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1. Military Chief Outlines Policies at Press Conference (Turkish Daily
News) 11/03
2. General Basbug Refutes Reports on Agreement with US on Kirkuk (Xinhua)
11/02
3. General Basbug Says Turkey Monitoring Kirkuk Demographics (Anadolu
Agency) 11/02
4. Rights Association Elects DEP Lawyer Alatas as New Chief (Turkish Daily
News) 11/02
5. Alatas Interviewed on Recent Rights Developments (Turkish Daily News)
11/04
6. Media Monitoring Report Published by Press Watchdog (Bianet.org) 11/02
7. Row Erupts over Publication of Parliamentary Human Rights/Minority
Report (BBC) 11/01
8. Rights Groups Condemn Attack on Parliamentary Report Authors (Turkish
Daily News) 11/03
9. Claudia Roth in Turkey; Views EU Process, Minority "Problem"
(Turkish Daily News) 11/04
10. Rights Group: New Draft Law on Criminal Penalties Legalizes Torture, Abuse (Bianet)
11/03
11. Turkish Parliament to Vote on Abolition of Death Penalty (Anadolu Agency)
11/01
12. Former Ministers Appear in Court in Corruption Trial (AFP) 11/02
13. General Basbug Denies Greek Claims of Territorial Violations (AFP) 11/02
14. Soli Ozel: Which Way is West for Turkey? (Korean Herald) 11/02
15. Graham Fuller: Turkey a True Model for the Muslim Future (Newsweek) 11/08
16. Mehmet Ali Birand: Bush Election; Basbug Message to EU; Mafia (Turkish Daily
News) 11/04
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1) Military: No compromise on unitary structure
Turkish Daily News
3 November 2004
Turkey's powerful military said yesterday that Turkey's unitary structure was
not open to debate, warning that questioning it could lead to disintegration of
the country.
"The Turkish Armed Forces cannot accept any debate over the unitary
structure of the Turkish state, an untouchable provision of the
Constitution," Deputy Chief of Staff Gen. Ilker Basbug told a press
conference yesterday.
His statement came after the European Union Commission called for more cultural
rights for Turkey's Kurdish community in an Oct. 6 report. Its wording sparked a
debate over the definition of minority in Turkey, and a government-sponsored
human rights committee called for revision of the Constitution and relevant laws
to expand cultural rights in a report presented to the Prime Minister's Office.
Basbug said the EU Commission's report made implicit or explicit references to
"certain communities" that were not described as minorities in the
1923 Lausanne Treaty, which founded the Turkish Republic. That treaty grants
minority status only to non-Muslim communities in Turkey.
The top commander also complained that some of the rights suggested for those
communities in the EU report went beyond cultural rights and spilled over into
the "political realm."
"It is clear that the EU's approach goes beyond the framework drawn up by
the Lausanne Treaty," Basbug said.
The top commander also said Turkey had carried out and continued to implement
reforms to "enhance Turkey's cultural richness," provided that the
reforms did not go beyond the cultural field and jeopardize the unitary
structure of the state.
No Iraq operation deal with US
Basbug also denied press reports that Turkey and the United States had reached
an agreement for a Turkish cross-border operation in Iraq.
Reports in some Turkish newspapers in recent days have said the Turkish Armed
Forces had prepared plans to send up to 40,000 troops to northern Iraq to
prevent forceful attempts by Iraqi Kurds to change the demographic structure of
the oil-rich city of Kirkuk and to eliminate presence of the outlawed Kurdistan
Workers' Party (PKK) in the region.
Basbug denied the reports, saying Turkey remained committed to diplomatic means,
but warned that Iraqi Kurds were after "creating an opportunity for
themselves out of efforts to determine the future of Kirkuk."
The same reports also said that the plans had the blessing of the United States.
Basbug denied there had been any such contacts with the United States.
An official at the U.S. Embassy in Ankara also denied the reports and said there
was no such agreement between Turkey and the United States.
'TSK's duty to protect the republic'
Basbug also responded to criticism in the EU's Oct. 6 report over the definition
of the responsibilities of the Turkish Armed Forces' (TSK) in the relevant laws.
"What responsibility could be more important than this for an armed
forces?" Basbug asked.
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2) Turkey refutes reports on agreement with US on Kirkuk
Xinhua
November 2, 2004
ANKARA -- Turkish Deputy Chief of General StaffIlker Basbug refuted on Tuesday
reports that Turkey had reached an agreement with the United States regarding
Kirkuk in northern Iraq.
However, Basbug, in remarks to the press, acknowledged that Turkey had discussed
the future of Kirkuk with US officials.
He said Turkey hoped energy resources in Iraq could be equally and fairly used
by all the Iraqi people and that Kirkuk, which boasts 12 percent of Iraq's oil
resources, was of particular importance in this context.
"Any wrong decision concerning Kirkuk might cause an internal clash or a
civil war in Iraq that would probably affect neighboringTurkey," he said,
adding that Kirkuk should be granted special status and be protected.
Referring to reports about operation plans regarding Kirkuk, Basbug said,
"It is our task to prevent any unfavorable developmentregarding Kirkuk, so
it is our duty to make plans against every possibility."
Kirkuk, a northern Iraqi city sprawling near the Iraqi border with Turkey, has a
large population of Turkmens, an ethnic community of Turkish descent, which
enjoys Ankara's support.
The Iraqi Kurds claim that Kirkuk was overwhelmingly Kurdish in the 1950s before
Baghdad started a deliberate campaign of "Arabization," during which
thousands of Arabs were encouraged to settle in the city.
The kurds are reportedly trying to chase the Arabs out and many want the city to
become the capital of an independent Kurdish statein northern Iraq.
Ankara fears that the Kurdish control of Kirkuk oil fields, among the richest in
Iraq, may encourage the Iraqi Kurds to break away from Baghdad, fanning
separatist sentiment among the Kurds in neighboring southeastern Turkey and
triggering turmoil in the region.
---------
3) General Says Military Monitoring Moves Aiming To Change Demographic Structure
Of Kirkuk
Anadolu Agency
November 2, 2004
ANKARA - Gen. Ilker Basbug, Turkish Deputy Chief of General Staff, said on
Monday that the Turkish military was monitoring the moves aiming to change the
demographic structure of Kirkuk.
Basbug in a press briefing today in Ankara said that Turkey was against such a
change, and expressed their concern that Kurds might have exploit the situation.
Gen. Basbug also reminded that the census planned to be held in Iraq in October
of 2004 was cancelled, and went on: ''We think that it was cancelled because the
required atmosphere for a healthy census has not been created, and because some
groups might have thought that they could not get the result they wanted from
the census. An election is planned to be held (in Iraq) in January 2005, but it
may also be delayed to a later date.''
''This election is important since the parliament to be formed (after it) will
prepare the new constitution of Iraq. U.S. and Iraqi authorities have stated
that elections may not be held in some places where security can't be assured.
We also think that elections may be prevented deliberately in some regions,''
Basbug said.
Referring to restructuring of Iraqi security forces, Basbug said, ''Iraqi
security forces, comprised of 340,000 personnel, is planned to become
operational in March 2005. We believe that ethnic groups should be represented
in line with their population in this force. So, we still have some concerns
(over this matter). Some elements like the peshmerga force have not been
disarmed yet, although it is foreseen in the interim constitution.''
Noting that a NATO coordination team, including two Turkish officers, were
serving in Baghdad in order to instruct the Iraqi security forces, Basbug said,
''regarding the situation of the coalition and stability force, we can say
155,000 personnel from 29 countries are still stationed in Iraq. 135,000 of this
force is comprised of U.S. personnel. Some countries have withdrawn their
soldiers from Iraq recently, while we know that some of them think of
withdrawing their troops after the elections.''
On the other hand, Basbug denied claims of Greece that Turkey had increased its
flights over the Aegean Sea, and said that the mentioned flights were regular
training flights of the Turkish Air Forces.
Basbug also stated that flights of Greek jets over the Aegean were more than
those of Turkish jets.
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4) IHD elects new chairman
Turkish Daily News
November 2, 2004
Lawyer Yusuf Alatas has taken over leadership of the Human Rights Association (IHD)
from Husnu Ondul following the organization's general assembly meeting where he
was the sole candidate for the post.
Alatas was elected at the weekend by the majority of 394 attendees of the
general assembly. A new administration board was also elected.
Alatas was one of the lawyers for former Democracy Party (DEP) lawmakers whose
retrial is being closely monitored by European politicians and lawmakers. Leyla
Zana, Orhan Dogan, Hatip Dicle and Selim Sadak went before the court last month
after the State Security Courts were abolished as part of the EU-inspired
reforms.
IHD, as one of the leading human rights organizations in Turkey, has been
supporting Turkey's European Union quest but criticizes deficiencies in the
implementation of reforms.
Alatas, speaking to NTV television, said the new administration would expand its
activities and focus on the problems of women, children and disabled people as
well as environmental matters.
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5) Alatas: Freedom not internalized in Turkey
Gul Demir
ISTANBUL - Turkish Daily News
November 4, 2004
Lawyer Yusuf Alatas was chosen to succeed Husnu Ondul as chairman of the Human
Rights Association (IHD) at the general assembly meeting which took place on
October 30-31 in Ankara. Alatas said that he was elected by a majority vote of
the participants on a consensus basis.
