Police raid of the offices of the Siirt branch of the Human Rights Association (İHD) and arbitrary detention of Messrs. Zana Aksu, Azat Taş and Mirza Ekin
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URGENT APPEAL - THE OBSERVATORY
TUR 001 / 1015 / OBS 081
Arbitrary detention /
judicial harassment
Turkey
October 1, 2015
TheObservatory for the Protection of Human Rights Defenders, a joint programme ofthe International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH) and the World OrganisationAgainst Torture (OMCT) requests your urgent intervention in the followingsituation in Turkey.
Descriptionof the situation:
TheObservatory has been informed by the Human Rights Association (İHD) about thepolice raid of the offices of its Siirt branch and the arbitrary detentions of İHD’s Siirt branch Chairperson Mr.Zana Aksu, as well as İHD managers Messrs. Azat Taş and Mirza Ekin.
Accordingto the information received, on September 30, 2015, apolice operation was launched against Kurdish political parties andnon-governmental organizations in Siirt province in southeastern Turkey. Theoperations resulted in the arrest of at least ten people, including İHD human rights defenders Messrs. Zana Aksu, Azat Taş andMirza Ekin, togetherwith journalists and members of the Kurdish political party Democratic RegionsParty (DBP). The three human rights defenders werearrested under the Anti-Terrorism Law (Law 3713 of April 1991) and are currently held in custody at theanti-terror branch office in Siirt Security Directorate. Moreover, during theillegal raid, the police confiscated books, reports and other documents, aswell as computers belonging to İHD.
TheObservatory recalls that this new wave of arbitrary arrests and detentions ispart of a wide-range anti-terrorism operation, started in late July 2015 underthe pretext of countering terrorism. However, the operation turned into amassive crackdown on some civil society organisations depicted as “terroristnetworks”. This campaign has been targeting dozens of peaceful activists whohave been involved in the monitoring of human rights violations resulting fromanti-terrorism operations and advocating for a peaceful resolution of theKurdish issue. These peaceful activists include human rights defenders,particularly IHD members, lawyers, political partyrepresentatives and journalists[1].
TheObservatory calls upon the Turkish authorities to put an end to the continuingharassment of human rights defenders, and particularly İHDmembers, and urges the Turkish authorities to immediately andunconditionally release Messrs. Zana Aksu, Azat Taş andMirza Ekin and allhuman rights defenders currently held in detention and drop all charges againstthem, since their detention is arbitrary as it only aims at sanctioning theirhuman rights activities.
Actionsrequested:
Pleasewrite to the authorities in Turkey, urging them to:
i.Guarantee in all circumstances the physical and psychological integrity of Messrs. ZanaAksu, Azat Taş and Mirza Ekin as well asall human rights defenders in Turkey;
ii.Release Messrs. Zana Aksu, Azat Taş andMirza Ekin immediatelyand unconditionally, as well as all other human rights defenders currently indetention, and drop all charges against them since their detention is arbitraryas it only aims at curtailing their human rights activities;
iii.Put an end to all acts of harassment, including at the judicial level, againstMessrs. Zana Aksu, Azat Taş andMirza Ekinand other İHDmembers and all human rights defenders in Turkey;
iv.Put an end to the crackdown on civil society under the pretext of counteringterrorism and recognise the legitimate role of human rights defenders in linewith Turkey’s international commitments;
v.Comply with all the provisions of the United Nations Declaration on HumanRights Defenders, in particular with:
-its Article 1, which provides that “everyone has the right, individually and inassociation with others, to promote and to strive for the protection andrealization of human rights and fundamental freedoms at the national andinternational levels”;
-its Article 6(a), which foresees that “everyone has the right, individually andin association with others, to participate in peaceful activities againstviolations of human rights and fundamental freedoms”;
-its Article 12.2, which provides that “the State shall take all necessarymeasures to ensure the protection by the competent authorities of everyone,individually and in association with others, against any violence, threats,retaliation, de facto or de jure adverse discrimination, pressure or any otherarbitrary action as a consequence of his or her legitimate exercise of therights referred to in the present Declaration”;
vi.Ensure in all circumstances respect for human rights and fundamental freedomsin accordance with international human rights standards and internationalinstruments ratified by Turkey.
Addresses:
· President of Turkey,Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, Cumhurbaşkanlığı Külliyesi 06560 Beştepe-Ankara, Tel:(+90 312) 525 55 55, Fax: (+90 312) 525 58 31, E-mail: contact@tccb.gov.tr
· Prime Minister of Turkey AhmetDavutoglu tel: (0312) 422 10 00 ; Fax: +90 (312) 403 62 82
· Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mr. FeridunH. Sinirlioğlu, No: 8 Balgat / Ankara - Turkey 06100; Tel : +90 (312) 292 10 00
· Minister of Justice, Mr. Kenan Ipek, 06659Kizilay, Ankara; Tel: +90 (312) 417 77 70; Fax: +90 (0312) 419 33 70; E-mail: info@adalet.gov.tr
· Ministerof Interior, Mr. Selami Altınok; tel: +90 (312) 422 40 00; Fax: +90 (312)425 61 30; Email: ozelkalem@icisleri.gov.tr
· Ambassador Izzet Selim Yenel, Diplomatic Mission of Turkey to theEuropean Union in Brussels, Avenue des Arts 36-38, 1000 Bruxelles, Belgium;Fax: + 32 2 511 04 50
· Ambassador Mehmet Ferden Çarikçi, Permanent Mission of Turkey to theUnited Nations in Geneva, Chemin du Petit-Saconnex 28B 1211 Geneva 19, Tel: +4122 918 50 80; Fax: +41 22 734 08 59; Email: mission.turkey@ties.itu.int
Please also write to the diplomatic mission orembassy of Turkey in your respective country.
***
Paris-Geneva, October 1, 2015
Kindly inform us of any action undertaken quotingthe code of this appeal in your reply.
The Observatory, an FIDH and OMCT venture, isdedicated to the protection of human rights defenders and aims to offer themconcrete support in their time of need.
To contact the Observatory, call the emergencyline:
· E-mail: Appeals@fidh-omct.org
· Tel and fax FIDH + 33 (0) 1 43 55 25 18 / +331 43 55 18 80
· Tel and fax OMCT + 41 (0) 22 809 49 39 / + 4122 809 49 29
[1] For more information see FIDH Press Release of 21 September 2015:https://www.fidh.org/International-Federation-for-Human-Rights/europe/turkey/turkey-rights-groups-strongly-condemn-escalating-violence-and-human