Harassment of several individuals and groups as a reprisal for their calls for peace and the respect of human rights in the context of the “Operation Peace Spring”
TUR 003 / 1019 / OBS 088
Threats / Police intervention/
Judicial harassment / Risk of arrest
Turkey
October 25, 2019
The Observatory for the Protection ofHuman Rights Defenders, a partnership of FIDH and the World OrganisationAgainst Torture (OMCT), requests your intervention in the following situationin Turkey.
Descriptionof the situation:
The Observatory has beeninformed by reliable sources about the harassment of several individuals andgroups as a reprisal for their calls for peace and the respect of human rightsin the context of the “Operation Peace Spring”, Turkey’s militaryoffensive in northern Syria that startedon October 9, 2019.
According to theinformation received these acts include in particular: the raid of the house of Ms. NurcanBaysal, a journalist and 2018Global Laureate for Human Rights Defenders at Risk by Front Line Defenders; thepolice intervention at the Human Rights Association (İnsan Hakları Derneği- İHD) offices in Istanbul; threats and judicial harassment against Ms. ErenKeskin[1],a human rights lawyer and co-President of İHD; the judicial harassment of Mr. SezginTanrikulu, a human rights lawyer and Republican People’s Party (Cumhuriyet Halk Partisi - CHP) deputy, Ms. Pervin Buldan and Mr. Sezai Temelli,co-chairs of the People’s Democratic Party (HalklarınDemokratik Partisi - HDP), Mses. Gülüstan Kılıç Koçyiğit and Leyla Güven andMr. Berdan Öztürk, three HDP deputies.
On October 19, 2019, at 5a.m., 30 to 40 police officers raided Ms. Nurcan Baysal’s house in Diyarbakirto arrest her in relation to an investigation into her social media postscriticising “Operation Peace Spring”. Ms. Nurcan Baysal was not arrested as she wasabroad on that date but her two children witnessed the police raid. TheObservatory fears that Ms. Nurcan Baysal may be detained upon her return toTurkey beginning of December.
On October 12, 2019, thepolice attacked a sit-in action in front of İHD offices in Istanbul. At thetime, the Saturday Mothers[2]were holding their weekly peaceful sit-in action in front of the İHD İstanbuloffice[3].As usual, they displayed photos of their family members who forciblydisappeared in the 90s. The Chair of İHD’s Istanbul branch read the pressstatement demanding justice for those who were forcibly disappeared anddenounced the ongoing Turkish military intervention in Syria. In response, thepolice dispersed the crowd using tear gas and truncheons.
On the same day, Ms. ErenKeskin was targeted by the journalist Nedim Şener after she published a tweet accusing him of being againstKurdish people. During a TV show, Nedim Şener presented her as “a lawyer closeto PKK andHDP” and insulted her. Ms. Eren Keskin reportedthat, since then, she has been receiving threats. In addition, in the evening ofOctober 22, 2019, the police went to her house, she was not at home at thatmoment and her mother, who was at home, was asked about her whereabouts.Afterwards, police called Ms. Eren Keskin. She was invited to the AnadoluPublic Prosecutor Office and interrogated on October 23, 2019, for “terroristpropaganda” in relation to her social media posts (related to the militaryoperation and other human rights issues). She was released following theinterrogation and not taken into police custody.
Furthermore, the Observatory was informed ofa series of acts of judicial harassment targeting other voices criticising theadverse human rights impacts of the Turkish military offensive in Syria. OnOctober 12, 2019, a criminal investigation waslaunched against Mr. Sezgin Tanrikulu with charges of "insulting theGovernment of Turkey" for his tweet stating that "the Governmentshould know that this is an unjust war and a war against Kurdish people".He was also charged for his media interviews on the military offensive inSyria.
Additionally, on October 10, 2019, AnkaraChief Public Prosecutor's Office launched a criminalinvestigation against Ms. Pervin Buldan and Mr. Sezai Temelli, co-chairs ofHDP, over charges of "terrorist propaganda" and "insulting theGovernment of Turkey" for a written statement criticising the “OperationPeace Spring” published on October 9, 2019[4].
Another investigation waslaunched against MPs Gülüstan Kılıç Koçyiğit, Leyla Güven and Berdan Öztürk aswell as the co-chairs of HDP on the grounds of "terroristpropaganda", "praising crime and criminals" and "insultingthe Government of Turkey" for a joint press statement on the militaryoffensive made on October 9, at the HDP head office.
The Observatory highlights that these acts ofharassment followed a press release published on October 10, 2019 by the Publicprosecutor prohibiting any criticism of “OperationPeace Spring”. Afterwards the police, prosecutors and judges started toimplement the prohibition of any criticism of the military intervention. Furthermore,since the launch of the military offensive, pro-government journalists haveregularly threatened and insulted all those calling for peace, respect for humanrights and an end to the military offensive.
The Observatory expresses its utmost concernover the raid of Ms. Nurcan Baysal’ house, the use of excessive force in frontof İHD offices, threats against Ms. Eren Keskin, police intervention at herhouse and her judicial harassment, as well as the judicial harassment of SezginTanrikulu, Sezai Temelli, Berdan Öztürk, Gülüstan Kılıç Koçyiğit, Pervin Buldanand Leyla Güven, which is only aimed at intimidating and silencing theactivists.
The Observatory calls on the Turkishauthorities to immediately end any act of harassment, including at the judiciallevel, against Sezgin Tanrikulu, Sezai Temelli, Berdan Öztürk and Mses.Gülüstan Kılıç Koçyiğit, Pervin Buldan, Leyla Güven, Nurcan Baysal and ErenKeskin, all İHD members as well as all human rights defenders in Turkey.