Alatas, who is better known by the Turkish public as the lawyer for the
Democracy Party (DEP) deputies rather than for his 14 years of fighting in the
area of human rights, has worked for the IHD since 1990. In an exclusive
interview with the Turkish Daily News, Alatas talked about his uneasiness over
the fact that his ethnic identity was mentioned in some press organs
particularly after being appointed as the IHD chairman and said: "It is not
proper to mention ethnic identities of administrators working at an association
like the IHD which defends human rights. As chairman of IHD, I am neither Kurd,
Turk, Laz, Circassian, Jew nor Armenian. I am human."
The basic factors that determine Alatas' agenda for human rights is determined
by social problems in the sense that they are looking at political rights and
personal rights. He told the TDN: "We are interested in primary rights like
torture, extrajudicial killings, freedom of expression and organization etc.,
which we call personal and political rights. We also work for economic and
social rights, and the rights of handicapped people, children and women. The
public has heard our voice in other areas but I hope that personal and political
rights violations will decrease in the next period and we will become more
focused on areas to which we should pay more attention. Economic and social
rights are the leading ones. Others are unemployment, working conditions,
poverty, women's rights, children's rights, rights of the handicapped, problems
of people having different sexual choices, ecological balance, damage to nature,
environmental problems etc."
Asked what he thought about the current panorama of human rights in Turkey,
Alatas replied, "We can consider Turkey from two points of view. When we
look back five or ten years ago, nobody can deny that Turkey is now in a better
position regarding human rights. When we compare us to conditions in a European
Union country, there are many things still to do in Turkey. Also, there are many
human rights violations. For example; we misled the discussion on torture by
saying "it was systematic" or "it was not systematic." But
that there is torture is a widely held opinion in Turkey. What we should pay
attention to is preventing torture.
It is not enough to say "zero tolerance for torture" or make an
arrangement. If your police, gendarmerie or even your judges tolerate and
protect torturers, it means there is a problem in this country. We can't talk
about the internalization of freedoms in Turkey. How human rights are
implemented changes from town to town. The right to meet and demonstrate can be
easily used in one town but may be very different in another. Administrators may
restrict all freedoms.
"The issue of prisons has been a bleeding wound for years but nobody
mentions it. So far 112 people have died in death fasts in prisons. Prisons in
this country belong to the state and the people who have died are the people of
this country. Then why isn't any importance attached to this problem?"
The EU Commission's Progress Report became a matter of contention and discussion
because issues regarded as taboo in Turkey were included. When Alatas was asked
whether or not he thought the intent of the report was aimed at creating yet
another minority in Turkey, he replied, "These reports issued as part of
relations between Turkey and Europe are prepared acccording to social, economic
and political criteria previously determined by EU countries. The criteria
defining what a minority is differs between EU countries and Turkey. European
countries regard different views and positions in each area as a minority. It
considers the numerical position. Let's say Kurds are in a numerical minority in
Turkey, then they call Kurds a minority or Alewis are a religious group but they
are a numerical minority compared to those in the numerical majority, so they
are called a minority. Actually, the EU does not determine a status of minority,
they say, 'Kurds and other minorities.' This is not political or a legal
definition of the concept of minority.
It is necessary to understand that the word "minority" means
"paucity" here. There's always an attempt to discuss the issue of
minorities on a political platform. Either the Lausanne Treaty is brought up or
the division of Turkey. It is discussed on very different grounds. It is said
"you are patriotic" or "you are traitorous" as in the
minority report prepared by the Prime Ministry Human Rights Consultation Board (BIHDK).
Unfortunately, there is no sound, scientific ground for discussion that suits
human rights' ethics. Also, we are hurting people who are legally regarded as a
minority according to international standards. For example; we are hurting Jews,
Greeks and Armenians who received the status of being minorities under the
Lausanne Treaty. But they are our citizens. We evaluate the concept of minority
as an attempt to divide Turkey. We cannot get anywhere with such an approach.
Asked to further discuss his position on the issue of minorities now that he is
chairman of IHD, Alatas answered: "All our statements depend on
international human rights documents. What rights do citizens have? What rights
don't they have? What rights should they have? We pay attention to this. We are
not a part of the discussion whether Kurds are a minority or not. We are
interested in the rights which the citizens of Turkey, including Kurds, must
have. Kurds must be able to speak their native language, keep their own culture
alive, Alewis must be able to practice their own faith, etc. For example; we
never use the word 'terrorist.' The word 'terrorist' changes according to each
person, state and position. We only use the words violence, attack, killing
because they are the results. We approach the concept of minority like this. I
wish these issues could be easily discussed in Turkey. It is difficult to solve
them in a short time. It is difficult but we must be able to speak about them as
part of the process of instituting EU reforms."
Alatas stressed that they never considered the political views of governments or
the ideologies they were defending when evaluating the rapid legal changes
involved in Turkey's progress towards membership with the EU. "We are
interested in the results. We are interested in whether the results contribute
to the development of freedom and rights in Turkey. That's why the Justice and
Development Party (AKP) defines itself as a conservative and religious party. We
have always said that we approved of many things they did. But we should state
that the government is two-faced on some issues. The penal code was prepared
without being discussed with the public. Now it is preparing the Criminal
Execution Law. But we don't know what it will say or what it will solve. Some
people make changes and call it reform. But there are many things which escape
observation and civil society is not included in it.
"There are EU council projects. They receive millions of dollars. What are
they doing? Nobody discusses them. Despite the many positive steps taken over
the constitution, we still don't have a democratic and participatory
constitution. The constitution is the main document that expresses a country's
basic system. We still have a constitution of military revolution. So it is very
important that a civil constitution must be prepared with a democratic
participation."
The EU Progress Report pointed out that things had to be done in Turkey. Alatas
asked, "Could allowing people to watch TV in their own language in Turkey
today; was the problem of broadcasting in a native language solved with a
half-hour broadcast, did it make sense to not allow private TV channels to
broadcast, would people attend Kurdish courses where they undergo interrogation,
are people asked personal questions in English language courses? They pay money
and attend the course. Nobody asks for their identity, residence papers or
criminal report. But go to a Kurdish course and see what happens to you.
Serious transformation is needed for implementation. Independence of the
judiciary and superiority of law are still not there. All these will be
accomplished within the EU negotiation process. The government should state that
it is resolute about implementing these. At first the government should make
peace with NGOs that defend human rights and democracy. Events, which happened
after the "Minority Rights Report," prepared by BIHDK was produced and
has had a harmful impact on people and will reflect on negotiations leading to
December 17. No EU country can ignore that the BIHDK chairman's speech was
interrupted and the text of his speech torn apart. The government should
urgently give up this attitude.
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6) Media Monitoring Report Published by Press Watchdog
Bianet.org
By Erol Onderoglu
02November 2004
The BIA² third quarterly Media Monitoring Report for the period July-September
2004 deals with 26 court cases and 69 journalists. Two journalists are
threatened by ruling AKP officials and a daily is heavily fined for a cartoon
critical of Erdogan.
BIA (Istanbul) - The "Network for Monitoring and Covering Media Freedom and
Independent Journalism" (BIA2) project has published its third quarterly
Media Monitoring Report, which covers the period July-September2004 .
The13 -page report provides a chronological account of all rights violations
under the topics: "attacks and threats," "detentions and
arrests," "trials and attempts," "European Court of Human
Rights," "RTUK practices," "regulations and legal
procedures," and "reaction to censorship."
According to the BIA 2report, two out of six reporters in the provinces of Van
and Ordu, who said they were threatened, filed a complaint at the prosecutor's
office against the governing Justice and Development Party (AKP) officials.
The report, which covers 26 court cases and the situation of69 journalists,
shows that three cases have ended in a court decision of lack of grounds for
legal action, and five have ended in sanctions. The Supreme Court of Appeals
overturned lower courts' rulings about three journalists, while four new cases
were opened against media members and one preliminary inquiry was launched.
The "Gunluk Evrensel" (Daily Evrensel) newspaper was handed a fine of
10 billion Turkish liras (USD6 ,700) in damages for publishing a caricature of
Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan. "Tavir" (Manner) magazine was
closed down for 15 days for another caricature.
Following are the details of the report:
Attacks and threats
* On September25 , during a KESK protest in the Sarachane district of Istanbul,
police sprayed the face and mouth of a reporter of the "Cumhuriyet"
(Republic) newspaper with pepper spray and hit him on his back. Reporter Gokce
Uygun was following the protest at the time. The Istanbul branch of the
Contemporary Journalists' Association (CGD), and the Turkish Journalists'
Community (TGC) condemned the attack.
* On September 24 "Mersin" newspaper's reporter Hakki Cat, who was
following the Free Citizens' Movement's protest, was beaten up with truncheons,
his camera was broken and he was threatened with detention. The Mersin
Journalists' Community condemned the attack.
* On September 13 Aziz Aykac, the owner and editor-in-chief of the "Sehrivan"
newspaper in the province of Van, published corruption allegations about AKP
Provincial Head Ebubekir Gulacar and his family. He applied to the prosecutor's
office because of threats he received and filed a complaint. On September10 ,
when the corruption allegations were published under the title, "Suspicion
in Justice Party,"15 people, allegedly from Gulacar's family, raided the
newspaper's offices and demanded that the distribution of the newspaper is
halted. Aykac, who asked for Gulacar's comments on the allegations received the
following response: "If you want to publish the story, publish it. I have
no fears. But that would not be good for you."
* On September 10 The Van reporter of Dicle News Agency (DIHA), Ubeydullah Hakan,
filed a complaint about a police officer, whom he said threatened him
frequently. He also had photographs of the police officer. Lawyer Murat Timur,
who applied to the prosecutor's office, said he sent his petition of complaint
to the Van Police Headquarters, Interior Ministry and the Van Governor's Office.
