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MUCH WORK TO BE DONE TO IMPROVE HUMAN RIGHTS IN TURKEY
Today's Zaman, Turkey
Dec 10 2012
10 December 2012 / TODAY'S ZAMAN, Ä°STANBUL
As the world observed Human Rights Day on Dec. 10, civil society
organizations agreed on one core idea: Human rights improvements are
minor compared to the abundance of violations in Turkey.
The Human Rights Association (Ä°HD) said in a statement on Monday
that a world order has not still been established as described in
the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR), whose anniversary
is observed as Human Rights Day across the world.
While defining a court case into the bloody Sept. 12, 1980 military
takeover and the investigation of torture inflicted in prison in
the aftermath of the coup as positive, the organization said there
is still a lot to do to improve human rights in Turkey. The group
emphasized that politicians avoid confronting past mistakes made by the
state and attempts to circumvent the issue with several court cases,
including one against the perpetrators of the Sept. 12 coup.
Criticizing the lack of an investigation into the situation of the
people who have gone missing while in custody, the organization called
on the authorities to ratify a UN convention on missing persons and
the International Criminal Court (ICC).
The organization highlighted that the Kurdish problem continued
to be the leading area where human rights violations were seen in
2012. The lack of dialogue has led to a worrying increase in the
cases of violations of basic rights, according to the Ä°HD, which
believes that the government's national security policy has worsened
the deadlock regarding a solution to the Kurdish problem.
The Ä°HD named an authoritarian regime as the biggest obstacle when
it comes to democratization of Turkey. The NGO stated that remarks
by Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan about bringing back the death
penalty 10 years after its abolishment are perceived as a negative
sign, suggesting that Turkey will not achieve a human-rights-based
democracy.
The group emphasized the civilian deaths in Å~^ırnak's Uludere
district last December as one of the leading human rights issues
in Turkey. A military airstrike killed 34 smugglers, including 19
minors, claiming that it mistook them for Kurdistan Workers' Party
(PKK) terrorists.
Even though a year has passed since the incident, those who are
responsible have not been held accountable.
Among other anti-human rights areas are violations of the torture
ban, obstacles to freedom of expression and opinion, the pressure
the government puts on those who hold dissenting views, including
journalists, trade union members and students, according to the civil
society organization.
Human rights violations during demonstrations, appointment of
Omeroglu criticized Representatives from the Association of Human
Rights and Solidarity for Oppressed Peoples (MAZLUM-DER) said at
a press conference held to mark the day that there is a partial
improvement in human rights in Turkey, but violations outnumber the
improvements. The organization's Ä°stanbul head, Cuneyt SarıyaÅ~_ar,
stated that torture at the hands of security officers is supposed to
have been eliminated but indeed it continues in different forms.
He underscored that the state is trying to limit the right to hold
demonstrations and security officers use disproportionate force on
civilians. He criticized long detention periods, government pressure
on the freedom of press and the problems headscarved women face in
the employment sector as other areas where human rights violations
are seen in Turkey.
SarıyaÅ~_ar called on the authorities to hold an independent inquiry
into the suspicious death of military officers, defining the death
toll as equal to the losses experienced in a war.
MAZLUM-DER Education Commission head Ali Oner said the state must
stop bullying its citizens, adding that the students' right to pray is
being taken away with a lack of places for worship and with educational
institutions' prohibiting students from leaving classrooms for prayer.
The international organization Human Rights Watch (HRW) jumped on
the bandwagon on Monday criticizing the appointment of Mehmet Nihat
Omeroglu as Turkey's first ombudsman, calling on the government
to reconsider the appointment if it "is serious about creating an
ombudsman institution that champions citizens' rights."
Omeroglu, a retired member of the Supreme Court of Appeals, was
one of the judges at the top court who approved a local court's
ruling against Turkish-Armenian journalist Hrant Dink over charges of
"insulting Turkishness" according to Article 301 of the Turkish Penal
Code (TCK), which was later amended.
Dink was shot to death by an ultranationalist youth in front of the
Agos newspaper he was working for in 2007.
