To All Living Things
Last Week's Column

Amnesty Action:
Fear of "Disappearance" and Torture in Turkey

by Kathy Gay

his week’s action from Amnesty International concerns a 16-year-old high school student who has been held in police custody since early last month. Police reportedly occupied his home in Diyarbakir for two days before taking him away. It is not known whether his detention has been officially acknowledged by the police. Apparently a number of his friends have been detained as well.

This young man is known to have been involved with two Kurdish-owned newspapers, both which were subjected to massive persecution and are now closed down as a result. He is also said to have been a sympathizer with a legal political party in Turkey – also heavily persecuted by the authorities – that represents Kurdish interests.

Amnesty International is very concerned for the safety and well-being of this young man and his friends and fears they are being interrogated under torture. Amnesty is calling on Turkish authorities to confirm their whereabouts and inform their families and lawyers immediately, and also urges that they not be subjected to any form of torture or ill-treatment.

Background Information

For over 10 years, the conflict between Turkish government forces and the secessionist Partiya Karkeren Kurdistan (PKK), Kurdish Workers’ Party, has resulted in the arrest of hundreds of people suspected of supporting Kurdish separatism. Article 8 of the Anti-Terror law, which outlaws any advocacy of separatism, has frequently been used to prosecute and imprison people for the peaceful expression of their opinions. People suspected of offenses under this law can now be held in police custody without access to family, friends or legal counsel for up to four days. This period may be increased to ten days in the six provinces currently under State of Emergency, such as Diyarbakir, and to seven days in the rest of Turkey, during which detainees would have to be granted access to a lawyer.

The Turkish Criminal Procedure Code provides for the prompt and proper registration of detainees, as well as notification to their families, but such procedures are almost universally ignored. The lack of prompt registration and notification is extremely distressing for the families of detainees and creates conditions in which "disappearances" and torture can more easily occur. Torture is routine and systematic in Turkey, and many deaths in custody as a result of torture have been reported.

In 1995 Turkey ratified the U.N. Convention on the Rights of the Child which requires State Parties to make special efforts to protect children against human rights violations. According to Article 138 of the Turkish Criminal Procedure Code, a lawyer appointed by the Bar Association must be provided for minors under 18 years of age during interrogation and when statements are taken. In practice these safeguards are mostly ignored with impunity.

How you can help

Please send a letter to the Chief Prosecutor at Diyarbakir State Security Court in Turkey as soon as possible, but no later than January 16, 1998. You may use the sample letter linked below or use it as a model to write your own letter. If you choose to use the sample letter, please cut off or delete all website information at the very top of the letter. If you prefer to write your own letter, please keep in mind that its intent is to improve the human rights situation in the Turkey. Make sure the letter is politely worded, non-partisan (i.e., not used as a vehicle for political expression) and written with respect for the recipient. Be sure to include both your name and address, as well as the date, on your letter.

U.S. airmail postage to Turkey is 60 cents.

Questions?

If you have any questions, just post a message to me (Kathy Gay) on the Activism Board, and I will respond as soon as I can. I greatly appreciate your interest and support.

To see the sample letter for this action, please click here.

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Kathy Gay is a vegan, and has been a member of Amnesty International since 1987, where she has worked on numerous campaigns. She lives in the San Francisco Bay Area and is a business analyst for a leading California bank.

Kathy's column, To All Living Things, is a regular feature of VegSource On-Line Magazine.