Hakan said he was last threatened with death on September 4 during a protest he
was covering.
* On September 3 Nedim Kovan, the owner of the local "Gunes" (Sun)
newspaper said he was being threatened by AKP lawmaker from the province of Ordu,
Enver Yilmaz, and people related to him because of the articles he wrote during
the March 28 local elections campaign. Kovan filed a complaint. "Cumhuriyet"
reporter Erdogan Erisen and "Sabah" (Morning) newspaper's reporter
Engin Ozkurt were attacked on the same day because of news stories on the Camsan
company, and they filed complaints. "I filed a complaint when death threats
that I had received in the past were repeated, and when I heard that Erisen was
attacked," said Kovan. The Ordu Journalists' Group published a statement
and condemned the attack.
* On August27 , armed assailants attacked the Dim Medya Center building, to
which the local "Yeni Alanya" (New Alanya) newspaper is affiliated.
The bullets made holes in the building's front facade. There were no injuries or
deaths. "I believe the attack took place because some of our
publications," said Mehmet Ali Dim, the newspaper's chairman.
The employees of the "Kemer Gozcu" (Kemer Observer) newspaper
published in the Kemer district of the province of Antalya, said an unidentified
person came to their office on August 1 after midnight and threatened them. They
filed a complaint. Editor-in-chief Saffet Yenigun said Hakki Aydin, headof the
Kemer Ayisigi Facilities, was threatening the employees through other people,
because of a news story published in the newspaper. "Newspaper owners are
confusing journalism with business relations," said Aydin, who admitted he
went to the building where the newspaper's offices are located. Aydin, however,
denied he threatened anyone.
"Gunluk Evrensel" reported Ugras Vatandas, who was beaten by police
officers while he was following the clashes between NATO protesters and police
in Okmeydani on June28 , filed a complaint at the Sisli State Prosecutor's
Office. The reporter used photographs by the Turkish Human Rights Foundation (TIHV)
as evidence for his complaint.
Detentions and Arrests
* On September25 , police officers in civilian clothes detained DIHA reporters
Sedat Suna and Ertus Bozkurt without any reason, while they were following the
"Peace and Democracy Meeting" in the Kadikoy district. The reporters
were released after a six-hour detention.
* Imprisoned journalist Nureddin Sirin applied to benefit from an amnesty law.
His application was rejected on September8 . An Ankara court, in linewith the
views of the Interior Ministry, ruled that Sirin could not benefitfrom the
amnesty law because he was "a leader of the Tevhit-Selam
organization." Sirin's lawyer Haci Ali Ozhan said he would appeal the
ruling.
* On the night of August 18 Melih Pekdemir, the former owner of the "Su
Yayinlari" publishing house, and a writer for the "Birgun" (One
Day) newspaper, was detained and taken to the Mersin police headquarters
"for his testimony to be taken." Pekdemir was released after spending
a day under detention and testifying. It was claimed that Pakdemir, the
publisher of the book, "Fetullah's Truncheons," was being looked for
to testify in the case opened against him for "insulting someone through a
publication." An arrest warrant was issued against him because he could not
be found "at his declared address."
* On July 10 Reporters Ozkan Zulfikar and Serif Karatas of the "Gunluk
Evrensel" newspaper, who covered developments about those who raided the
Van Police Headquarters and kidnapped the drug suspects, were detained, on
grounds that they were "suspicious people." With the intervention of
newspaper's officials and the Van officials of the Human Rights Association (IHD),
the reporters were released after an hour under detention.
* Selda Yesiltepe, the manager of the "Anadolu'nun Sesi Radyosu" (Anadolu's
Voice Radio) was kept under detention for four days. She was released on July 9
after prosecutors of a Besiktas court questioned her. Yesiltepe was detained
along with three others at the tea shop in Sarayburnu in the Eminonu district.
She was detained on grounds that her name was mentioned in a computer disc found
at the "Ekmek ve Adalet Dergisi" (Bread and Justice Magazine), during
operations on April 1 in Turkey and five other European countries.
Trials and Attempts
* Mehmet Yilmaz, one of the judges of the Manisa Youth Trial and the head of the
Manisa Justice Commission; and lawyers Emin Uz and Halit Moralioglu of the
police officers being tried in the Manisa case, and who were appointed to the
"Manisa Penalty Execution Institution and Prison Monitoring
Committee," took legal action against "Cumhuriyet" newspaper. The
Supreme Court of Appeals cited "press freedom," and "public
interest," to overturn the lower court's decision. The ruling of the
Supreme Court of Appeals was published in the "Cumhuriyet" newspaper
on September29 .
* On September21 , "Milliyet" (Nationality) newspaper's reporter Tolga
Sardan was taken to the Ankara prosecutor's office by police, with the orders
from the Istanbul State Prosecutors' Office, because of his news stories on the
"connections between Cakici, MIT (National Intelligence Organization) and
the Supreme Court of Appeals." He was questioned by prosecutor Semsettin
Ozcan. "Sabah" reporter Unsal Ergel and "Zaman" (Time)
reporter Ercan Gun also faced with preliminary inquiry for the same reason.
* On September22 , an Ankara court ruled that the "Gunluk Evrensel"
newspaper has to pay 10 billion Turkish lira in damages to Prime Minister
RecepTayyip Erdogan because of a caricature. The court ruled that a caricature
bySefer Selvi, which was published along with an article titled, "AKP's
Deep Head," was "an attack against personal rights. Cuneyt Zapsu, the
prime minister's advisor, also pressed legal action and demanded 5 billion
Turkish liras(USD3 ,300) in damages.
* The MOPAK paper factory in Dalaman sued Hasan Karacelik, the owner of the
"Guney Ege" (Southern Aegean) newspaper, published in the Mugla
region, its editor-in-chief Nuri Yimbil and columnist Yuksel Sari for news
stories and articles published on August31 . The paper factory demanded 100
billion Turkish liras (USD67 ,000) in damages. The news stories and articles
were about allegations that the MOPAK company pollutes the environment and does
not respect the rights of its employees.
* On September10 , an Istanbul court decided there is lack of grounds for legal
action in the case against writer Ragip Zarakolu of the "Yeniden Ozgur
Gundem" (Free Agenda Again) newspaper and its manager, Mehmet Colak. Thetwo
were sued because of an article titled, "None of Your Business" about
the debate over a Kurdish Federation in northern Iraq. A Beyoglu court will take
up the case. The newspaper's owner, Ali Celik Kasimogullari, and manager Colak
had previously been handed a fine of 7 billion Turkish liras (USD4 ,700) because
of other articles.
* In early September, it was found out that journalist Mehmet Ali Birand was
sued by the Istanbul state prosecutors for "aiding and abetting PKK/Kongra-Gel
organization." The trial was based on an April 8interview with the lawyers
of the imprisoned Kurdish rebel leader Abdullah Ocalan in his program "32.
Gun" (32nd day) on the television channel, CNN Turk. Ocalan's lawyers will
also stand trial.
* On September9 , an Ankara court made a decision of lack of jurisdiction ina
trial in which journalist Fikret Baskaya, publisher Ismet Erdogan of Maki
publishing house, and editor Ozden Bayram were being charged for a book named,
"Articles Against the Flow." Lawyer Aydin Erdogan said the case would
be handled by another Ankara court because of a duty distribution in media
crimes.
* On August20 , "Munzur Haber," (Munzur News) of the province of
Tunceli, "Tunceli'nin Sesi" (Tunceli's Voice), "Halkin Sesi"
(People's Voice), "Tunceli'de Emek" (Bread in Tunceli) newspapers and
"Iskin" magazine were each handed a fine with an initial installment
of2 billion Turkish liras (USD1 ,300) for not "notifying the state
prosecutor of the required information in time," as stated in the Press
Law, which went into effecton June9 . If the media organizations do not pay the
fine in 10 days, legal action will be pressed against them. The monthly "Siyasi
Gazete"(Political Newspaper) published in Istanbul was also handed a fine
with an initial installation of 500 million Turkish liras (USD300 ) for the same
reason.
"Ozgur Radyo" (Free Radio) in Istanbul, went off the air on August
18for 30days. The Radio and Television Higher Board (RTUK) ordered the radio
station off the air for "inciting enmity." The board said that the
channel" promoted discrimination based on ethnicity and incited hatred and
enmity" by allocating a slot in "Talking Pages" program, for a
news story from the "Gunluk Evrensel" newspaper. The news story taken
from the "Gunluk Evrensel" was about an attack on the wedding ceremony
of the members of theDemocratic People's Party (DEHAP) in the province of Adana.
Sevda Ergin, the editor-in-chief of the "Fabrika" (Factory) magazine
published once in two months, is standing trial for an article by writer Zeki
Tombak, titled, "The Situation of the Kurdish Problem-9." She is being
charged with "disseminating propaganda on behalf of KONGRA-GEL." An
Istanbul court began hearing the case on August12 . The state prosecutors
willdecide whether writer Tombak, who attended the trial as a witness and stood
behind his article, will be tried or not. The next hearing will be heard on
November23 .
RTUK asked for a defense statement from "Radyo Dunya" (Radio World)
for allocating a slot for an article by PKK leader Abdullah Ocalan titled,
"There May be a War, and even I Would not be Able to Prevent it,
"published in the "Ulkede Ozgur Gundem" (Free Agenda in the
Country) newspaper. The radio presented its defense on August6 . "The radio
cited the newspaper story directly," said the defense statement presented
by lawyer Meric Tumer. RTUK on July 21 said citing Ocalan's statements was a
"separatist" act and "incited hatred and enmity."
