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| Human Rights Association in Turkey threatened | Date: 30-03-2001 |
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Human Rights Association in Turkey (IHD) threatened by closure in court cases related to prison raids The Euro-Mediterranean Human Rights Network is deeply concerned about the development of two pending cases against the largest human rights association in Turkey, IHD, which threatens to close its Ankara Branch and Headquarters. On 19 December police raided the IHD Ankara branch and arrested members of the executive board and relatives of prisoners. Following the raid, twelve defendants (7 of which are members of the IHD-Ankara executive committee) were accused of supporting an illegal organisation under article 169 of the Turkish Penal Code and risk up to seven and a half years imprisonment. A conviction may also result in the closure of the IHD branch. On 25 January 2001 security police raided the Headquarters of the IHD following (unfounded) allegations that it had received aid from the Greek government. Documents and computers were confiscated, and the IHD was accused of carrying out activities that were not in conformity with its statutes under the Law on Association. In addition, IHD files were sent to the State Security Court prosecutor to be considered under the Anti-Terror Law for membership of an illegal organisation. The cases brought against the Human Rights Association follows IHD's close monitoring of police attacks on prisoners on 19 December 2000 (causing the death of 30 prisoners) and their subsequent transfer to so-called F-type prisons in which the prisoners are held in total isolation in one-person or three-person cells. An ongoing 'death fast' among more than 250 prisoners led to the death, last week, of one prisoner. * EMHRN Executive Director, Marc Schade-Poulsen, observed the hearing on 22 March 2001 which fell below international fair trial standards. Irregularities in police gathering of evidence have been reported in relation to both cases against the IHD and the charges pertain to nothing but activities related to human rights promotion. The EMHRN fears that the cases brought against the IHD are intended to intimidate or silence the largest human rights association in the country while Turkey negotiates its accession to the EU.** The EMHRN asks the Turkish government to grant a stay of the proceedings against the IHD scheduled for respectively May 1 and May 7, 2001, and bring legislation into conformity with international freedom of association and expression standards as well as the UN Declaration on Human Rights Defenders of 9 December 1998. For further information, please contact: Marc Schade-Poulsen, executive director, EMHRN, tel: +45 33 30 89 10 fax: +45 33 30 89 01 email: msp@euromedrights.net ------------------------------------------------------ * Cengiz Soydas died at Ankara=s Sincan prison on the 153rd day of his hunger strike. ** On March 19 the Turkish government presented its National Program for accession to the EU which on key issues falls short of human rights reform |
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