Despite massive criticism, Prime Minister Erdogan stated the
improvements in human rights have strengthened Turkey's position among
modern and democratic nations in the world. Erdogan said in a statement
issued on Sunday that his government is continuing a program of reforms
to protect basic rights and freedoms. He argued that Turkey is seen
as an example for its efforts towards democratization and improving
human rights.
Main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP) Deputy Chairman Sezgin
Tanrıkulu lashed out at the government, saying it has been the cause
of massive human rights violations in all areas this year. Speaking
at a press conference in Ankara on Monday, Tanrıkulu said in the
past 11 months, a total of 771 people were killed in clashes between
Turkish security officers and terrorists. He noted that in 2002,
when the Justice and Development Party (AK Party) came to power,
the number of soldiers killed was close to zero.
Tanrıkulu argued that 802 people became the victims of work-related
accidents, while 148 women were killed by men this year as a result
of domestic violence.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Human rights violations in numbers The Ä°HD gave figures related to
human rights violations in Turkey.
Between Jan. 1-Sept. 30, a total of 185 soldiers, policemen and village
guards were killed in clashes with terrorists from the PKK, which also
lost 225 militants. A total of 455 members of the security forces,
including police and military, were injured. By Nov. 30 this year,
security forces had killed 35 people either in random shootings or in
shootings where people failed to stop for police despite receiving
a warning to do so. In the same time period, 19 unsolved murders
were committed, 69 people were killed in prisons and nine died while
in custody.
According to data taken from a website on military officers' rights,
askerhakları.com, 44 soldiers committed suicide and 62 others
submitted complaints to the site claiming to have been subjected to
torture and bad treatment.
Ä°HD President Ozturk Turkdogan told reporters on Monday that during
demonstrations this year, four participants were killed and 555 others
were injured by police. He argued that the death toll is caused by
pepper spray used by police. He added that 75 journalists have been
jailed and 301 people have been sentenced to prison due to their
statements this year. He also stated that access to 22,536 websites
is currently blocked.
http://www.todayszaman.com/news-300748-much-work-to-be-done-to-improve-human-rights-in-turkey.html
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress
Today's Zaman, Turkey
Dec 10 2012
10 December 2012 / TODAY'S ZAMAN, Ä°STANBUL
As the world observed Human Rights Day on Dec. 10, civil society
organizations agreed on one core idea: Human rights improvements are
minor compared to the abundance of violations in Turkey.
The Human Rights Association (Ä°HD) said in a statement on Monday
that a world order has not still been established as described in
the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR), whose anniversary
is observed as Human Rights Day across the world.
While defining a court case into the bloody Sept. 12, 1980 military
takeover and the investigation of torture inflicted in prison in
the aftermath of the coup as positive, the organization said there
is still a lot to do to improve human rights in Turkey. The group
emphasized that politicians avoid confronting past mistakes made by the
state and attempts to circumvent the issue with several court cases,
including one against the perpetrators of the Sept. 12 coup.
Criticizing the lack of an investigation into the situation of the
people who have gone missing while in custody, the organization called
on the authorities to ratify a UN convention on missing persons and
the International Criminal Court (ICC).
The organization highlighted that the Kurdish problem continued
to be the leading area where human rights violations were seen in
2012. The lack of dialogue has led to a worrying increase in the
cases of violations of basic rights, according to the Ä°HD, which
believes that the government's national security policy has worsened
the deadlock regarding a solution to the Kurdish problem.
The Ä°HD named an authoritarian regime as the biggest obstacle when
it comes to democratization of Turkey. The NGO stated that remarks
by Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan about bringing back the death
penalty 10 years after its abolishment are perceived as a negative
sign, suggesting that Turkey will not achieve a human-rights-based
democracy.
The group emphasized the civilian deaths in Å~^ırnak's Uludere
district last December as one of the leading human rights issues
in Turkey. A military airstrike killed 34 smugglers, including 19
minors, claiming that it mistook them for Kurdistan Workers' Party
(PKK) terrorists.
Even though a year has passed since the incident, those who are
responsible have not been held accountable.