The Izmir Bar's claims that the "Kantar" (Steelyard) special
"insulted the judiciary's individuality" led to a process of
preliminary inquiry. The process resulted in the court deciding that there is
lack of grounds for legal action on June 23 when the Justice Ministry did not
allow a inquiry to take place. The development came to be known at the beginning
of August. Caricaturist Cem Koc of the "Kantar" special and
editor-in-chief, lawyer Hasan Yalcin, were questioned for a vampire picture
published on April 2004for the Lawyers' Day.
The Supreme Court of Appeals overturned a prison sentence handed to Sinan Kara,
owner of the "Datca Haber" (Datca News) newspaper for threatening a
real estate agent in Datca through a publication. Kara was asking for the
payment of an ad he published in "Datca Haber." He was sentenced to
two years and 26 days in prison by a lower court. Kara, a resident of Izmir, was
notified of the April 28 ruling of the Supreme Court, in July. On July29 , a
Turkish court continued trying "Milliyet" reporter Fikret Bila, the
writer of the book "Civilian Coup Attempts and Iraq Wars in Ankara,"
for "revealing the state's secrets." "I have accomplished my
mission," said Bila during his testimony. "Some parts in my book
consistof political dialogues. There is no crime." The court decided to
request the Prime Ministry's opinion on whether the documents contained in the
book constitute state secrets.
Fatih Demir, the head of "Radyo Dunya," and presenter Yeter Cemile
Gundogdu, who are standing trial for citing, during a radio program, PKK leader
Abdullah Ocalan's statements, attended the July 29 hearing at the newly
established Heavy Penalty Court to replace the closed-down State Security
Courts. Ocalan had said: "There May be a War, and even I Would not be Able
to Prevent it." The court decided to ask RTUK for a copy of the programand
to ask a group of experts from the State Radio and Television (TRT) to examine
the tape and the court case. Demir and Gundogdu face up to five years in prison
and a fine of up to 1 billion Turkish lira (USD670 ) for "disseminating
terrorist propaganda."
On July23 , a court in Ardahan handed a fine of 500 million Turkish lirasto
Bulent Kilic, the editor-in-chief of the "Yeni Istiklal" (New
Independence) newspaper, for not publishing an identification tag in the April 9
and14 , 2004 issues. The journalist paid the fine next day.
The "Kultur Sanat Yasaminda Tavir" (Manners in Culture and Arts Life)
magazine was temporarily closed down for 15 days on July20 , because of a
caricature, which criticized the granting of an "excellent service"
medalto Ali Suat Ertosun, the head of the Punishment and Detention Houses. The
Istanbul DGM at the time had fined Muharrem Cengiz, the owner of the magazine
and Ahu Zeynep Gorgun, the editor-in-chief, 4 billion 725 million Turkish liras
(USD3 ,150) because of the caricature published in the September 2003 issue of
the magazine. "The publication is beyond giving information and
criticizing," ruled the court. " In this case, we can no longer turn
to the article on freedom of expression of the European Convention on Human
Rights."
A Turkish court, on July16 , continued trying Huseyin Aygun, head of the Tunceli
Bar Association, and the owner of the "Tunceli'de Munzur Haber"
newspaper, who advocated the right to receive education in mother tongues during
the Newroz celebrations on March21 ,2002 . Aygun is being charged with
"insulting the republic," and "praising an act described by law
as a crime," along with 14 others, and faces up to five years in prison.
The journalist is being accused of "criticizing the developments in
thecountry, and in Tunceli, and for encouraging the people to chant
slogans."
Another Turkish court on July16 , began trying Halil Eyyuboglu, a writerfor the
"Zafer" (Victory) newspaper published in Gaziantep, Ismet Atar, the
owner, and Atilla Konukoglu, the editor-in-chief, for insulting Prime Minister
Erdogan. The journalists face a fine of10 billion Turkish liras (USD6 ,700) for
an article titled, "Will it be Kurdistan after Cyprus?" Eyyuboglu, in
the article had criticized the prime minister for telling Rauf Denktash, the
president of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC), to "Go tell
whatever you want to tell in the TRNC." Denktash, at the time had wanted to
come to Turkey and give a speech ahead of a referendum onthe island.
On July15 , the Supreme Court of Appeals overturned the ruling of the Istanbul
DGM, which convicted Erdal Tas on grounds of article312 /2 of the Turkish Penal
Code. The Supreme Court of Appeals ruled that freedom of expression encompasses
"the right to not agree with the majority, to question the established
order, and even to criticize." It added that opinions with a traumatic
quality, those that anger the majority, andthose that impel them to discussions,
are overseen by the freedom of expression.
On July13 , an Ankara court acquitted Adnan Yuce, the owner of "Radyo Imaj,"
(Radio Image) who was standing trial for "continuing broadcasts although
his broadcasting license was canceled." The Ankara court based its decision
ona lack of adequate evidence. Yuce, who faced a prison term and a fine, was
being accused of "ignoring a warning the radio received on December2003 for
preventing TRT radio broadcasts."
On July12 , a military court ruled there was lack of grounds for legal action in
a case in which journalist-writer Abdurrahman Dilipak and Mustafa Karahasanoglu
were being accused of "damaging junior-senior relations," in the
military, through an article published in the "Turkiye'de Cuma"(Friday
in Turkey) magazine. An Istanbul court will take over the case. The journalists
were sued because of an article titled, "What if the Generals Don't
Listen?" published on August29 , 2003.
On July10 , a legal proceeding for the collection of debt was begun, about four
local journalists who lost a defamation case opened by the Gole local
administrator. The personal car of Fakir Yilmaz, the owner of the "Kuzeydogu
Anadolu" (Northeastern Anatolia) newspaper, who argued the ruling of the
Supreme Court of Appeals was not waited for, was confiscated with the proceeding
of a legal action for the collection of 9 billion 500 million Turkish liras
(USD6 ,300) of debt. The journalists had written that villagers, who came to the
office of the local administrator, were forced outside by the police because
their "shoes were muddy, and because they smelled like a stall.
Five DIHA employees and Baris Gullu, the owner of the "Ozgur Halk"
(Free People) magazine were detained during a raid to the agency's offices ahead
of the NATO summit. In early July, they were sued for "membership in an
illegal organization," and "aiding and abetting an illegal
organization." The first hearing will be held on October26 .
On July6 , Mehmet Yurek, the editor-in-chief of the "Degisim" (Change)
newspaper published in Marmaris, stood trial for using the expression, "to
bridle" in referring to former president Kenan Evren in an article
published on April16 ,2004 . The court in Marmaris asked that Kenan Evren
attends the hearing. Lawyers Turgut Inal and Meral Ondersev for the journalist,
presented to the court a report about the etymology study of the word "to
bridle." The journalist was sentenced to a year and three months in prison
for another article titled, "4 Mustafa or 4 Worship-1." The
prisonsentence was suspended.
A court in Van acquitted Selahattin Demirtas, the head of the Diyarbakir branch
of the IHD on July6 . Demirtas was being charged with "disseminating
propaganda in favor of KONGRA-GEL" through a speech at the Mus branch ofIHD
on October2003 . He was facing up to four years in prison. Demirtas will stand
trial on January24 , 2005 for "praising an act defined by law as a
crime," through an interview he gave to the local "Gun" (Day)
newspaper.
A case was opened against three newspaper distributors detained at the offices
of the "Yeniden Ozgur Gundem" newspaper and three DIHA reporters,at
the Izmir DGM. The same court committee heard the hearing under the title,
"Heavy Punishment Court" after the DGMs were annulled through law
no:5190. The hearing on July 1 was postponed until September 30 so that the
police records about two defendants could be studied.
Regulations and Legal Procedures
The Turkish Grand National Assembly (TBMM), on September26 , approved a new345
-article Turkish Penal Code. The TCK, which changed after 78 years, will go into
effect on April1 ,2005 . The TGC has warned that regulations on issues such as,
"tempting people into committing suicide," "the secrecy of
communication," "insults," "the secrecy of personal
life," "crimes against public peace," "obscenity,"
"affecting prices," crimes against the court house,"
"genital examination," "turning people off from serving in the
military," "actions against basic national interests,"
"state secrets,"and "aiding organization," will create
problems during implementation.
On September22 , the Constitutional Court annulled some articles of thelaw no:
4756 on the Establishment and Broadcasts of Radio and Televisions, saying they
conflicted with the constitution. The regulation which "granted a quota in
the election of RTUK members to political parties in parliament," the rule
that stated that "capital share at television and radio institutions, with
a viewer and listener ratio of 20 percent per year, may not be more than 50
percent," and the regulation that "specified the lower limit of fines
granted at10 billion Turkish liras," were found to be against the
Constitution. The Constitutional Court asked that new regulations in line with
its views, are prepared within six months.
On August20 , RTUK head Fatih Karaca said "Soz" (Word) and "Gun
TV" (DayTV) television channels in Diyarbakir, and "Cagri TV,"
(Calling TV) in Batman made applications to get permission for "broadcasts
in different languages and dialects." "As a result of our study, we
found out that these languages and dialects were being used in those areas and
decided to allow the three organizations to file applications in line with the
regulation," said Karaca.
