Human rights activists harassed, tortured and persecuted

[Hovik]

AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL PRESS RELEASE


AI Index: EUR 01/006/2005 (Public)
News Service No: 112
3 May 2005


Europe and Central Asia: Human rights activists harassed, tortured and persecuted


Everyone has the right, individually and in association with others,
to promote and to strive for the protection and realization of human
rights and fundamental freedoms at the national and international
levels.

UN Declaration on Human Rights Defenders


Threats, harassment and intimidation against those who defend and
protect human rights are unacceptable. The rights to freedom of
expression, association and assembly are fundamental human rights,
Amnesty International said on World Press Freedom Day.

The Russian Federation, Belarus, Turkmenistan and Turkey are among
the countries in Europe and Central Asia with the poorest record
of government harassment and persecution of people for peacefully
exercising these rights. Amnesty International is concerned that the
activities of human rights activists are being criminalized by the
state, and that state officials are harassing, arresting and torturing
them without fear of repercussions.

"Officials at every level of the state apparatus, including law
enforcement officials, must respect the legitimacy of the work of
people who defend and protect human rights and allow them to act
without hindrance or harassment. They should publicly promote respect
for and protect the rights to freedom of expression, association and
assembly," Nicola Duckworth, Amnesty International's Director of the
Europe and Central Asia Programme, said.

In Belarus, the authorities do not tolerate any public criticism or
dissent and have virtually monopolized the media -- critics of the
regime risk imprisonment at the hands of a procuracy and judiciary
under the control of the government. Amnesty International's latest
report Belarus: Suppressing the last voices of public dissent presents
how the authorities use controversial legislation to restrict the
possibilities for non-governmental organizations, political parties,
trade unions, journalists and individuals to express their personal
opinion. Harassment, intimidation, excessive force, mass detentions
and long-term imprisonment are increasingly employed as methods to
quash any civil or political dissent.

In Turkmenistan -- as documented in Amnesty International's new
report Turkmenistan: The clampdown on dissent and religious freedom
continues that was issued today -- anyone the authorities suspect of
any form of dissent is at risk of being subjected to unfair trials,
torture and ill-treatment. Their relatives are in many cases evicted
from their homes, their property is confiscated and they are sacked
from their jobs. Independent civil society groups find it impossible
to operate and several activists have been forced into exile. The
authorities control all media. They have taken a series of measures to
curb access to independent sources of information within the country
and to prevent critical information from reaching the international
community including by cracking down on journalists who cooperate with
foreign media outlets known to be critical of the authorities. The
President-for-life Saparmurat Niyazov and self-proclaimed Turkmenbashi
(Father of all Turkmen) dominates all aspects of life in the country.

In the Russian Federation, activists trying to disseminate information
about the human rights situation in the North Caucasus, as well
as victims seeking justice at the European Court of Human Rights
find themselves increasingly the targets of harassment and human
rights abuses - several of them have even been killed. The Russian
authorities appear to be tightening their control on the media to
the point where information about the human rights situation in
Chechnya and its neighbouring republics in the North Caucasus is
stifled through censorship or self-censorship.

In Turkey, despite recent legal and constitutional reforms,
human rights defenders continue to be targeted for harassment and
intimidation by state officials. Their activities, their rights to
freedom of expression, association and assembly are still restricted
through a huge number of laws and regulations. Many local officials
-- police chiefs, governors, prosecutors -- continue to view human
rights defenders as "enemies of the state". Activists of human rights
organizations, such as the Human Rights Association (IHD), have been
threatened, arrested, prosecuted, tortured, abducted and killed. At
least 12 IHD representatives have been killed since 1991. In most cases
the killers have never been identified, and members of the Turkish
security forces have been strongly implicated in some of the killings.

"The work of an independent human rights movement is crucial to any
society, in order to safeguard the human rights of all people and in
the construction of a just society," Nicola Duckworth said.

"Governments must ensure that killings, 'disappearances', torture
and ill-treatment of and threats against human rights activists are
thoroughly and impartially investigated and those responsible must
be brought to justice."