Actions requested:
Please write to theauthorities of Turkey asking them to:
i. Guarantee in allcircumstances the physical and psychological integrity of Sezgin Tanrikulu,Sezai Temelli, Berdan Öztürk, Mses. Gülüstan Kılıç Koçyiğit, Pervin Buldan,Leyla Güven, Nurcan Baysal and ErenKeskin, İHD members and all human rights defenders in Turkey;
ii. Put an end to all forms of harassment,including at the judicial level, against. Sezgin Tanrikulu, Sezai Temelli, GülüstanKılıç Koçyiğit, Berdan Öztürk and Pervin Buldan, Leyla Güven, Nurcan Baysal and Eren Keskin, İHD members and all human rights defenders in Turkey;
iii. Comply with all the provisions of theUnited Nations Declaration on Human Rights Defenders adopted by the UN GeneralAssembly on December 9, 1998, in particular its Articles 1 and 12.2;
iv. Ensure in all circumstances respect forhuman rights and fundamental freedoms in accordance with the Constitution ofthe Turkish Republic, international human rights standards and internationalinstruments ratified by Turkey.
Addresses:
· President of Turkey, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, Fax:(+90 312) 525 58 31
· Minister of Justice, Mr. Abdülhamit Gül,E-mail: ozelkalem@adalet.gov.tr
· Minister of Interior, Mr. Süleyman Soylu,Fax: +90 (312) 425 61 30
· H.E. Mr. Kaymakci Faruk, Ambassador, DiplomaticMission of Turkey to the European Union in Brussels, Belgium, E-mail: tr-delegation.eu@mfa.gov.tr; Fax: + 32 2 511 04 50
· H.E. Mr. Sadık Arslan, Ambassador, PermanentMission of Turkey to the United Nations in Geneva, Switzerland, E-mail: turkey.unog@mfa.gov.tr; Fax: +41 22 734 08 59
Please also write to the diplomatic missions orembassies of Turkey in your respective country.
***
Paris-Geneva, October 25, 2019
Kindly inform us of any action undertakenquoting the code of this appeal in your reply.
The Observatory for the Protection of HumanRights Defenders (the Observatory) was created in 1997 by FIDH and the WorldOrganisation Against Torture (OMCT). The objective of this programme is to interveneto prevent or remedy situations of repression against human rights defenders.FIDH and OMCT are both members of ProtectDefenders.eu, the European Union Human Rights DefendersMechanism implemented by international civil society.
To contact the Observatory, call the emergencyline:
· E-mail: Appeals@fidh-omct.org
· Tel and fax FIDH + 33 1 43 55 25 18 / +33 1 4355 18 80
· Tel and fax OMCT + 41 22 809 49 39 / + 41 22 809 49 29
[1] For the pastthirty years, Ms. Eren Keskin has contributed to the protection of minorityrights, countered violence against women, and campaigned to challengemilitarism and end torture. She is the founder of a legal office providing probono services for transgender persons and women who were raped or sexuallyabused by the national security forces. From 2013 to 2016, Ms. Eren Keskin heldthe title of ‘co-editor-in-chief’ for Özgür Gündem (‘Free Agenda’), as aform of support of the imprisoned editorial staff. See Observatory UrgentAppeal TUR 003 / 0618 / OBS 087.2, published on May28, 2019.
[2] The Saturday Mothers (CurmatesiAnneleri) is a group of mothers who gather every Saturday at noon for halfan hour in Istanbul’s Galatasaray Square holding photographs of their lovedones, victims of enforced disappearance or political murders in the 1980’s and1990’s.
[3] Since August 25, 2018, their 700th week of protest, theSaturday Mothers were banned from holding their weekly gathering in Istanbul’sGalatasaray Square.
[4] In their statement "Let's give a voice to Rojava againstthe war", they condemned the operation and said, "Against thisunlawful and illegitimate war, we will side with life without the slightesthesitation together with our people and Turkey's democratic corces". @font-face { font-family: "MS Mincho";}@font-face { font-family: "Cambria Math";}@font-face { font-family: OpenSymbol;}@font-face { font-family: "@MS Mincho";}p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal { margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; font-size: 10pt; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; }h1 { margin: 24pt 0cm 0.0001pt 21.6pt; text-indent: -21.6pt; break-after: avoid; font-size: 10pt; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-weight: normal; }p.MsoFootnoteText, li.MsoFootnoteText, div.MsoFootnoteText { margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; font-size: 12pt; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; }p.MsoHeader, li.MsoHeader, div.MsoHeader { margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; font-size: 10pt; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; }p.MsoFooter, li.MsoFooter, div.MsoFooter { margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; font-size: 10pt; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; }p.MsoBodyText, li.MsoBodyText, div.MsoBodyText { margin: 0cm 0cm 6pt; font-size: 10pt; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; }a:visited, span.MsoHyperlinkFollowed { color: rgb(149, 79, 114); text-decoration: underline; }strong { font-weight: normal; }span.Heading1Char { }span.Caractresdenotedebasdepage { vertical-align: super; }span.apple-converted-space { }span.ww-lieninternet { }span.WW-FootnoteReference3 { vertical-align: super; }span.FootnoteReference3 { vertical-align: super; }span.BodyTextChar { }span.FooterChar { }span.HeaderChar { }span.FootnoteTextChar { }.MsoChpDefault { font-size: 10pt; }div.WordSection1 { }ol { margin-bottom: 0cm; }ul { margin-bottom: 0cm; }