Among other anti-human rights areas are violations of the torture
ban, obstacles to freedom of expression and opinion, the pressure
the government puts on those who hold dissenting views, including
journalists, trade union members and students, according to the civil
society organization.
Human rights violations during demonstrations, appointment of
Omeroglu criticized Representatives from the Association of Human
Rights and Solidarity for Oppressed Peoples (MAZLUM-DER) said at
a press conference held to mark the day that there is a partial
improvement in human rights in Turkey, but violations outnumber the
improvements. The organization's Ä°stanbul head, Cuneyt SarıyaÅ~_ar,
stated that torture at the hands of security officers is supposed to
have been eliminated but indeed it continues in different forms.
He underscored that the state is trying to limit the right to hold
demonstrations and security officers use disproportionate force on
civilians. He criticized long detention periods, government pressure
on the freedom of press and the problems headscarved women face in
the employment sector as other areas where human rights violations
are seen in Turkey.
SarıyaÅ~_ar called on the authorities to hold an independent inquiry
into the suspicious death of military officers, defining the death
toll as equal to the losses experienced in a war.
MAZLUM-DER Education Commission head Ali Oner said the state must
stop bullying its citizens, adding that the students' right to pray is
being taken away with a lack of places for worship and with educational
institutions' prohibiting students from leaving classrooms for prayer.
The international organization Human Rights Watch (HRW) jumped on
the bandwagon on Monday criticizing the appointment of Mehmet Nihat
Omeroglu as Turkey's first ombudsman, calling on the government
to reconsider the appointment if it "is serious about creating an
ombudsman institution that champions citizens' rights."
Omeroglu, a retired member of the Supreme Court of Appeals, was
one of the judges at the top court who approved a local court's
ruling against Turkish-Armenian journalist Hrant Dink over charges of
"insulting Turkishness" according to Article 301 of the Turkish Penal
Code (TCK), which was later amended.
Dink was shot to death by an ultranationalist youth in front of the
Agos newspaper he was working for in 2007.
Despite massive criticism, Prime Minister Erdogan stated the
improvements in human rights have strengthened Turkey's position among
modern and democratic nations in the world. Erdogan said in a statement
issued on Sunday that his government is continuing a program of reforms
to protect basic rights and freedoms. He argued that Turkey is seen
as an example for its efforts towards democratization and improving
human rights.
Main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP) Deputy Chairman Sezgin
Tanrıkulu lashed out at the government, saying it has been the cause
of massive human rights violations in all areas this year. Speaking
at a press conference in Ankara on Monday, Tanrıkulu said in the
past 11 months, a total of 771 people were killed in clashes between
Turkish security officers and terrorists. He noted that in 2002,
when the Justice and Development Party (AK Party) came to power,
the number of soldiers killed was close to zero.
Tanrıkulu argued that 802 people became the victims of work-related
accidents, while 148 women were killed by men this year as a result
of domestic violence.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Human rights violations in numbers The Ä°HD gave figures related to
human rights violations in Turkey.
Between Jan. 1-Sept. 30, a total of 185 soldiers, policemen and village
guards were killed in clashes with terrorists from the PKK, which also
lost 225 militants. A total of 455 members of the security forces,
including police and military, were injured. By Nov. 30 this year,
security forces had killed 35 people either in random shootings or in
shootings where people failed to stop for police despite receiving
a warning to do so. In the same time period, 19 unsolved murders
were committed, 69 people were killed in prisons and nine died while
in custody.
According to data taken from a website on military officers' rights,
askerhakları.com, 44 soldiers committed suicide and 62 others
submitted complaints to the site claiming to have been subjected to
torture and bad treatment.
Ä°HD President Ozturk Turkdogan told reporters on Monday that during
demonstrations this year, four participants were killed and 555 others
were injured by police. He argued that the death toll is caused by
pepper spray used by police. He added that 75 journalists have been
jailed and 301 people have been sentenced to prison due to their
statements this year. He also stated that access to 22,536 websites
is currently blocked.
http://www.todayszaman.com/news-300748-much-work-to-be-done-to-improve-human-rights-in-turkey.html
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress