s acquittal: “I am asking you how Zarakolu can insult the
memory of a brave leader like Atatürk, who himself accepted that
what
happened to the Armenians was a crime?”
Interpreter Tuygan, who has himself been charged with “denigrading
Turkishness” and “insulting and ridiculing the army” and who faces a
possible 6-year prison sentence, was present at Zarakolu’s trial to
support him.
Furthermore, Sanar Yurdatapan, spokesperson of the Initiative against
Crimes of Thought, and journalist Erol Özkoray attended the trial
in
support.
Zarakolu’s lawyer Özcan Kilic was not able to attend the hearing,
and
thus the trial was adjourned until 31 January 2008 in order for the
defense to prepare.
Ferhat Tunc case continuing
Meanwhile, the trial of singer Ferhat Tunc, who stands accused of
“insulting and ridiculing the court”, will continue on 13 December.
Tunc wrote an article about Kurdish politician Leyla Zana entitled “A
Revolutionary Leyla and a Song”. It was published in the “Yeniden
Özgür
Gündem” on 19 January 2004. Tunc’s trial has been going on for
around
three years.
The responsible editor Mehmet Colak, who lives abroad, is also on trial
together with Tunc. The case is being heard at the Beyoglu 2nd Penal
Court in Istanbul.
Minister of Justice Mehmet Ali Sahin has announced that a draft making
changes to the controversial Article 301 is ready. The article, which
punishes “insulting Turkishness”, which also includes the organs of the
state, has been used against many journalists, writers and academics.
Sahin said that there were six suggestions for changes, and that the
General Directorate for Laws of the Ministry of Justice would collect
all the suggestions and prepare one amendment draft.
Sahin also said that the draft had been presented to Prime Minister
Recep Tayyip Erdogan: “The changes will be brought to cabinet very
soon, and I think that we can then send them to parliament.” (BIA, Erol
Onderoglu, December 6, 2007)
La
Turquie condamnée par la CEDH pour l'interdiction
d'une radio
La Cour européenne des droits de l'Homme (CEDH) a
condamné mardi la
Turquie pour violation de la liberté d'expression pour avoir
interdit
une radio libre pendant un an après diffusion d'une chanson
jugée
litigieuse.
Le 19 juillet 2000, la Ozgur Radyo (Radio libre) avait diffusé
une
chanson que le Conseil supérieur de la radio et de l'audiovisuel
(RTUK)
jugea de nature à inciter "à la violence, au terrorisme
et à la
discrimination ethnique et de nature à susciter des sentiments
de haine
au sein de la population".
Le jugement fut confirmé par une décision du Conseil
d'Etat le 12 septembre 2002.
La Cour a cependant relevé que cette chanson était
disponible dans le
commerce et donc connue du grand public, ayant reçu
l'agrément du
ministère de la Culture. Elle a noté que la
liberté d'expression
"constitue l'un des fondements essentiels d'une société
démocratique".
Estimant qu'il n'était pas établi que la chanson
incriminée était
susceptible d'engendrer des sentiments de haine, la Cour conclut
à
l'unanimité à la violation de l'article 10 de la
Convention (liberté
d'expression) et condamne la Turquie à verser à la radio
5.000 euros au
titre de préjudice moral et 5.200 euros pour frais et
dépens. (AFP, 4
déc 2007)
Books prosecuted by Turkish Justice in 2006-07
(www.antenna-tr.org,December
1, 2007)
Kurdish
Question / Question kurde
La Cour constitutionnelle refuse de restreindre
l'activité du DTP
La Cour constitutionnelle turque a rejeté jeudi des demandes du
ministère public visant à restreindre l'activité
du parti pro-kurde
DTP, poursuivi et menacé d'interdiction pour des liens
supposés avec
les rebelles séparatistes kurdes, a rapporté l'agence de
presse
Anatolie.
La Cour a estimé que les conditions requises pour prendre des
mesures
conservatoires à l'encontre du Parti pour une
société démocratique
(DTP) pendant la durée de son procès n'étaient pas
réunies, selon
Anatolie.
Le ministère public avait réclamé l'interdiction
pour le DTP de se
présenter à des élections et pour ses membres de
participer à des
scrutins sur les listes d'autres partis ou en tant que candidats
indépendants.
Il avait également demandé le gel des aides
financières dont le parti
pouvait bénéficier ainsi que celui du recrutement de
nouveaux membres.
Le DTP a salué la décision de la Cour mais a
souligné qu'il restait menacé de fermeture.
"C'est une décision positive, même si elle ne constitue
pas un signal
sur le fond de l'affaire", a affirmé à l'AFP le
député DTP Selahattin
Demirtas. "Les demandes du ministère public étaient
illégales et la
Cour a appliqué la loi".
Les demandes de mesures conservatoires étaient incluses dans un
acte
d'accusation transmis en novembre à la Cour constitutionnelle
par le
procureur de la Cour de cassation.
Le procureur a recommandé l'interdiction du DTP au motif qu'il
serait
un "foyer d'activités préjudiciables à
l'indépendance de l'Etat et à
son unité indivisible" de par ses liens supposés avec les
rebelles du
Parti des travailleurs du Kurdistan (PKK).
Le DTP, qui détient 20 des 550 sièges du Parlement,
rejette les
accusations de liens avec le PKK mais refuse de qualifier
l'organisation de terroriste.
Les poursuites engagées contre le DTP interviennent alors que la
Turquie mène depuis le 16 décembre des opérations
militaires contre les
rebelles retranchés dans le nord de l'Irak. (AFP, 27 déc
2007 )
The Bombings as Seen from Hakkari
People in Cukurca, the district of Hakkari closest to the Iraqi border,
have lived with the sound of bombings for years. They ask for
investment in the area rather than operations.
Hakkari is the province in the south-east corner of Turkey, and Cukurca
is the district of Hakkari which is closest to the Iraqi border. People
in Cukurca have lived with the sound of bombs for years, to the extent
where bombs are considered "normal".
Life in Cukurca town is continuing as normal. Like most people in
Hakkari, the people of Cukurca complain about the mainstream media,
which they accuse of war mongering. They also say that the 20 million
dollars spent on operations could solve all the problems in Cukurca.
Fearful nights
Shop owner Haci Duran said that his family slept fearfully at night
because of the sound of bombs: "The walls of the houses are cracking.
Citizens live in fear. Although we are used to the sound of bombs, they
still worry us. We have lived with the sound of bombs for years, but
for the last two months this has intensified."
Forest fires and false denunciations
Duran also said that forest fires were being caused by the bombs:
"Sometimes millions of square metres of forest burn, and together with
it thousands of living beings. The PKK is here one day, and in Istanbul
the next; some people are being deceived. People are being denounced
(to the army or police) for a bag of noodles, a sack of flour, or a
greeting. These reports should not be taken seriously."
Duran pointed out that entering and leaving Cukurca was forbidden some
time ago, and that because of the exaggerations of the mainstream media
nobody wanted to come to Cukurca anyway: "And that despite the fact
that you would not find hospitality or chat like you do here anywhere
else."
Villagers cannot return home
Sevket Kanat said that the return to previously emptied villages,
supposedly supported by the government, has been made impossible. His
family had had to leave the Cayirli village before:
"Our village is 17 kilometres from Cukurca town. There are 2 military
units near the village. With the laws on returning to one's village,
people were told to return, but when we go, we are not given
permission. I am forced to buy one ton of fuel for 150 YTL here. It is
not only fuel; there were many things that were easier in the village,
and now I have to pay for everything. Our grass (hay), our walnuts,
everything is there."
Kanat said that Cukurca was the poorest district in the area and had
the highest rate of migration: "Many citizens have been setting their
hopes on the compensation to be paid for village clearances. These
compensation payments should be made immediately and Cukurca should be
a priority."
Arafat Cetinkaya believes that the problem could be solved with more
peace, more brotherhood and more democracy: "Instead of the bombs, we
want services for the people in the area."
Civilian areas drawn into conflict
Mehmet Kanar, district president of the pro-Kurdish Democratic Society
Party (DTP), said that the bombs in the region did not help the Turkish
or the Kurdish people:
"This issue will not be solved with arms. This is a residential area,
and it is forbidden to bomb from reisdential areas. Despite the fact
that our Hakkari MP Hamit Geylani has presented a motion in parliament,
there are still bombs being fired from the military base. In the answer
to Geylani's bill, it was said that citizens whose buildings cracked
were paid compensation and given food, but this is not true. I have
told the mainstream media 12-13 times, but because they do not like it,
they do not publish it."
AKP does not see the suffering
Kanar accused the mainstream media of warmongering: "If the 20 million
dollars spent on the first air operation in Northern Iraq had been
spent in Cukurca, all of Cukurca's problems would have been solved. The
richest people in this area are the village guards and the civil
servants. Instead of bombs and guns, we want the border gates to be
opened."
Kanar continued, "We do not believe that the Kurdish MPs in the ruling
Justice and Development Party (AKP) represent the Kurdish people. Do
the MPs not see what we are experiencing?"
"When our little children hear the sound of bombs at night, they run
towards the door. Our children are psychologically damaged. During the
first bombings in Cukurca two pregnant women lost their children. Who
will answer for all of this?" (Yüksekova Haber, Erkan CAPRAZ Ahmet
KAVAK – BIA, December 26, 2007)
*
This article was taken from the Yüksekova News on 25 December
2007. Some rearrangements were made by Bianet.
L'appel
des organisations kurdes lancé au
Parlement belge
Suite
aux derniers événements survenus au Kurdistan, le
Congrès
National du Kurdistan (KNK), la Confédération des
Associations Kurdes
en Europe, le Parti de l’Union Démocratique (Kurdes Syriens), la
Fédérations des Associations Kurdes en Belgique et
l’Association
Culturelle Kurde à Bruxelles ont tenu le mercredi 19
décembre 2007 une
conférence de presse au Parlement fédéral belge pour faire entendre, encore une fois, la
voix de l’opinion publique kurde.
