News Release Issued by the International Secretariat of Amnesty
International *
Turkey: Deaths and injuries as military police storm prisons
19 December 2000
EUR 44/072/2000
239/00
Amnesty International is deeply concerned by reports that Turkish
security personnel today stormed 20 prisons, resulting in the
deaths of at least 6 prisoners and 2 gendarmes, and dozens of
injuries. The operation was designed to bring to an end a 61 day
death fast by over 200 prisoners protesting at a plan to transfer
them to smaller cells. The human rights organization has today
written to the Turkish government, calling upon it to:
ensure that security officers refrain from the use of excessive
force, torture or ill-treatment of prisoners as a matter of
urgency;
initiate a full, independent and impartial investigation into all
instances in which individuals have been killed or wounded in the
operation, the results of which should be made public;
suspend those alleged to be responsible from their duties pending
the outcome of the investigation;
allow victims' lawyers to observe autopsies and to visit their
clients in prison or in hospital, while ensuring that the wounded
receive medical treatment under independent supervision and
observation.
Amnesty International is also concerned by reports of mass
arrests of the protesters' supporters. The organization has urged
the Turkish government to ensure that the supporters are neither
tortured or ill-treated, and are afforded their full rights. It
is understood that a number of human rights defenders,
politicians, trade unionists and representatives of non-violent
organizations have also been arrested. The leading human rights
defender Eren Keskin - a lawyer - was also detained for an hour.
Amnesty International has urged the Turkish government to ensure
that anyone detained for peacefully expressing their views is
released immediately and unconditionally and that the security
forces refrain from any arbitrary detentions.
Amnesty International has also informed the Turkish government
that it is alarmed to learn that offices of the Turkish Human
Rights Association (IHD) have been raided, their office in the
eastern town of Van closed and documents confiscated from their
Istanbul branch. Amnesty International calls upon the Turkish
government to respect the rights of human rights defenders to
pursue their legitimate tasks of monitoring and reporting
violations.
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