President Ahmet Necdet Sezer, on July20 , approved law no: 5218on
"Abolishing Death Penalty and Amending Some Laws," which brought
changes to the RTUK's member structure. The number of members in the RTUK board
was reduced to eight from nine. The influence of the National Security Council (MGK)
in choosing members was terminated. On August18 , Ahmet Abdullahoglu, head of
the Antakya Journalists' Cemiyet (AGC) called on the government to cooperate
with media professionals' unions in the preparation of Press Labor Law no:212 ,
the RTUK law, andthe TCK draft. Abdullahoglu said it was positive that the
government asked for media professionals' unions opinions in preparing the Press
Law draft.
On July18 , prosecutor Nuri Ok of the Supreme Court of Appeals, told the
officials of the "Sanat ve Hayat" (Art and Life) magazine, who sued
the Istanbul Police Headquarters, Istanbul Governor's Office and the Interior
Ministry, for monitoring electronic mails, that their complaint about Istanbul
Governor Muammer Guler could not be processed. The prosecutor's office took this
decision on June9 , on grounds that "there is no evidence to prove that the
governor made orders about monitoring electronic mails, or that he was aware of
the act but did nothing toprevent it." The readers of the magazine had
claimed that their e-mails to the magazine returned to them with a message from
the Information Systems Center of the Police Headquarters.
Reactions against Censorship
On September27 , Tobias Pfluger, a left group member of the European Parliament,
and a member of parliament from the German Democratic Socialism Party, said he
would bring up the issue of "Gunluk Evrensel" (Daily Evrensel)
newspaper at the left group of the European Parliament. The newspaper had
received a fine for a caricature. Pfluger added that they would prepare a report
about the issue before December 17, when the EU leaders will decide whether to
start membership negotiations with Turkey, and send it to authorized
institutions.
Diyarbakir's "Gun TV" and "Can TV" (Life TV) had to
temporarily stop their broadcasts on September 26 as a result by a30 -day
penalty by RTUK because of Kurdish songs and conversations. Their objection at
the administration court had not yet been processed. "Gun TV"
employees, in protest of the penalty, attended the "Muzik Diyari"
(Music Land) program, with theirmouths covered with black bandages with "RTUK"
written on them.
The Web site www.turkla.com , hosted in Los
Angeles, said on September8 , that it fired one of its writers, Yesim Kucukkoyle,
because of her opinions. "Kucukkoylu's articles have been removed due to
the reaction we received from certain circles," said a statement on the Web
site. "Her articles will no longer be published on our Web site. Our Web
site does not agree with Kucukkoylu's claims and opinions." On criticisms
they received, the officials of the Web site said: "We did not voluntarily
do this. Kucukkoylu made some statements about MIT and the military. Certain
Turkish institutions began monitoring us. We kept receiving phone calls and
being pressured by different circles. They asked for Kucukkoylu's identity,
address and telephone number. They pressed preliminary inquiry about the Web
site's managers. We found out that we would face problems in entering and
leaving Turkey."
The Solidarity Platform of Imprisoned Journalists, announced on September 15that
pressures against opposition journalists were continuing. The platform claimed
that there are 20 imprisoned journalists. It said that Erol Zavar had to be
released at once because he was suffering from bladder cancer. A campaign was
launched for the release of Zavar, who had already had three operations.
On September8 , the EU Expansion Commissioner Gunter Verheugen visited Izmir.
Mustafa Rollas, the head of IHD Izmir branch, gave Verheugen a book named,
"Sinan'in Kara Kitabi" (Sinan's Black Book) by journalist SinanKara as
a present. Rollas said there were improvements in the laws about the freedom of
press and expression in Turkey, but pointed out that there were problems in
implementation. He talked about the trials Kara is standing as examples for his
argument.
On September7 , Irfan Ucar, the head of the "Ulkede Ozgur Gundem"
newspaper said the newspaper, which had only 192 editions so far, was the
subject of 90 separate trials. Ucar said 15 trials based on articles 159 and 312
of the TCK were continuing at a court in Beyoglu. " 12new cases were opened
at the Heavy Penalty Courts, which replaced DGMs," said Ucar.
On September7 , the heads of IHD, Turkish Human Rights Foundation (TIHV)and the
Solidarity Association for Human Rights and the Oppressed (MAZLUMDER), gave
support to journalist Fikret Baskaya, who was standing trial for two of his
articles published 11 years ago. "The right to criticize may not be
prevented by hiding behind insult accusations," said the human rights
activists.
Naki Erdogan, the managing editor of the "Istikbal" (Futurity)
newspaper, who went to the police headquarters to get the daily press statement
on September2 , was not allowed to enter the building. "You are forbidden
from coming in," Police Chief Savas Yucel told the journalist. "I have
ended my relations with you." Journalist Mehmet Cil, who was also there,
asked Yucel whether Erdogan would be detained. Yucel responded: "Are you
stupid? Why would I detain him. Am I in love with you?" The Eskisehir
branch of the Contemporary Journalists' Association (CGD), the Journalists'
Community and the Turkish Press Union released a joint statement and condemned
the incident.
CGD and Reporters Without Borders (RSF) made a statement on August 23, and
protested the fact that Istanbul's "Ozgur Radyo" (Free Radio) was
ordered off the air for a month. Erdal Emre, the news coordinator of "Yon
FM" (Direction FM), objected to RTUK's "penalty." M. Duran Ozkan,
the owner of Malatya's "Gunes TV" (Sun TV) , underlined the economic
burden of the RTUK penalties. "Ordering televisions and radios off the air,
hurts the continuity of broadcasts," said Ozkan. RTUK had cut off Ozgur
Radyo's broadcasts on August18 , because cited an article titled, "An
Attack Likea Massacre," published in the "Gunluk Evrensel"
newspaper.
Gun TV in Diyarbakir applied to get permission for Kurdish broadcasts on March23
. RTUK's Legal Consultancy, in a letter to Gun TV on August16 ,said the
application was being evaluated by the board and the channel would be notified
about the outcome of the evaluation. Although the regulation about different
languages and dialects went into effect on January25 , no private national
channels showed interest in broadcasts in any other language than Turkish up to
today. TRT, with pressure from the government, has been broadcasting in
different languages since June7 . On August20 , RTUK head Fatih Karaca said
"Soz" and "Gun TV" in Diyarbakir, and "Cagri TV"
in Batman filed applications to get permission to broadcast programs in
different languages and dialects. "As a result of our study, we found out
that those languages and dialects were used in those areas. We decided to allow
the three organizations file applications in line with the regulation,"
said Karaca.
Kemal Keles, the head of the Press and Communications Laborers' Union (Haber-Sen),
in a statement on July28 , argued that RTUK picked people close to the
government to show as candidate for the TRT management. "The RTUK members,
who have up to today reflected the voice of their owner and chose candidates in
line with the preferences of the political powers at the time, have done it
again," said Keles.
Lawyer Mehmedali Baris, who tried to encourage broadcasts in the Laz dialect,
said TRT responded to him, only out of courtesy and duly. On July29 , Baris said
he would press for legal action. On July14 , TRT, which responded to the demands
for broadcasts in the Laz dialect, said: "We are continuing our broadcasts
in traditional languages and dialects in linewith the regulation."
On July24 , the96 th anniversary of the annulment of censorship in the press,
Oktay Eksi, head of the Press Council, called for attention to the situation of
imprisoned journalist Hakan Albayrak and other journalists who have been
sentenced to prison. "Imprisoned journalists should apply to the European
Court of Human Rights," said Eksi. Eksi called on the government to
urgently amend laws that are used to imprison journalists.
Prime Minister Erdogan on July23 , got angry with the "Radikal"
(Radical) newspaper's reporter who asked him: "Will you be doing anything
about those responsible of the train accident?" Erdogan said there have
been many accidents on the same railway since1950 . "Know how far you can
go before asking questions about such issues," said Erdogan.
On July14 , Emin Koc, a Yozgat lawmaker from the Republican People's Party (CHP)
, handed four question motions to the TBMM Headship about the implementations at
TRT. Koc demanded that State Minister Besir Atalay respond to the motion in
writing. In the motion, Koc asked about the broadcasting and personnel policies
of TRT head Senol Demiroz, and the appointment of Basin-Sen representative and
TRT reporter Mehmet Demir to Erzurum for a temporary duty.
On July13 , Lawyer Elif Kosaroglu, the deputy head of the Istanbul branch of
Mazlum-Der, talked about Nureddin Sirin, and called for the release of all
thought convicts. Kosaroglu said the jurisdiction was under pressure in the
Sirin case. She added that the files of thought convicts should be revised after
the annulment of DGMs.
Memik Horuz, the manager of the "Isci Koylu" (Laborer Villager)
newspaper, was convicted for "membership in an illegal organization."
On July12 , he sent a letter he wrote in prison and called on the press for
sensitivity. "Attitude toward the socialist press should be regarded as the
touchstone for press freedom," said Horuz, who has been in prison for the
last three years. Horuz, who is in the maximum-security F-type prison in
Tekirdag, applied to the ECHR in July 2003.
On July4 , the Freedom of Thought Committee of Mazlumder, called on officials to
free the though prisoners. Nureddin Sirin, the former writer of the "Selam"
(Greetings) newspaper and Hakan Albayrak, a former writer for the "Milli
Gazete" (National Newspaper) are among people defined asthought convicts.
European Court of Human Rights
On August12 , Dogan Dogan, the manager of the Edremit "Korfezin Sesi"
(Voice of the Gulf) Web site applied to the ECHR when he failed in pressing
legal action for "extended detention" in Turkey. Dogan said article 5
of the European Convention on Human Rights, titled "the right of freedom
and security," and article6 , which oversees "the right to a fair
trial," had been violated. Dogan, who was detained on January6 , was
released after being questioned about Salih Gunardi, the writer of the article
"We Toldthe Boss and the Servant." Balikesir Journalists' Community
had criticized the event.
