Turkey: fear of torture: Kamil Mustak, his sons Bahattin and Mehmet Mustak, Abdullah Madak (held at Cizre Police Headquarters); Ahmet Baglan, Mehmet Baglan, Cafer Diri, Mahmut Diri, Mehmet Diri (held at Sirnak Police Headquarters)
The nine people named above from the village of Yesilyurt in southeast Turkey were detained on 17 February 1993, after security forces had surrounded and searched the village, claiming to have found weapons. Kamil and Bahattin Mustak are the principal plaintiffs in a prosecution brought 4 years ago against a gendarmerie officer who allegedly forced Bahattin Mustak to smear his father's mouth with human excrement. It is believed that the police operation of 17 February may bave been organized to discredit the plaintiffs, whom AI fears are at risk of torture.
EXTERNAL (for general distribution) AI Index: EUR 44/15/93
Distr: UA/SC
EXTRA 19/93 Fear of Torture 25 February 1993
TURKEY: Kamil Mu_tak ) Held at
Bahattin Mu_tak son of Kamil Mu_tak ) Cizre
Mehmet Mu_tak son of Kamil Mu_tak ) Police
Abdullah Madak (aged 65) ) Headquarters
Ahmet Ba_lan ) Held at
Mehmet Ba_lan ) __rnak
Cafer Diri ) Police
Mahmut Diri ) Headquarters
Mehmet Diri )
Amnesty International is concerned for the safety of the nine above-mentioned
people from the village of Ye_ilyurt in southeast Turkey. On the morning of
17 February 1993 the village of Ye_ilyurt was surrounded by a large force of
gendarmerie (soldiers carrying out police duties), accompanied by plain clothes
police, who fired shots and then evacuated the village. The members of the
village were made to stand for several hours while the police searched the
village for guns. The police claimed that they found eight Kaleshnikov weapons
in the houses in the village. Finally the nine people indicated above were
taken into detention.
Kamil Mu_tak and Bahattin Mu_tak are the principal plaintiffs in a prosecution
brought against a gendarmerie officer four years ago. The officer allegedly
forced Bahattin Mu_tak to smear human excrement on his father's mouth on 15
January 1989. The other detainees witnessed this incident.
Amnesty International believes that this police operation on 17 February 1993
may have been organized to discredit the plaintiffs by extracting incriminating
statements from them and thereby making them withdraw their complaint. All
but the very old and small children have now fled the village. Amnesty
International believes that the detainees are at considerable risk of
ill-treatment and torture.
BACKGROUND INFORMATION
Ye_ilyurt is a small village in southeast Turkey, in the province of __rnak.
In the early hours of 15 January 1989, security forces surrounded the village
and fired on livestock. The security forces kicked and beat the male members
of the village, accusing them of giving assistance to guerrillas of the Kurdish
Workers' Party. The Officer-in-Charge, Major Cafer Ça_layan, was convicted
of ill-treating the villagers and was sentenced to two months imprisonment.
His conviction was later converted to a fine. The villagers also alleged that
the soldiers made Kamil Mu_tak smear human excrement over the mouths of the
male villagers, and in turn made Kamil's son Bahattin smear excrement over
his father's mouth. In the course of this incident, Abdurrahman Mu_tak and
Abdullah Gündo_an were injured. This allegation was suppressed by the local
governor's office which is empowered under emergency legislation to halt any
investigation into ill-treatment or torture by security forces. The villagers
made a personal petition to the Council of Europe against the Turkish Government
claiming there had been a breach of the European Convention on Human Rights
and Fundamental Freedoms, and on 12 January 1993 the European Commission of
Human Rights declared their petition admissible.
Turkey has a Kurdish ethnic minority which is estimated to number some 10 million
people, living mainly in southeastern Turkey. Since August 1984, when guerrillas
of the Kurdish Workers' Party (PKK) started armed attacks against the security
forces, an alarming number of reports of ill-treatment of detainees by the
security forces have come from the eastern and southeastern provinces.
Furthermore, allegations of over 100 extrajudicial executions have been
received during the past 12 months. More than 5,000 lives have so far been
lost on both sides and among the civilian population in the context of the
continuing fighting. Emergency legislation is in force in 10 provinces in the
region.
RECOMMENDED ACTION: Please send telegrams/telexes/faxes/express and airmail
letters either in English or in your own language:
_ expressing concern for the safety of Kamil Mu_tak, Bahattin Mu_tak, Mehmet
Mu_tak, Abdullah Madak, Ahmet Ba_lan , Mehmet Ba_lan, Cafer Diri, Mahmut Diri
and Mehmet Diri who were detained at Ye_ilyurt village, __rnak province on
17 February 1993;
- urging that they are not subjected to torture or any other form of ill-treatment
and that they are granted access to their lawyers and families;
- asking to be informed of any charges against them.
APPEALS TO:
1) Minister of the Interior:
Mr _smet Sezgin
_çi_leri Bakanl___
06644 Ankara, Turkey
Telegrams: Interior Minister, Ankara, Turkey
Telexes: 46369 ICSL TR
Faxes: + 90 4 418 1795
Salutation: Dear Minister
2) Prime Minister:
Mr Süleyman Demirel
Office of the Prime Minister
Ba_bakanl_k
06573 Ankara, Turkey
Telegrams: Prime Minister, Ankara, Turkey
Telexes: 44061 bbmt / 44062 bbmt / 44063 bbmt tr
42099 basb tr / 42875 bbk tr
Faxes: +90 4 417 04 76 PRIME MINISTER /
+90 4 230 88 96 (attn: Prime Minister)
Salutation: Dear Prime Minister
COPIES OF YOUR APPEALS TO:
Mr Sabri Yavuz
President of the Parliamentary Human Rights Commission
_nsan Haklar_ Ara_t_rma Komisyonu Ba_kan_
TBMM
Ankara
and to diplomatic representatives of Turkey accredited to your country.
PLEASE SEND APPEALS IMMEDIATELY. Check with the International Secretariat,
or your section office, if sending appeals after 24 March 1993.