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Country Listing: Turkey Name: Akin
Birdal Alert Date: 13 May 1998 Case Number: TU9805.BIR Updated: 28 July 1998 Human Rights Issues
Prominent human rights activist Akin Birdal, President of the Human Rights Association of Turkey and Vice-President of the International Federation of Human Rights Leagues, was sentenced to one year in prison on 28 July 1998 for "inciting hatred." The charge stems from a speech given by Birdal in which he called for a peaceful solution to the country's Kurdish conflict. Birdal was tried by the State Security Court after an appeals court overturned his previous one-year sentence. The trial took place just two months after Birdal was gravely wounded when two armed men attacked him in his office on 12 May 1998. Birdal was shot six times in the chest and legs. The attack took place just days after media reports accused Birdal of taking orders from the leader of the Kurdish Workers Party, an armed guerrilla organization engaged in a violent fourteen-year conflict with the Turkish military. Rights groups consider the attack to be a warning to others who speak out against official policy. AAAS has worked closely with Birdal and the Human Rights Association in its investigation into human rights violations perpetrated against scientists in Turkey and governmental attacks against centers for the treatment of torture survivors operated by the Human Rights Foundation of Turkey. (Sources of information on this case include the Washington Kurdish Institute, Reuters, Turkish Daily News, Human Rights Watch, and the Lawyers Committee for Human Rights.) Relevant International Treaty Articles The prosecution of Mr. Birdal on the basis the peaceful expression of his views constitute serious violation of fundamental human rights including those listed in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the European Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms. These include: Under the European Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms:
As a signatory of the Final Act of the Conference on Security and Cooperation in Europe, Turkey has agreed to abide by basic principles of human rights incorporated in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and other international documents. In addition, Turkey was one of the original ratifiers of the European Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms. Name: Haluk
Gerger Alert Dates: 5 February 1998, 13 November 1995, 21 August 1995 Case Number: TU9537.GER Updated: 12 August 1998 Human Rights Issues
Political scientist, author, and journalist, Dr. Haluk Gerger was imprisoned on 26 January 1998 for an article he wrote in 1993. The State Security Court's sentence of one year and eight months was confirmed by the Supreme Court in June 1998. Gerger's arrest stems from his article, "The State of Emergency and Operation Provide Comfort," which he wrote in 1995 for the now-banned newspaper, Evernsel. He was charged under Article 8 of the Anti-Terror Law, which bans the dissemination of separatist propaganda. The Committee for the Protection of Journalists, which in 1997 identified Turkey for the third time as the worst offender in the jailing of journalists, wrote a letter of protest to Prime Minister Yilmaz, stating that it believes that Dr. Gerger has been imprisoned for having carried out his professional duties as a journalist, and the act [to confine him] was a violation of the right to free expression as guaranteed under international law. (Sources of information on this case include the Interparliamentary Human Rights Foundation, the Human Rights Foundation of Turkey, and a personal interview with Dr. Gerger.) Relevant International Treaty Articles The prosecution of Dr. Gerger on the basis of the peaceful expression of his views and his political affiliation represents a serious violation of fundamental human rights listed in the European Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms, which recognizes:
Name: Yavuz
Onen Subject: Continued Prosecution of Engineer and Human Rights Activists Alert Dates: 6 November 1997, 16 February 1996, 9 January 1995 Case Number: TU9432.ONEN Human Rights Issues
AAAS is concerned about new charges brought against Yavuz Onen, Chairman of the Turkish Union of Engineers and Architects, and President of the Human Rights Foundation of Turkey (HRFT). Onen and three others are on trial for violating Article 2911, Meeting and Demonstrations Law. The trial commenced on 4 November 1997. If found guilty, the men face 18 months to three years in prison. The four have been charged for illegally reading a report on the Susurluk incident to the people of the town of Kizilay. The report, which is one of several official reports about the incident, was prepared for the Turkish Parliament, but was never officially submitted. It was the result of an official investigation into a car crash that occurred on 3 November 1996. The car's passengers included a former Istanbul deputy police chief, a pro-government Kurdish village guard chieftain and right-wing parliamentarian, and a convicted international drug smuggler wanted by Interpol. A number of official reports have been prepared regarding the incident and some are circulating in public, but none have been officially presented to Parliament. Onen and the other three men were charged for reading a copy of the report in public as they walked to Parliament to submit the report. (Sources of information on this case include the Turkish Daily News, November 5, 1997.) Relevant International Treaty Articles The charges brought against Yavuz Onen and the three men standing trial with him are clear violations of international human rights standards, including basic protections provided by the European Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms. These rights include:
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