The ECHR, on July27 , convicted Turkey to pay3 , 000euros in compensation in a
case opened by journalist-writer Ertugrul Kurkcu, who translated the book
"War and People: Arms Transfers and War Law Violations in Turkey." It
also ruled that Turkey should pay2 , 500euros for the court expenses. The ECHR
ruled that although the book contains harsh expressions, it does not have a
hostile attitude. Kurkcu had been sentenced to a suspended 10 months in prison
in 1997 for "insulting the military." Ayse Nur Zarakolu, the owner of
the Belge Publishing House, which published the book, had been handed a fine.
On the same day the ECHR penalized Turkey in a case opened by the relatives of
Irfan Agdas, who was shot by police as he was distributing the "Kurtulus"
(Liberation) magazine in Alibeykoy. The court ruled that Turkey has to pay15 ,
000euros for violating "the right to live" (article2 ) and "the
right to apply to court" (article13 ).
On July13 , the ECHR handed a punishment to Turkey in a case opened by the Belge
Pulishing House, which was convicted for publishing a book titled, "Our
Ferhat, the Anatomy of a Homicide." The book was about the murder of
journalist Ferhat Tepe and other human rights violations in southeastern Turkey,
and harshly criticized state officials. Publisher Ayse Zarakoluhad been fined
for "disseminating separatist propaganda." The ECHR ruled that the
right to fair trial as defined under article 6/ 1of the European Convention on
Human Rights, and freedom of expression defined under article10 , had been
violated and ordered Turkey to pay5 , 000euros in compensation and2 , 500euros
for the court expenses.
------------
7) Turkish human rights row erupts
By Jonny Dymond
BBC correspondent, Istanbul
November 1, 2004
Advisers to the Turkish prime minister have come close to blows over one of
their own reports on human rights.
A trades union leader tore the chairman's notes from his hand before heckling
him and denouncing the report.
The document, on the protection of minorities, strongly criticised a lack of
rights and freedoms in Turkey.
Ankara recently rushed through a series of political reforms meant to improve
its human rights record and its chances of gaining European Union membership.
For weeks there has been bitter controversy about the report by the prime
minister's human rights advisory board.
'Paranoia'
Many members of the board say that it does not represent their views.
That bitterness became very public indeed when the trade union leader intervened
as the report was to have been launched at a news conference.
The report has many strong things to say about Turkey's protection of minority
rights and cultural freedoms.
It says that the declaration in the constitution that Turkish is the official
language of the republic is "impossible to understand" given Turkey's
international treaty commitments to minority rights.
It criticises what it calls the "paranoia" that granting cultural
freedoms to minorities might lead to the break-up of the republic.
Decision pending
It says that parliament is now unable to supervise the government, that torture
continues in the security services and that the courts protect the accused
rather than the victims of crime.
The government has distanced itself from the report.
It comes at a very bad time for Turkey.
A month ago the European Commission gave the country a qualified yes for EU
membership but the final decision will be made by the heads of member states in
mid-December.
There are some ready to use a report such as this to delay once again a move
towards membership negotiations.
-------
8) Rights groups condemn attack on minority rights report
Turkish Daily News
3 November 2004
Turkish human rights organizations were united in condemning a violent
interruption at a press conference by head of the Human Rights Advisory Board (IHDK)
to unveil a report on minority rights in Turkey.
IHDK Chairman Ibrahim Kaboglu was forced to stop a press conference on Monday
when some of the board's members forcibly grabbed the text of his speech and
tore it into pieces. The report, which has been highly controversial since
excerpts from it were leaked to the press a few weeks ago, recommends to the
Prime Ministry changes to the Constitution and relevant laws to extend cultural
rights and criticizes Turkey's practices concerning the definition and the
rights of minorities.
In a joint statement, Human Rights Association (IHD), Turkish Human Rights
Foundation (TIHV), Mazlum-Der and the Turkey office of the Amnesty
International, said forcible termination of Kaboglu's speech by certain members
of the board was "unacceptable."
Monday's incident is the latest in a series of rows within the IHDK -- a body
attached to the office of Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan. Secretary-General
of the public workers' union Kamu-Sen Fahrettin Yokus, who tore up the papers in
Kaboglu's hand at the press conference, defended his actions yesterday, saying
the report was a "document of betrayal" and vowed to tear it up again
whenever he came across it.
The 78-member IHDK brings together academics and non-governmental organizations
and is sponsored by the Prime Ministry.
The groups' statement said Monday's incident highlighted the need to revise the
structure of government-sponsored human rights institutions.
A statement from pro-Kurdish Democratic People's Party (DEHAP) also criticized
Yokus for his intervention and condemned it as "very ugly behavior."
The European Union, which Turkey aspires to join, is pushing Turkey to extend
the cultural rights for Kurds and non-Muslim communities.
Monday's incident was also on the agenda of a meeting between the German Greens'
Party Co-Chairperson Claudia Roth and Parliament's Human Rights Commission
Chairman Mehmet Elkatmis at Parliament yesterday.
Elkatmis told Roth that it was impossible to approve of what happened on Monday
but criticized the report, saying it was full of insults to the government and
Parliament.
----------
9) Roth sees problems concerning 'minority issue'
Turkish Daily News
November 4, 2004
A group of German Greens members of parliament met with Fener Orthodox Patriarch
Bartolomeos yesterday and discussed religious rights for minorities just weeks
ahead of a key EU summit at which European leaders are due to decide whether to
start memebership talks with Turkey, the Anatolia news agency said.
The head of the delegation, German Alliance 90/Greens Party co-chairperson
Claudia Roth, speaking at a news briefing at the German Consulate General after
the meeting, said they came to Turkey to examine implementation involved with
Turkey's European Union harmonization process.
"We have come here to look into the level of the realization of the reforms
and to determine the places in light and in darkness," Roth was quoted as
saying by Anatolia.
Roth said they had a positive impression of the reforms, however adding,
"There are still problems being experienced on some issues such as the
minority issue." She mentioned that they were going to the southeastern
Anatolian province of Diyarbakir to get a first-hand look at the situation.
"We will have contacts in Diyarbakir and gather information on the Kurdish
issue," she said.
Roth and Winfried Nachtwei went to Diyarbakir last night, where they are to meet
with Diyarbakir Governor Efkan Ala and Mayor Osman Baydemir at a dinner tonight.
The visiting delegation will go to Sirnak during the day to ascertain whether
German-produced military tanks were used for resettling Kurdish villagers as a
German daily had reported last month.
The other members of the delegation -- Reinhard Butikofer, Krista Sager, Katrin
Goring-Eckardt, Marieluise Beck, Ekin Deligoz and Rainder Steenblock -- were to
depart for Germany today.
The German delegation met with Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Foreign
Minister Abdullah Gul in Ankara earlier in the week as well as with former
Democracy Party (DEP) parliamentarians Leyla Zana, Orhan Dogan, Hatip Dicle and
Selim Sadak, who were released after 10 years' imprisonment following a EU-inspired
reform abolishing the State Security Courts (DGMs), which had convicted them on
charges of separatism.
"We believe that a positive decision will be made at the EU summit on Dec.
17 for starting negotiations with Turkey and that a date will openly be set for
the start," Roth said after her meeting with Erdogan. She said their
visiting Erdogan demonstrated the great importance they attributed to the
relationship between Turkey and the EU.
Neither Roth nor Gul made any statements after their meeting. However,
diplomatic sources told Anatolia that Gul emphasized during the meeting that
Ankara expected to get a clear starting date for its entry talks at the Brussels
EU summit and did not want any procedures other than those the union had applied
to the other candidate countries.
Representatives of the Human Rights Association (IHD), the Turkish Human Rights
Foundation (TIHV) and Mazlum-Der were the nongovernmental organizations that met
with the German delegation. The German Greens listened to their views on the
"systematic torture" and "minority" issues.
Roth, who was known to the Turkish public for her harsh criticism over Turkey's
human rights record in the past, has been a firm backer, together with her
party, of Turkey's EU bid against the German unionist parties. The German Greens
held their general assembly in Istanbul following the release of the EU
Commission's report on Turkey as a gesture of support.
The EU Commission recommended that the EU Council set a date for the start of
Turkey's entry talks. European leaders are to make a decision whether to open
Turkey talks at a Brussels EU summit on Dec. 17.
----------
10) Rights Association Official Says Draft Law Legalizes Torture
Draft Law on Execution of Penalties, introducing forced labor, uniforms,
defining silent protests as disciplinary crimes and imposing solitary
confinement aims at legalizing psychological torture.
BIA News Center
November 3, 2004
BİA (Istanbul) - The draft Law on Execution of Penalties is a legal
device aimed at turning pressure and torture into systematic acts, believe
Istanbul branch of the Human Rights Association (IHD) activists.
Eren Keskin, head of IHD Istanbul branch, and Huri Vayic from the organization's
Prison Commission, warn that Turkish parliament will soon pass the draft Law on
Execution of Penalties which IHD argues for providing legal justification for
systematic psychological torture.