Amnesty International calls on the international community to exert
pressure on the governments of the Russian Federation, Belarus,
Turkmenistan and Turkey to stop the intimidation of human rights
activists and to ensure that everybody can enjoy their rights to the
freedoms of expression, association and assembly.

Background On 16 January 2004, the mutilated body of 29-year-old
Aslan Davletukaev was found near the town of Gudermes in Chechnya. He
had been working with the human rights organization Society for
Russian-Chechen Friendship, which documents violations including
"disappearances", torture and unlawful killings in the North
Caucasus. Aslan Davletukaev had reportedly been detained by Russian
federal forces on 9 January 2004. An investigation into his death has
been opened and closed several times but nobody has yet been found
responsible for his death.

On 30 September 2004, the editor of the Belarusian independent weekly
Birzha Informatsii, Elena Rovbetskaia was fined the equivalent
of US$600 for criticizing the referendum which allowed President
Lukashenka to serve more than the previous limit of two terms. In
November the same year, the weekly was ordered to close down for three
months for the same alleged offence. Due to the lack of independent
printing houses the publication is still not available in print.

In July 2004, Radio Liberty correspondent Saparmurat Ovezberdiev
was forced into exile from Turkmenistan because of his work for
the Turkmen Section of the radio station. He had been under close
surveillance for many years and pressurized to stop his work. Members
of his family have also been targeted in an attempt to silence him
even after his departure.

On 19 April 2005, three members of the Human Rights Association (IHD)
in Turkey, Eren Keskin, Saban Dayanan and Dogan Genc, received death
threats from an ultra-nationalist group called the Turkish Revenge
Brigade (Turk Intikam Tugayi). This group claimed responsibility
for an armed attack in 1998 on the then IHD president, Akin Birdal,
in which he was critically wounded.

For further information please see:

Appeal Case: The Russian-Chechen Friendship Society under threat

http://web.amnesty.org/library/index/engeur460172005

Russian Federation: Concerns over reports of
"disappearances" of relatives of Aslan Maskhadov

http://web.amnesty.org/library/index/engeur460042005

Russian Federation: Human rights group threatened by security forces

http://web.amnesty.org/library/index/engeur460012005

Russian Federation: The Risk of Speaking Out: Attacks on Human
Rights Defenders in the context of the armed conflict in Chechnya

http://web.amnesty.org/library/index/engeur460592004

Belarus: Suppressing the last voices of peaceful dissent

http://web.amnesty.org/library/index/engeur490042005

Belarus: Chernobyl commemorations end in large-scale arrests

http://web.amnesty.org/library/index/engeur490052005

Turkmenistan: The clampdown on dissent and religious freedom continues

http://web.amnesty.org/library/index/engeur610032005

Turkey: Death threats/Fear for safety

http://web.amnesty.org/library/index/engeur440142005

Human Rights Defenders at Risk

http://web.amnesty.org/library/index/engact300202004

Public Document

****************************************

For more information please call Amnesty International's press office
in London, UK, on +44 20 7413 5566 Amnesty International, 1 Easton St.,
London WC1X 0DW. web: http://www.amnesty.org

For latest human rights news view http://news.amnesty.org

[Reincarnated Am]

And where’s the “Great USA” the defender of “Freedom” and the” Human Rights” to liberate the people of these countries? Oh I forgot, they are close friends or they’re powerful or have no oil

[Gavur]

Against All Odds Human Rights Activism in Turkey

by Khatchig Mouradian
April 05, 2006

“I refuse to buy my freedom of speech by paying money,” said Eren Keskin, the Head of the Istanbul Branch of the Human Rights Association of Turkey, during a press conference in Istanbul on the 22nd of March. A few days earlier, a Turkish court had sentenced her to 10 months’ imprisonment for insulting the country’s military. The sentence was then converted to a fine of 6000 New Turkish Liras, which Keskin is refusing to pay, however, saying that she will go to prison instead. Moreover, she asserts: “I will continue to express both verbally and in writing my thoughts, which are banned unlawfully by the ruling powers, because we are not the ones who should change; they are.”

