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Revue de Presse-Press Review-Berhevoka Çapê-Rivista Stampa-Dentro de la Prensa-Basm Özeti
Helsinki Commission: Prosecution can nix torture in Turkey
Wasb/agto ..- Turld8b Dally News
• A sparsely-attended Congressional hearing
on torture in Turkey concluded that
there were enough laws on the books to
Prevent torture if only those who are
résponsible were prosecuted and the existing
laws were implemented.
: At the hearin, organized by the
Helsinki Comullssion, the Congressional
aim of the Organization for Security and
Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), Holly
Cartner, executive duector of Human
Rjghts WatchlHelsinki; Erik Holst, president
of the Rehabilitation and Research
qenter for Torture Victims; and Douglas
Johnson, executive director of the Center
for Victims of Torture, testified.
The hearing highlighted the trial of
rehabilitation center workers in Adana.
Johnson said if Turkey prosecuted the
perpetrators
overnight."
"torture would stoy
He said the roots 0 torture
could be traced back to a culture and tolerance
of domestic violence in Turkey.
Referring to a survey of 30 forensic doctors
in Turkey, Johnson said 75 percent of
the doctors did not recognize beating as a
form of torture.
."~n a country of sixty million .. nlyone
nulhon Turks are members of CIVIC associations
because of fear of involvement,"
Johnson said.
Dr. Holst said "continued international
pressure is necessary to convince Turkish
authorities that the world cannot tolerate
or excuse the use of torture for any reason
by law enforcement agents in a member
country of the Council of Europe and a
member country of NATO."
Holst also added that, although torture
was continuing in Turkey, .it ~as not .
exclusive to Turkey. MentiOnIng c~untnes
like South Africa, Greece and Ru~sla,
Holst said torture was a problem ln these
countries as well.
But in Greece "these episodes of torture
were rapidly put behind." In general he
called torture "a challenge with which we
have no good way of dealing."
Holly Cartner, after giving graphic
examples of torture methods she claimed
still applied in Turkey, said one factor
which complicated the picture even further
was the "increased politicization of
police." She mentioned the Susurluk incident
of Nov. 1996 as corroborating evidence
of the links between security forces
and undergro~nd
She mentioned
elements.
the recent legal amendments
Turkey adopted, including reduction
in detention periods, as good but not
totally sufficient steps in the right direction.
No questions
Perhaps the most interesting part of the
hearing arrived when the floor was opened
to questions after the panel members completed
their presentations. When no one
had any questions to ask the panelists, the
hearing adjourned 45 minutes earlier than
scheduled.
A Congressional observer suggested that
the total absence of questions, despite the
fact that there were representatives from
various Greek, Kurdish and Armenian
organizations in the audience, could be a
telling sign that the issue of "human rights
violations in Turkey" has been "overexposed"
in the U.S. Congress.
Turkish Dally News fhursday, AprillO. 1997
Turkey's Human Rights Association says
abuses continue despite the new law
IHD report: After this legal
change, there has not been any
decrease in the use of torture
IstalJbul
- Reuters
• A Turkish rights group said on
Wednesday human rights abuses were
continuing in Turkey despite a new law
enacted to improve the country' s rights
record. .
Turkey last month passed a law cutting
the maximum period a suspect can
be held without charges to 10 from 30
days in the nine emergency rule
provinces and to seven from 14 days in
the rest of the country.
"After this legal change, there has
not been any decrease in the use of
torture," according to the March report
of the Human Rights Association
(tHO).
The tHO report said 12 people had
applied to the group in March claiming
they had been tortured, up from three
in February.
''This clearly shows the direction
which things are taking," tHO
spokesman Mehmet Ekinci said.
Turkey has touted the new detention
law as proof that it is taking European
concerns over its human rights record
seriously.
The March report also said one person
had died as a result of police gunfire,
23 prisoners had been beaten in
prison or in court, 14 journalists arrested
and 29 publications confiscated.
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