Cette conférence a
été soutenue par la
Fondation Info-Turk, l’Institut Kurde de
Bruxelles, l’Association des Arméniens Démocrates en
Belgique, Beth
Nahrin (Association des Assyriens) et le Mouvement Démocratique
Syrien.
Lors de la conférence,
plusieurs parlementaires belges, Fouad
Lahssaini, Céline Delforge, Elke Tindemans, Josy Dubié,
Zoé Genot et
Patrick Vankrunkelsven, ont exprimé leur soutien aux initiatives
en vue
de trouver une solution pacifique à la question kurde.
Voici le texte intégral
de la
déclaration des associations kurdes annoncée lors de la
conférence de presse par le porte-parole du KNK Ahmet Dere:
Après les élections de 22 juillet 2007, la
Turquie a
intensifié de plus en plus ses opérations armées
dans les régions
kurdes. Ces opérations ne sont pas faites simplement contre les
militants armés kurdes, mais aussi contre les
intérêts de tous les
Kurdes. Cette politique de répression turque vise
également les
institutions démocratiques, et plus particulièrement le
Parti pour une
Société Démocratique (DTP), dont le
président, Monsieur Nurettin
Demirtas vient d’être arrêté, il y a deux jours
à peine. Les domiciles
et les lieux de travail de Kurdes, en Turquie et au Kurdistan sont
également visés, semblant ainsi être
l’objet, d’une certaine manière,
d’une véritable campagne de lynchage.
Comme l’opinion publique européenne le sait
précisément, toute
référence relative à la langue kurde, à la
culture kurde et à
l'identité kurde est, pour les 20 millions de Kurdes vivant dans
les
frontières officielles de la Turquie, frappée
d’interdiction et toute
demande de reconnaissance en droit est fortement
réprimée. Il faut
savoir pourtant que ces interdits n'ont pas réussi à
empêcher une
révolte armée, qui se poursuit depuis plus de 23 ans, et
que les
organisations kurdes, dont le Congrès National du Kurdistan
continuent
à faire des efforts pour trouver une solution pacifique à
la question
kurde : il faut savoir par exemple que la seule réponse de
l’Etat turc
aux 5 cessez-le-feu unilatéraux décrétés
par les Kurdes, a été de
poursuivre les opérations militaires sans relâcher le
moins du monde
les méthodes répressives.
En mobilisant des centaines de milliers de militaires sur les
frontières du Kurdistan irakien, l’armée turque a
commencé, depuis le
début du mois de décembre, à bombarder des
villages et des lieux
d’habitation au Kurdistan irakien. Durant la nuit du 15 au 16
décembre,
15 villages ont été touchés ; 2 civils et 5
militants y ont perdu la
vie et plusieurs personnes ont été blessées, sans
compter d’importants
dégâts économiques. Alors que le Premier Ministre
turc, Recep Tayyip
Erdogan, s'était félicité de ces opérations
estimées "réussies", son
ministre des Affaires étrangères, Ali Babacan, a
déclaré que les
frappes aériennes n'avaient pas touché de zones où
se trouvaient des
civils.
Depuis hier, les opérations terrestres de l’armée turque
ont commencé
au Kurdistan irakien. Nous ne connaissons pas encore de façon
concrète
les conséquences de cette invasion.
L'armée turque, en continuant à bombarder et à
mener ces opérations
dans ce territoire, va pousser la Turquie dans une sale guerre
régionale. Tout nous porte à croire que les états
occidentaux fermeront
les yeux sur cette situation, comme semblent l'indiquer des
communiqués
du genre “La Turquie a le droit de se défendre, une
opération
extra-frontalière limitée est envisageable”. Nous devons
dire que
l'Union européenne, avec de telles déclarations, porte
aussi sa part de
responsabilité dans les conséquences prévisibles
d'une telle guerre.
Malheureusement, les pays occidentaux semblent approuver les pratiques
agressives des autorités turques qui ignorent l’existence de
plus de 20
millions de Kurdes. Et malgré le fait que les Kurdes souhaitent
mettre
en place un processus de paix par une solution démocratique,
nous ne
voyons pas de réaction de soutien de la part de ces mêmes
pays.
Nous voulons rappeler que les conditions de détention du leader
kurde
Abdullah Öcalan, au secret depuis 9 ans dans l’Ile prison Imrali,
se
sont durcies au point de se transformer en tortures psychologiques.
Bien plus, ces méthodes archaïques ne suffisant pas, les
autorités
turques intentent à la vie du leader en l'empoisonnant à
petite dose. A
ce sujet, le Comité européen pour la prévention de
la torture (CPT),
qui avait envoyé une commission d'enquête à Imrali
au mois de mai 2007,
n'a toujours pas communiqué le moindre résultat. Nous
voulons rappeler
que les Kurdes ont beaucoup d’inquiétudes concernant la
situation de
santé de Monsieur Ocalan.
Au lieu de chercher à trouver une solution démocratique
à la question
kurde, l’Etat turc poursuit ses opérations
d’anéantissement contre les
Kurdes et a réussi à renforcer ses alliances antikurdes
à l'intérieur
et à l’extérieur du pays. Il s’est ainsi