“The case will be heard by the Court of Appeals. It will take several months before it reaches a verdict. In the meantime campaigns in support of freedom of speech in Turkey both at home and abroad will help a lot to influence the general climate in Turkey for greater democracy,” told me Ayse Gunaysu, an activist in the organization headed by Keskin.

The court sentence against Keskin was based on the notorious Article 301 of the Turkish Penal Code, which states that public denigration of Turkishness, the Grand National Assembly (Turkey’s legislature) or the Government of the Republic of Turkey, the judicial institutions of the state, as well as the military and security structures are punishable by imprisonment of between six months and three years. In recent months, dozens of Turkish activists and intellectuals, including the world-renowned author Orhan Pamuk, have been charged under this article.

Keskin, who is also the founder of the Project for Legal Aid to Victims of Rape and Sexual Assault Under Custody, had been accused of “insulting” the Turkish military big time in 2002, after giving a speech in Köln, Germany about cases of sexual assault against women inmates by the state security forces in Turkey. Keskin explains: “In my presentation under the topic “Sexual Violence Perpetrated by the State,” I shared with the audience certain findings of our project, which had been going since 1997. I said that sexual torture was used as a systematic method of psychological warfare and that victims of such torture were afraid to file complaints against the security forces.”

I discussed with Eren Keskin issues related to human rights violations in Turkey in late March, a few days after the recent court ruling. Taking into account the oft-repeated assertions that Turkey had made great strides towards respect for human rights in the last few years in its quest for EU membership, I asked her whether these changes were radical or cosmetic. “I don't believe that the changes that have been made or are being made in this process are radical,” she replied. “I don't think that the state has any intention to change, because the changes introduced have no power to transform the essence of the system. Yet we have to admit that they have at least provided an atmosphere where certain issues are being discussed.”

Thou Shalt not Insult the Army

The generals in Turkey consider themselves the guardians of the country’s secular constitution and they have an established tradition of directly intervening in politics, including a number of direct and indirect military coups since 1960. In Keskin’s opinion, all legislative, executive and judicial powers in Turkey are still under their control. “The military in Turkey not only determines both domestic and foreign policy, but also enjoys huge economic power through one of Turkey's biggest business groups, OYAK, which operates literally in all sectors of the economy, from banking to tourism. Moreover, all OYAK companies are exempt from any tax liability,” explained Keskin. Hence, she believes that the main impediment to improving Turkey’s human rights record is the military.

“Today, even those who define themselves as being part of the left in Turkey do not question the taboos determined by the “red lines,” which the military has set,” she said, noting that overcoming the military’s domination of the state is extremely difficult in Turkey.

“Domestic Enemies”

As this article is being written, thousands of protesters, mostly Kurds, are clashing with the Turkish police in the southeast of the country. For decades, Turkey has failed to find a decent solution to its Kurdish problem. Ankara is reluctant to grant the most basic of cultural and political rights to the millions of Kurds, who live mainly in the country’s southeast, where the PKK, the Kurdistan Workers’ Party, unleashed an armed struggle against the Turkish state in the 1980s.

“Kurds are one of the “domestic enemies” that this system, controlled by the military, needs to create in order to sustain its domination,” asserted Keskin. “Failure in providing any solution to this issue makes the military all the more powerful. Even the minor progress made lately in this field – achieved at enormous cost and partly the outcome of the EU accession process – does not change the fact that “the policy of ‘non-solution’ still dominates the government’s approach to the Kurdish issue.”

State of Denial

For decades, the greatest of all taboos in Turkey has been the Armenian genocide of 1915. In recent years, a number of intellectuals in the country have started to speak up about this issue, calling upon Turkey to face its past, oftentimes at the cost of being persecuted or sued under Article 301. “The Turkish official thesis regarding the Armenian genocide is still very influential in the street and in academia, although there are efforts to overcome this domination,” said Keskin, when asked about Ankara’s policy of denial towards the annihilation by the ruling Committee of Union and Progress (CUP) and under the cover of World War I of an estimated a million and a half Armenians in the dying years of the Ottoman Empire.