In a public statement, IHD criticizes the draft Law on Execution of Penalties on
those points:
* By regarding the convicts and prisoners as individuals who are stripped of
rights, and who are in need of rehabilitation; and by regarding prison
management as the representative of absolute truth and goodness, and by
accepting it as the curative authority, the draft law aims at building the
state-individual relation of the fascist ideology in the prison,
* By introducing prison uniforms, the draft law aims at stamping the oppressed
individuals also through their outfits and at extending oppression over every
second of the day,
* Through compulsory education, the draft law forces imprisoned individuals to
adopt a specific ideological stand,
* Through forced labor, the law aims at maximizing the abuse of labor, and at
oppressing the individual once again by stripping from the right of determining
how to use his/her time and productivity,
* By forbidding even silent protests, the law denies the prisoners' right to
pursue personal rights and regards them as slaves,
* The maximum security F-type prisons with 1 to 3 people-cells legalizes
isolation, and turns torture through isolation into a strong item of the legal
system.
* The law also lifts the distinction between detainees and convicts. Apart from
imposing forced labor, the draft law similarly threatens the detainees even in
harsher terms such as accepting visitors with the approval of the prosecutor and
the judge, incarceration in isolation cells, and handcuffing in prison.
IHD reminded that Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, recently during the
opening of a courthouse in Alanya had said: "Torture does not only take
place under detention. The unhealthy prison conditions should also be regarded
as torture."
"Today, the conditions of the prisons in our country, and especially
isolation, are a type of torture for the prisoners."
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11) Turkish Parliament To Vote On Abolition Of Death Penalty
Anadolu Agency
November 1, 2004
ANKARA - A bill which envisages ratification of Second Optional Protocol to the
International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, aiming at the abolition of
the death penalty, was presented to the Turkish Parliament Speaker's Office on
Monday.
Under the protocol adopted and proclaimed by the UN General Assembly on December
15th, 1989, no one within the jurisdiction of a State Party to the present
Protocol shall be executed. Each State Party shall take all necessary measures
to abolish the death penalty within its jurisdiction.
No reservation is admissible to the present Protocol, except for a reservation
made at the time of ratification or accession that provides for the application
of the death penalty in time of war pursuant to a conviction for a most serious
crime of a military nature committed during wartime.
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12) Turkish ex-ministers appear in court in corruption trial
AFP
November 2, 2004
ANKARA - Two former Turkish energy ministers appeared before a special court
Tuesday to face corruption charges in a trial seen as a test of the government's
determination to combat a widespread scourge in the country which is seeking to
join the European Union.
Cumhur Ersumer and Zeki Cakan are among six ex-ministers which parliament
decided should be tried by the Supreme Court -- the name under which the
constitutional court judges top public officials -- since the ruling Justice and
Development Party (AKP) came to power in 2002.
The two men are accused of abusing their office, misusing their authority,
intervening in state tenders and causing huge public losses during their tenure.
The defendants each face more than 10 years in prison if found guilty at the end
of the trial, which is likely to take several months.
As Cakan entered the courthouse he denounced what he called a "political
lynching" and said he welcomed the chance to respond to the charges, which
he dismissed as baseless.
In Tuesday's hearing, followed by a throng of reporters, lawyers for Ersumer and
Cakan presented to the 11-judge panel their arguments on what they saw as
procedural mistakes in the trial.
The lawyers argued that the case against their clients should be thrown out on
the grounds that the parliamentary decision to send them to court -- based on a
report prepared by a parliamentary commission on the allegations -- was invalid
because procedural rules were breached in the process.
They also argued that their clients were facing more accusations than those
originally detailed out in a parliamentary proposal, in violation of the law.
The defence team also said some of accusations directed against the ex-ministers
were vague and asked the court to try the two men separately on the grounds that
there was no direct link between them that called for a joint trial.
The country's top prosecutor, Nuri Ok, however, asked the court to reject most
of the defence lawyers' demands, but he agreed with the defence argument that
the two men were facing more changes than originally laid out.
He asked the court not to take into consideration 22 charges against the
defendants during the trial.
After a two-hour break, the court's president Mustafa Bumin announced that the
trial had been adjourned until November 25 for the judges to evaluate and make a
decision on both the defence and the prosecution's demands.
Both Ersumer and Cakan were members of the Motherland Party, whose former leader
Mesut Yilmaz, a three-time prime minister, has also been sent by Turkish
lawmakers to trial on corruption charges, along with former economy minister
Gunes Taner.
Cakan succeeded Ersumer -- a close aide of Yilmaz -- in 2001 when the latter
resigned amid a corruption scandal at the ministry.
Apart from these four men, former deputy prime minister Husamettin Ozkan and
former economy minister Recep Onal are also set to answer charges before the
Supreme Court.
The trials came at the end of a far-reaching parliamentary inquiry looking at
claims of allegedly large-scale fraud in tenders, sell-offs, banking reforms and
energy projects over the past decade that have reportedly cost Turkey billions
of dollars.
The AKP initiated an anti-fraud campaign in parliament following pre-election
pledges to stamp out chronic corruption, seen by many as one of the core reasons
for the economic woes plaguing the country.
The Supreme Court has tried 12 former ministers on different charges since 1928
and eight of them have been sentenced to either fines or prison terms.
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13) Turkish army denies Greek claims of territorial violations
AFP
November 2, 2004
ANKARA - The Turkish army denied on Tuesday a string of allegations by
Athens that Turkish military planes and ships are systematically violating Greek
airspace and territorial waters in the Aegean Sea.
"Allegations by Greece that Turkey is engaged in intensive activities in
the Aegean airspace and in the Kardak area (Imia in Greek, in the Aegean Sea) do
not reflect the realities," deputy chief of staff Ilker Basbug told a news
conference. "There is no extraordinary activity."
The general conceded that military flights in the region had increased since
September, but explained it was due to the end of the Olympic Games in Athens,
during which Turkey had agreed to cancel scheduled maneuvers and decreased
flights to "a minimum" in a gesture of good will.
"After the end of the Olympics, Turkey continued flying activities which it
has conducted routinely in line with its indispensible rights and interests in
the Aegean," he said, adding that the same circumstances were valid for
Turkish coast guard boats operating in the Aegean Sea.
Basbug underlined that the Greek military flights in the Aegean air space
outnumbered those of Turkey.
Though allies in NATO, Turkey and Greece have long been at loggerheads over
territorial rights in the Aegean and have regularly traded accusations of
violations and harassment.
Greece claims a 10-mile airspace limit around its long coastline but Turkey only
recognizes six miles, arguing that under international rules Greece's airspace
should be the same as its territorial waters.
In January 2002, the two countries started closed-door talks aimed at resolving
their territorial disputes.
Some Turkish observers have suggested that Greece's recent spate of accusations
could be an attempt to corner Turkey in the run-up to a December 17 decision by
the European Union on whether to start membership talks with Ankara.
Though it has expressed support for Turkey's EU bid, Athens warned last week
that Turkey's alleged territorial transgressions could undermine its ambitions.
---------
14) Which way is West for Turkey?
Korean Herald
by Soli Ozel
2 November 2004
When Turkey's parliament voted in March 2003 against allowing American troops to
open a northern front against Iraq, Turkey's traditional strategic partnership
with the United States ended. The two countries still recognize many mutual
interests, but now they manage these interests on a far different basis.
The vote shocked "old Europe" and the Arab world as much as the Bush
administration. Europeans who considered Turkey a potential Trojan horse for
America within the European Union were forced to reconsider. For many Arabs, the
vote showed that Turkey was not an American lackey and would not cooperate with
American imperial designs, despite close Turkish-Israeli relations.
Long-simmering disagreements between Turkey and the United States came to a boil
with the emergence of the Kurds of northern Iraq as the Pentagon's main allies
in the Iraq War. The American administration made it clear that military
intervention by Turkey in northern Iraq would not be tolerated.
That message was confirmed on July 4, 2003, when American forces arrested
several Turkish Special Forces troops in the town of Sulaimaniya, humiliating
them by putting sacks over their head as they took them into custody. Only
intervention by U.S. Vice President Dick Cheney two and a half days later
secured the release of the soldiers, who were alleged to have been planning
clandestine operations within the Kurdish zone.
Despite ongoing tensions, the Turkish government has been eager to mend
relations with America, as it is anxious to have some influence over
developments in Iraq. So the authorities responded quickly to the Bush
administration's request for Turkish troops to join the coalition, although the
idea was stillborn - rejected by both the Kurds and the American-appointed
Governing Council in Iraq.
America has its own reasons to patch up the relationship. Turkey's secular,
capitalistic, democratic order has become especially valuable to the Bush
administration as it seeks to integrate the wider Middle East into the world
system by liberalizing its economy and democratizing its polity. Thus, America
trumpeted its continuing support for Turkish membership in the EU, notably in
President Bush's speech in June at Istanbul's Galatasaray University - at a
bridge that joins Asia and Europe.
But serious bilateral problems remain. The government is irritated by U.S.
occupation forces' neglect of the northern Iraqi bases of the PKK, the Kurdish
separatist insurgents who have fought a 15-year war against Turkey. More
broadly, the government regards the United States as too complacent vis-a-vis
Kurdish political developments and unmoved by Turkey's concerns about Kurdish
independence. The United States, for its part, is unhappy with the government's
objections to unrestricted American use of the Incirlik airbase in southeastern
Turkey, as well as by recent tensions with Israel.
In the meantime, Turkey is moving closer to the EU, with the government
overcoming nationalistic objections in the parliament to push through
comprehensive reforms. Turkey also showed its goodwill over Cyprus, removing a
nagging political obstacle to EU membership. These steps led to the European
Commission's recent recommendation to begin accession negotiations with Turkey.
The EU accession process has also underpinned a shift in Turkish policy on Iraq.
Previously, Turkey viewed Iraq solely in the context of its domestic Kurdish
problem. But widespread European opposition to the war removed the possibility
of Turkish military intervention, forcing the government to develop another
vision of Turkey's interests.
