January 18, 2000
January 18, 2000
Contact HRF Communications (212) 845 5245 media@humanrightsfirst.org
TRIALS OF TURKISH ACTIVISTS CAST DOUBT ON
GOVERNMENT’S COMMITMENT TO HUMAN RIGHTS REFORMNew York-- Human Rights First and the Center for Victims of Torture voiced concerns today about several upcoming trials in the Izmir region of western Turkey, scheduled to begin tomorrow.
"These trials demonstrate a disturbing pattern of impunity for torturers and persecution of activists," said Neil Hicks, Senior Program Coordinator of Human Rights First. "They send a message that contradicts the Turkish government’s stated commitment to improve its human rights performance." Facing trial are four human rights activists who are staff and volunteers for the Human Rights Foundation of Turkey (HRFT). During his November 1999 visit, President Clinton met with a representative of HRFT, which has won numerous prestigious international awards for its work.
- The trial of Dr. Zeki Uzun, who was previously detained and tortured, will begin on January 19, 2000. Dr. Uzun, a gynecologist who volunteers his medical services to HRFT, is accused of giving support to a terrorist organization for providing medical treatment to two patients who were accused of terrorist offenses. "He was fulfilling his obligations as a physician," said Douglas A. Johnson, Executive Director of the Center for Victims of Torture. "This prosecution is an attack on the norms and ethics of the medical profession."
- HRFT staff members Günseli Kaya and Dr. Alp Ayan, who have been in detention since attending the September 30, 1999, funeral of a prisoner killed during serious disturbances in Ankara Central Prison on September 26. They will be brought to trial on January 20, 2000.
- On February 17, 2000, hearings will resume in the trial of 10 police officers accused of torturing a group of 16 young people in the town of Manisa in December 1995. Despite overwhelming evidence against the officers, the Manisa court has repeatedly failed to convict them, in legal proceedings that have dragged on for more than three years.
- Dr. Veli Lök, a leading figure in the international movement for the treatment of torture and HRFT’s Izmir representative, pointed out in an interview that protests over the killings in Ankara prison took place all over Turkey, but only in Aliaga did it result in the imprisonment and prosecution of protesters. His remarks implied that authorities were targeting activists in Izmir because of the national and international concern over the Manisa case. For his remarks, Dr. Lok is now facing criminal charges under the press law. His trial will begin February 11, 2000.
Human Rights First and the Center for Victims of Torture call on Turkish authorities to drop the prosecutions of human rights activists and medical professionals involved in the treatment of torture victims, and to redouble their efforts to put an end to impunity for human rights violations.