The overwhelming majority of genocide scholars and many parliaments around the world recognize this instance of mass slaughter as a classic case of genocide. The descendents of the genocide victims, in turn, continue to demand that Turkey, too, recognize the genocidal intent behind the decimation of the Armenians, who lived on their ancestral land. The Turkish government vehemently denies, however, that there was a planned destruction of an entire ethnic group. It also argues that the number of victims is vastly exaggerated.

According to Keskin, “there is no real break with the ideology of the CUP not only among the extremists but also among those who consider themselves part of the democratic opposition in Turkey. The ideology that led to the Armenian genocide was a very important element of the founding ideology of the Republic of Turkey.”

Keskin has little faith that Turkey will come to terms with its past in the near future. “The general mindset of the majority of Turkish society, including a significant part of the left, has been shaped under the influence of this ideology. It is for this reason that I don't believe much progress can be made in the short run,” she said. “However, I believe recognition of the genocide is crucial. Turkish people should acknowledge the sufferings of the Armenians, empathize with them and apologize for what happened in 1915.”

* * *

Eren Keskin and many of her colleagues in Turkey operate in an environment of intimidation and threats. “We, the human rights activists, have learned, throughout these years, how to live with fear and to go on despite its persistence,” she said. “Up till now 14 executives and members of our Human Rights Association have been killed by what we call the counter-guerilla units. I myself have been the target of two armed attacks. I still receive death threats. Of course all these generate some fear in me, but if there is one thing, which we have learned by now, is to continue with our struggle despite fear. I guess we owe this to our faith in what we do.”

Indeed, it is on this faith that many people are counting.


Khatchig Mouradian is a Lebanese-Armenian writer and journalist.

[Gavur]

"brigade of Turkish revenge" threatens IHDLe

http://www.info-turk.be/334.htm#brigade

In French:
La "brigade de vengeance turque" menace l’IHDLe comité local de l’Association de Défense des droits de l’homme d’Istanbul a reçu une lettre de menace et une enveloppe contenant une poudre le 6 juin. L’enveloppe porte le sigle TIT (brigade de vengeance turque - traduction de l’anglais), une organisation secrète qui a revendiqué un certain nombre d’assassinats de militants des droits de l’homme.La police s’est rendue sur les lieux et les autorités sanitaires ont mis les bureaux de l’IHD en quarantaine, les entrées et sorties étant interdites pendant un certain temps. Puis six personnes qui avaient touché l’enveloppe ont été emmenées à l’hôpital pour des examens et analyses. L’une d’elle qui avait été en contact direct avec la poudre est toujours en observation, les autres ont été renvoyées chez elles.La poudre aurait été envoyée à Ankara pour y être analysée.Ceci s’est produit le jour-même où une campagne a été lancée contre Eren Keskin, la présidente de la section d’Istanbul du IHD, avec des annonces la déclarant persona non grata et collaboratrice du PKK, et accusant également tous ceux qui avaient signé la pétition en sa faveur d’être des collaborateurs du PKK.Depuis 1 an, les menaces par téléphone et par lettres aux membres du commité exécutif de la section d’Istanbul du IHD ont augmenté. Eren Keskin a reçu plusieurs fois des menaces non voilées par téléphone de la part du TIT. (Collectif VAN, 9 juin 2006)
In English:
The "brigade of Turkish revenge" threatens IHDLe local committee of the Association of Defense of the humans right of Istanbul received a threatening letter and an envelope containing a powder on June 6. The envelope carries initials TIT (brigade of Turkish revenge - translation on English), a secret organization which asserted a certain number of assassinations of militants of the rights of the homme.La police force went on the spot and the medical authorities quarantined the offices of the IHD, the entries and exits being prohibited during a certain time. Then six people who had touched the envelope were taken along to the hospital for examinations and analyses. One of it which had been in direct contact with the powder is always in observation, the others were returned to elles.La powder would have been sent in Ankara to be analysée.Ceci occurred there the day-even when a campaign was launched against Eren Keskin, the president of the section of Istanbul of the IHD, with advertisements it declaring and collaborator of the PKK persona non grata, and also showing all those which had signed the petition in its favour to be collaborators of PKK.Depuis 1 year, the threats by telephone and letters with the members of the commity executive of the section of Istanbul of the IHD increased. Eren Keskin received several times of the threats nonbuckled by telephone on behalf of the TIT. (Collective VAN, June 9, 2006)