At the same time, the Iraqi Kurds also appear to appreciate how much they need a
friendly Turkey. The northern border with Turkey is their lifeline to the
outside world. As a result, Turkey no longer considers a federalized Iraq a
threat to its security, as long as each federal unit maintains a measure of
ethnic diversity.
Of course, Turkey remains opposed to an independent Kurdistan. But now its
concern is more closely tied to regional politics than to the Kurdish issue.
Turkey has no desire to serve as a strategic counterweight to Iran and believes
that only a territorially intact Iraq can continue to play that role.
Furthermore, Turkey is concerned about the possibility of civil war in Kurdistan
between the two largest Kurdish factions.
But, unlike either Iran or Syria, Turkey genuinely wishes to see a strong and
representative government in Baghdad. Thanks to EU pressures, Turkey's domestic
Kurdish problem is well on the way to being resolved democratically, with most
Kurdish leaders in Turkey expressing their commitment to Turkish unity.
For Turkey to consider military intervention in Kurdistan, EU member states
would first have to renege on their commitment to negotiate Turkish accession.
Equally dramatic would be any attempt by the Kurds to forcibly change the
demographic balance of the multiethnic city of Kirkuk.
Turkey would prefer that Kirkuk, with its large Turkmen population, be given
special status in the forthcoming draft Iraqi constitution. The United States
also shows signs of understanding the importance of maintaining a multiethnic
Kirkuk and is putting pressure on its Kurdish allies.
Turkish diplomacy has thus become a well-calibrated balancing act, moving closer
to European positions in the Middle East, but eager to maintain close relations
with the United States. If this approach succeeds, Europe's bridge to Asia may
also become its bridge to America.
* Soli Ozel teaches in Bilgi University's Department of International Relations
and is a columnist for the Turkish daily newspaper Sabah.
--------
15) Turkey: A true model for the Muslim future
Newsweek
by Graham E. Fuller
8 November 2004
While violence seems to consume so much of the Muslim world, a different kind of
Islamic revolution is taking place in Turkey. We could say that a new
"model" is in the making. It's not the example that Washington used to
toutTurkey as a "secular" Muslim nation, anchored in NATO and strongly
pro-America. To the contrary, Turkey is becoming a model for the Middle East and
the rest of the Islamic world precisely because it is breaking with this old
stereotype.
Today, Turkey is run by the first democratically elected and pragmatically
successful Islamic party in the Muslim world's history. A healthy
plurality of Turks voted for the Justice and Development Party not because they
wanted more Islam, but because they believed the party could get things done.
And it has. The past two y ears have brought extraordinary changes, from needed
democratic reforms to a wholesale remaking of the economy. At the same time, the
country is loosening its old geopolitical moorings. NATO membership
notwithstanding, Ankara told Washington "no" in attacking Iraq from
Turkish soil. With negotiations likely to begin soon on joining the European
Union, Turkey in the future will grow closer to Europe than to America. All
together, we have a fascinating new dynamic.
Ironically, it's only with these successes that Turkey could at last become a
true model for Muslims worldwide. The point is not that the country needs an
Islam-oriented government to succeed. It is the possibility of having one,
rotating in and out like any other party, that places Turkey's democracy on a
truly representative and sound footing. Most other Muslim states in the world
are racked by clashes between harsh dictatorships and Islamist parties, which
now represent the primary opposition to authoritarianism. Turkey is the first
Muslim state that has solved this problem by successfully moderating and
integrating Islamists into the political system.
What about the old Turkish model? In fact, the famed "secularism" of
the past was not really that at all, at least as Americans or Europeans would
understand it. For all his brilliant reforms, Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, the saviour
and founder of modern Turkey after World War I, suppressed Islam entirely in the
public sphere; his Westernized elites often ridiculed it. Ataturk in effect
performed a cultural lobotomy on the country. Public reference to the brilliant
accomplishments of 700 years of the Turkish-Islamic Ottoman past were
extirpated. Turkish politics over the last 80 years seethed as traditional
elites, proud of their past and comfortable with their moderate Islam, fought
for recognition in the new Turkish republic. The balance is now swinging back to
a more normal center in which the Turkish Islamic past is increasingly
reintegrated into the political order. This is a healing process of
reconciliation, vital for democracy.
Turkey has never been stronger. The next test will be to see how this new
government handles Islamic radicalism or terrorism and whether it
can forge a more modern understanding of what role Islam should (or should not)
play within the country's political order.
If the European Union is concerned about "cultural indigestion" in
absorbing a Muslim country into its ranks, what better model could it find?
Should the European Union be unable to accept the new Turkey, then its claims to
genuine multiculturalism will have been shown to be empty. And yes, the West
must acknowledge that what we are witnessing in Turkey is a modern, moderate
form of "political Islam." The term cannot be reserved only for the
crazies. Let's recognize the progress Islam has made.
Turkey's new independence from the United States is no less welcome. It will
always value ties to America. But Turkey is no longer the predictably reliable
ally who always says "yes." It is not only cultivating new relations
with Europe, but reaching out to neighbors in the Middle East. While this may
not please hegemonists in Washington, it is proof that Muslim nations can, in
fact, combine Western and Islamic political values and join a community of
Western nations without necessarily having a MADE IN THE U.S.A. stamp upon them.
This is why a bold new Turkey has at long last become a true model for the
Muslim future.
Fuller is a former vice chairman of the National Intelligence Council at the
CIA. His latest book is "The Future of Political Islam."
---------
16) Osama bin Laden is very happy with the results
Turkish Daily News
By Mehmet Ali Birand
November 4, 2004
It appears that the American people are happy with President George W. Bush.
Despite the war in Iraq, the recession in the economy, the conservative values
coming to the fore and the winds of nationalism sweeping the nation, they chose
Bush.
Some are wondering how things could reach this point. Let's just ignore the past
and concentrate on the future.
Ankara is happy with the results. It sees no reason to be upset about
cooperating with Bush, whom it knows. There was a crisis in the beginning on the
U.S. troop deployment in Turkey, but when Bush attended the summit in Istanbul,
he knew much more about the country. Under these conditions, Ankara is pleased
to have the opportunity to do business with the experienced Bush, rather than
Kerry, who was going to start from zero. It will also breathe a sigh of relief
on the Armenian issue. The topics that will dominate the bilateral relationship
will be the developments in Iraq, especially northern Iraq and Palestine.
I expect Bush to reassess his policy on Iraq and change his attitude. This
change does not go as far as the U.S. withdrawing from Iraq, but it will
definitely result in a policy change, which will create stability in Iraq. He
has no other option.
The United States cannot tolerate a repeat of the mistakes the administration
made up until now in Iraq. Even if the Bush administration wants to follow the
same route, various forces within the United States won't permit it. The U.S.
system has its safeguards to fine-tune such policies.
Another thing I expect to happen is for the Bush administration to start to
cooperate with the United Nations and the international community and try to
smooth over their differences.
My only fear is that Bush might take a more aggressive stance with respect to
Iran. Even if the military option is out of the question, such a crisis will
create serious tension in the region.
In other words, the next four years will also be very hard.
Military's messages to EU
Deputy Chief of General Staff Gen. Ilker Basbug's press conference on Tuesday
surprised many. The Office of the Chief of General Staff had stopped holding
press conferences for the last three months. This was linked to the office's
sensitivity about being seen as adhering to the Copenhagen criteria. One of the
most important articles of the criteria called for the military to stop making
such statements, no matter how much the topic in question would be limited to
security. And there was also Chief of General Staff Gen. Hilmi Ozkok's statement
at the Republican Day reception at Cankaya Palace on Oct. 29, where he said,
"We need to be very careful not to make any mistakes until Dec. 17."
Something happened, however, and the Office of the Chief of Staff recommenced
its monthly press briefings. Soon after phone began ringing in many European
Union capitals, trying to find out what this really meant.
To tell you the truth, we also wondered what this was all about.
Gen. Basbug's briefing was on security and domestic and foreign affairs.
However, the sentence which I took notice of the most could have summarized the
military's attitude towards the EU: "The Turkish Armed Services [TSK] sees
EU membership as a tool for realizing Ataturk's objective to modernize."
This sentence shows that the TSK is in support of Turkey's EU membership.
Will the mafia be cleansed?
When I read newspapers, I am amazed at what I read.
I knew about it, but I never imagined it was so widespread.
Just look at this.
Sedat Peker has infiltrated the roots of the police department. He is able to
transfer whoever he wants anywhere he wishes. He is able to ask favors from
colonels in the Gendarmerie Intelligence Anti-terrorism (JITEM) organization,
make prosecutors and judges do whatever he wants and influence the bureaucracy.
Haluk Kirci is able to use his own photo to get an official green passport and
easily flee overseas.
Alaattin Cakici is something else. He is able to mingle freely with the
judiciary, police and National Intelligence Organization (MIT). He can even flee
the country with the help of a person working for MIT.
Moreover, all this is being done in the name of the country and the nation.
One fought against Armenian terrorist, and the other courageously fought (!)
against the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK/Kongra-Gel) terrorism. All, directly
or indirectly, worked for the state. The police, the military and MIT were
involved in these matters as intermediaries.
It appears that the state granted certain privileges to these people it used.
The Susurluk scandal was not investigated as wholeheartedly as it should have
been. It should be investigated in such a way that nothing is left unturned and
everything becomes public knowledge. If not, we will never get rid of these
mafia leaders.
===========================
Washington Kurdish Institute
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