|
FOREWORD
In December 1998, on the eve of the fiftieth anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the United Nations Assembly adopted the Declaration on the Protection of Human Rights
Defenders. This recognises that:-
“everyone has the right, individually and in association with others, to promote and strive for the protection and realisation of human rights and fundamental freedoms at the national and international levels”.
It is a truism to say that in order to establish and maintain observance of fundamental human rights, instances of human rights abuse must be documented, and the perpetrators must be brought to justice. In Turkey, as in many other parts of the world, a number of exceptional individuals have been battling to uphold human rights standards for many years. They have been working in intolerable circumstances: writers, human rights activists, lawyers and politicians have been imprisoned over the years for “activities which threaten the integrity of the State”, when, to an impartial observer, their only crime has been to call for justice. Some of these individuals spend time in prison: others have given their lives in the struggle.
This report contains an account of interviews given by individuals and representatives of human rights organisations and political parties in Istanbul in March 1999, in the run up to the 1999 elections, and in the aftermath of the arrest of Abdullah Ocalan. They document accounts of deaths, abductions, intimidation, torture and threats. They record harassment of lawyers who are simply seeking to defend their clients. They expose the Turkish system’s faihire to bring those responsible for such intimidation to account, and they allege state involvement in the persecution.
This report is important as it highlights the obstacles in the path of those seeking to uphold human rights in Turkey: obstacles which seem incredible to those working elsewhere. It also demonstrates the importance of international interest in events in Turkey. International observers, who should not be faced with the daily intimidation borne by organisations in Turkey, must continue to support the movement towards improved human rights in Turkey by recording the accounts of those who live and work there, and by disseminating these accounts worldwide.
The Kurdish Human Rights Project, the Bar Human Rights Committee of England and Wales and Howe & Co, solicitors, would like to thank all who participated in this delegation and those who helped to put this report together. Particular thanks are due to those who organised the visit in Turkey, not only for their practical assistance, but for their unfailing commitment to upholding human rights in the face of continued harassment, intimidation and worse.
We urge the international community, and the Turkish government, to seriously consider the recommendations made in this report.
Kerim Yildiz / Mark Muller / Martin Howe
Executive Director / Vice-chdirman / Partner
Kurdish Human Rights / Bar Human Rights / Howe & Co, solicitors
Project / Committee of England and Wales
Introduction
The mission
This report is based on a series of interviews conducted by a legal delegation which visited Istanbul between 16th and 18th March 1999.
The delegation was organised by the Kurdish Human Rights Project (KHRP), the Bar Human Rights Committee of England and Wales (BHRC) and Howe & Co, solicitors.
Interviews were conducted with the Istanbul branch of the Human Rights Association of Turkey (IHD), the Foundation for Social Jurisprudence Research (TOHAV), the Istanbul Bar Association, representatives of the People’s Democracy Party (HADEP), representatives of the Republican People’s Party (CHP) and Ahmet Zeki Okcuoglu, who is a member of Abdullah Ocalan’s legal team.1
This report was written by Antonia Mulvey and Simon Ridley, in collaboration with Edward Grieves and Rory Field.
By way of supplement, the report contains an extract from the proceedings of a public meeting in the House of Commons, on 26th April 1999, about “The Right to a Fair Trial and the Intimidation of Lawyers in Turkey”. The meeting was hosted by Jeremy Corbyn MP and organised by the KHRP and the BHRC. One of the main speakers was Selim Okcuoglu, another member of Abdullah Ocalan’s defence team and the brother of Ahmet Zeki Okcuoglu.2
Aims of the mission
The aims of the mission were twofold.
Firstly, the delegation had intended to attend the trial of members of the Diyarbakir branch of the IHD at the State Security Court in Diyarbakir on 16th March 1999, but were refused entry to Diyarbakir by the Turkish authorities. This was on the orders of the state of emergency governor. The members of the delegation were informed that, due to security concerns in the region following the arrest of Abdullah Ocalan3, the south east of Turkey had been largely closed to foreign observers.4
…..
1 At the time of going to press, the Turkish Daily News reported that the Ankara No. 2 State Security Court had decided that it was not appropriate for Ahmet Zeki Okcuoglu to be part of Abdullah Ocalan’s legal team.
2 Selim Okcuoglu’s name does not appear on the list of approved defence lawyers for Mr Ocalan, declared by the Ankara No. 2 State Security Court on 20th May 1999.
3 See below for more information on the arrest.
4 Trial observation missions supported by KHRP and the BHRC have observed other hearings of the trial of the IHD members. A separate report on these missions, written by Edward Grieves, is available from KHRP and BHRC. | 