[Gavur]

Human Rights Activists Rise to Defend Keskin

http://www.info-turk.be/334.htm#brigade

Advocates of human rights in Turkey are standing up in defence of Human Rights Association (IHD) Istanbul branch former chair Eren Keskin after a group of Turkish women organisations this week gave public adverts to Turkish newspapers "violently condemning" her for implied support to an outlawed armed organisation and openly charging her with "showing extraordinary efforts to diminish respect in the Turkish Armed Forces".

The advertisements, which appeared in the mass circulation Turkish daily Hurriyet and the Cumhuriyet newspapers, claimed that while Keskin was head of the IHD Istanbul branch, she used every meeting she attended "to voice the factitious slander of the [outlawed Kurdistan Workers Party] PKK". The advert also claimed she was involved in activities "to spoil the atmosphere of peace".

Keskin, a lawyer by profession, chaired the IHD Istanbul branch until the end of last month when, following scheduled elections, she was replaced by Hurriyet Sener.

As founder of the "Legal Aid For Victims of Sexual Harassment and Rape Under Detention Project", Keskin was sentenced to 10 months imprisonment this year for "insulting the armed forces" for a speech she made back in Germany in 2002. Though the sentence was later converted to a fine, she said in March that she would rather serve it.

"Keskin is marked as a target"

IHD chairman Yusuf Alatas who said they respected everyone's right to express their opinions, warned that the advertisement against Keskin "shows one of our executives as a target. It creates a relationship with an outlawed and armed organisation. There is first an unjust claim, then a marking of target through this unjust claim".

Alatas added that "if you reflect someone as if that person is a traitor, then some people will come up to punish hose traitors". Noting that the condemnation advert had come from organisations that where both women organisations and non-governmental organisations, Alatas said "but the views they express actually say that the Turkish Armed Forces (TAF) are privileged and cannot be criticised. That the supremacy of law cannot be applied to the TAF. It supports a militarist view and system which is something that is unacceptable".

The IHD chairman stressed that "civilian society organisations must first be civilian themselves. Organisations of women should uphold woman rights on the foreground. Actions and statements that stem out of the concept 'every Turk is born as a soldier' do not serve democracy".

"They want to intimidate IHD"

The day the advert against Keskin went out, IHD Istanbul branch received a threat letter containing an unknown substance in powder form as part of an ongoing campaign against the association.

With regard to the two simultaneous incidents, "what they want to do is intimidate the IHD" explained Alatas in an interview with Bianet.

"What we are living through are the result of the general repressive attitude towards the human rights struggle in Turkey," he said. "When the judiciary, government and police fail to fulfil their responsibilities in face of such repression, when those responsible are not apprehended and brought before the law, they become even more courageous".

Alatas said attacks and threats against the IHD has two purposes. "The first is to escalate the tension. Then they specifically want to intimidate the IHD. Because an atmosphere of tension can harbour any king of outlawed activity".

"Stop this lynch campaign"

Meanwhile, the Human Rights Agenda Association (IHDG) issued a statement in protest of the women organisation's advert saying that an attempt was being made to display Keskin as if she was a terrorist in the public eye and noting that the "slander against her" had come after the case on insulting the army.

"We are genuinely concerned over the lynch campaign opened against human rights advocate Eren Keskin and we condemn such initiatives" the IHDG said.

The statement said it was "surprising" that non-governmental organisations were displaying a position against human rights, democracy and the supremacy of the law and continued, "human rights activists, as part of the nature of the struggle they are involved in, can many times fall on the opposite side of the state and state institutions. The same thing may also be valid.. for armed political groups. In view of this situation, no one has the right to lynch human rights advocates for speeches they have made, reports they have prepared or their statements".

Persona non grata

A version of the women organisation's advert is now being distributed over the internet where reference is made to a different part of the text that also condemns a campaign launched in Turkey previously to support Keskin in view of legal actions taken against her.

