Turkey’s human rights record not promising
Güncelleme Tarihi:
Hurriyet Daily News
Oluşturulma Tarihi: Aralık 12, 2008 00:00
ANKARA - President Abdullah Gül says Turkey has reached higher human rights standards with new reforms that have been undertaken and has been a pioneer in the field of human rights, while further promising that the country will resolutely follow all human rights initiatives.
Human rights organizations have complained about Turkey's poor human rights record, contradicting the rosy picture drawn by political leaders.
A total of 291 cases concerning restrictions on freedom of thought and expression were filed in the first 10 months of 2008, said a joint statement Wednesday by the Human Rights Association, or İHD, and the Turkish Human Rights Foundation, or TİHV.
Additionally, nine people were killed for disobeying police warnings to stop, the organizations’ said.
The picture painted by these human rights organizations, coinciding with the 60th anniversary of the adoption of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights that Turkey was one of the first countries to adopt, is contradictory to political rhetoric in the country.
President Abdullah Gül said Turkey had reached higher human rights standards with new reforms that had been undertaken and had been a pioneer in the field of human rights. He said the country would resolutely follow all human rights initiatives during its non-permanent membership of the U.N. Security Council.
"Today is the day to prevent human rights violations from recurring," Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said. Foreign Minister Ali Babacan said Turkey had made remarkable progress in this field under the guidance of both citizens' expectations and international obligations.
"Protection and promotion of human rights are among the primary objectives of our state policyÉ Violations of rights arising from disputes are also followed closely and common efforts are employed with a view to taking preventive measures," Babacan said.
Violations continue
Despite this high-level praise of Turkey's human rights record, violations outlined in the newspapers pages in 2008 are as follows:
February 8: 17-year-old Emrah Dervişoğlu who had allegedly been involved in the theft of a car in Istanbul, was shot for ignoring a police warning and died.
February 15: 16-year-old Yahya Menekşe died when he was crushed under a police vehicle in a demonstration in Cizre.
March 22: Police shot dead Zeki Erik during the Nevruz celebrations and Ramazan Dal was taken to intensive care after being beaten by police. Dal died 10 days later.
May 1: Daily Cumhuriyet correspondents Ali Deniz Uslu and Esra Açıkgöz were seriously injured as a result of the actions of police in a May Day rally in Istanbul, while they were working.
Aug. 27: Stopped by police in Balıkesir for driving under the influence of alcohol, Halil Bulut, while trying to get in his car to escape police, was shot in the heart by police and died.
Aug. 30: A fight broke out between police and civilians when civilians ignored police warnings to stop. A passerby, Aziz Yargı, unaware of what was happening, was shot dead as a result of a stray bullet fired by police.
Oct. 10: Engin Çeber died from injuries he received at Metris Prison in Istanbul.
Oct. 20: Ahmet Özhan died as a result of police firing into a demonstration in eastern Anatolia. The protest was staged due to claims the leader of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ Party, or PKK, Abdullah Öcalan, was under pressure in İmralı, an island near Istanbul where he is serving a prison sentence.
Oct. 27: A police officer shot dead 18-year-old Çağdaş Gemik because he disobeyed a warning to stop.
Nov. 11: As a result of not adhering to the police warning to stop, 14-year-old Ahmet Yıldırım sustained back injuries as a result of police firing a shot. The police officer claimed Yıldırım had stolen a motorcycle in a southern Adana province.
Nov. 19: Soner Çankal, suspected of theft, was shot in the head and died in the Altındağ district of Ankara for ignoring a police warning.
Nov. 25: 20-year-old Baran Tursun was shot in the head by police while driving after failing to comply with a warning to stop.
A total of 291 cases concerning restrictions on freedom of thought and expression were filed in the first 10 months of 2008, said a joint statement Wednesday by the Human Rights Association, or İHD, and the Turkish Human Rights Foundation, or TİHV.
Additionally, nine people were killed for disobeying police warnings to stop, the organizations’ said.
The picture painted by these human rights organizations, coinciding with the 60th anniversary of the adoption of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights that Turkey was one of the first countries to adopt, is contradictory to political rhetoric in the country.
President Abdullah Gül said Turkey had reached higher human rights standards with new reforms that had been undertaken and had been a pioneer in the field of human rights. He said the country would resolutely follow all human rights initiatives during its non-permanent membership of the U.N. Security Council.
"Today is the day to prevent human rights violations from recurring," Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said. Foreign Minister Ali Babacan said Turkey had made remarkable progress in this field under the guidance of both citizens' expectations and international obligations.
"Protection and promotion of human rights are among the primary objectives of our state policyÉ Violations of rights arising from disputes are also followed closely and common efforts are employed with a view to taking preventive measures," Babacan said.
Violations continue
Despite this high-level praise of Turkey's human rights record, violations outlined in the newspapers pages in 2008 are as follows:
February 8: 17-year-old Emrah Dervişoğlu who had allegedly been involved in the theft of a car in Istanbul, was shot for ignoring a police warning and died.
February 15: 16-year-old Yahya Menekşe died when he was crushed under a police vehicle in a demonstration in Cizre.
March 22: Police shot dead Zeki Erik during the Nevruz celebrations and Ramazan Dal was taken to intensive care after being beaten by police. Dal died 10 days later.
May 1: Daily Cumhuriyet correspondents Ali Deniz Uslu and Esra Açıkgöz were seriously injured as a result of the actions of police in a May Day rally in Istanbul, while they were working.
Aug. 27: Stopped by police in Balıkesir for driving under the influence of alcohol, Halil Bulut, while trying to get in his car to escape police, was shot in the heart by police and died.
Aug. 30: A fight broke out between police and civilians when civilians ignored police warnings to stop. A passerby, Aziz Yargı, unaware of what was happening, was shot dead as a result of a stray bullet fired by police.
Oct. 10: Engin Çeber died from injuries he received at Metris Prison in Istanbul.
Oct. 20: Ahmet Özhan died as a result of police firing into a demonstration in eastern Anatolia. The protest was staged due to claims the leader of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ Party, or PKK, Abdullah Öcalan, was under pressure in İmralı, an island near Istanbul where he is serving a prison sentence.
Oct. 27: A police officer shot dead 18-year-old Çağdaş Gemik because he disobeyed a warning to stop.
Nov. 11: As a result of not adhering to the police warning to stop, 14-year-old Ahmet Yıldırım sustained back injuries as a result of police firing a shot. The police officer claimed Yıldırım had stolen a motorcycle in a southern Adana province.
Nov. 19: Soner Çankal, suspected of theft, was shot in the head and died in the Altındağ district of Ankara for ignoring a police warning.
Nov. 25: 20-year-old Baran Tursun was shot in the head by police while driving after failing to comply with a warning to stop.