The campaign to support Keskin has been branded "a campaign to support the PKK" while communiqués have been issued online declaring the human rights activist as a "persona non grata". (BIA, Tolga KORKUT, June 8, 2006)

[Gavur]

Turkish terorist group threatens radio

Reporters without borders (press release), France
March 30 2007

Dangerous ultra-nationalist group threatens radio

Reporters Without Borders today condemned the death threats made
yesterday against the employees of Istanbul-based Ôzgür Radyo and
called on the government to take the safety of journalists more
seriously. `In the light of previous tragic events in Turkey,
especially the murder of newspaper editor Hrant Dink, it is vital
that the authorities take measures to protect Ôzgür Radyo's staff,'
the organisation said.

Yesterday's threats were made by the Turkish Vengeance Brigade (TIT)
in the form of an email that reached the `Investigation' section of
the station's website (ozgurradyo.com) and contained direct death
threats against the station's staff.

`Stop broadcasting separatist programmes,' the email said. `We are
watching you and we know where your homes are. This message is our
last warning. The Turk has reawakened and the Turk's rage will
annihilate those who aim to divide the motherland. If you do not stop
betraying Turkey, your end will be the same as the others. Your
destiny will be the same as that of the other traitors.' The threats
were repeated yesterday evening. The station's representatives
reported the matter to the police today.

The TIT made threats against the Turkish-Armenian weekly Agos the day
after Dink, its editor, was gunned down outside its offices. The
group was responsible for the May 1998 attack on Akin Birdal, the
former head of the Human Rights Association (IHD), and for death
threats against lawyer Eren Keskin and singer Ferhat Tunç.

A TIT member, Semih Tufan Günaltay, received a 19-year prison
sentence from an Ankara assizes court in 1999 for the attempted
murder of Birdal, who was shot eight times but survived. After
serving four and a half years of the sentence, Günaltay was released
under an amnesty law.

Five journalists were give police protection on the orders of Prime
Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, after Dink's murder. They are Etyen
Mahcupyan (Agos' new managing editor and a columnist for the daily
Zaman), Ahmet Hakan Coskun (Hürriyet), Soli Özel (Sabah), Fehmi Koru
(Yeni Safak) and Ismet Berkan, the managing editor of the daily
Radikal.

Nobel literature laureate Orhan Pamuk and fellow author Elif Shafak,
who was acquitted on a charge of `insulting national identity' in his
novel `The Bastard of Istanbul,' have also been placed under police
protection. But threats have continued to me made against academics,
editors and reporters, some of who are still without protection.

[SoSarkissian]

Just Matter of Time

And where’s the “Great USA” the defender of “Freedom” and the” Human Rights” to liberate the people of these countries? Oh I forgot, they are close friends or they’re powerful or have no oil

the world politics require no to take action at the moment. Now its time for middle-east clean up, Arabian Gulf OIL, Demonstration of new army toys (vehicles, Tanks, Aircrafts, Guns, etc.) in order to market them ...

once time comes, the world politic will change and action will start ... basically its just matter of time and nothing else...

[Gavur]

Accounts of Amnesty International Turkey frozen

http://www.todayszaman.com/tz-web/detaylar.do?load=detay&link=114427&bolum=102

Accounts of Amnesty International Turkey frozen
The Interior Ministry has suspended all bank accounts registered to the Turkish office of Amnesty International (AI) on the grounds that the organization accepted donations without official permission, sources said on Monday.


Online donations to AI Turkey have also been suspended, blocking monthly payments made by its members.
Levent Korkut, the head of AI Turkey, commenting on the Interior Ministry’s decision said the problem was related to the freedom of organizing. He said the AI considered it unacceptable that such charity and donation activity is subject to permission. Korkut claimed that this was an attempt to block civil society organizations from raising funds. Korkut said they had applied to court, and they were ready to take the case to the European Court of Human Rights once all domestic judicial paths are exhausted. “This is a situation that seriously hurts the freedom of organizing,” he said.


19.06.2007

Ayşegül Aybar İstanbul