01-04.05.2009 Daily Human Rights Report
(05/001) Violations before and after the Celebrations of May Day 2009…
The dispute over celebrating May Day in Taksim Square in Istanbul Province was finalised with the commemoration of the 34 people who were killed in Taksim Square in 1977 by the workers, NGOs and political parties in Taksim Square. Muammer Güler, the Governor of Istanbul Province previously declined the demand of NGOs to celebrate the May Day in Taksim Square but with the settlement call of the President Abdullah Gül he stated that May Day can be celebrated in Taksim Square with a “modest” number of people. Law enforcement officers interfered the group that attempted to celebrate the May Day in Taksim Square and used excessive force (ntvmsnbc.com, 1 May).
Accorging to the authorities 108 people were detained, 41 people -21 of the police officers- were wounded in the interference of law enforcement officers. All the detainees were released on 2 may 2009. Contemporary Lawyers Association (ÇHD) the number of people who were detained in the incident exceeded 400. Five people applied to Human Rights Association and claimed that they were tortured in detention (Günlük, 2 May).
Communist Party of Turkey (TKP) stated in its public statement that two members of TKP were detained and taken to field to be beaten by law enforcement officers in Tarlabasi Quarter of Istanbul Province (Birgün, 2 May).
Five police officers were seen as they were beating Ö.A. Tarlabasi Quarter in video which was recorded by an amateur cameraperson (Cumhuriyet, 3 May).
Nebahat Bükrek, the spokesperson of the Platform of Istanbul Branches of the Confederation of Public Workers Trade Unions (KESKConfederation of Trade Union in the Public Sector ), stated that they will make an official complaint against the police officers who used excessive force in May Day (atilim.org, 3 May).
Law enforcement officers interfered to the members of the People’s House (Halkevleri) who protested the body search in the meeting area by random firing in Sihhiye Square in Ankara Province. 16 people -15 of them are polis officers- were wounded in the quarrel. Six waste paper workers were detained in the celebration (Vatan, 2 May).
Law enforcement officers interfered to the celebration in Konak Square Izmir Province and detained 17 people (Gündem, 1 May).
Right-wingers attacked on Selçuk Yilmaz who forgot his bag in the meeting area in Balikesir Province (Radikal, 2 May).
Right-wingers attacked on the members of Democratic Society Party (DTP) in the Celebration of May Day in Hatay Province. Law enforcement officers interfered the incident and detained 15 members of DTP (ozgurradyo.com, 2 May).
Sibel Isik and Deniz Mahmut, two members of Socialist Youth Association (SGD) were detained in Gaziantep Province on 29 April 2009 (atilim.org, 29 April).
(05/002) Operations and clashes in Southeast…
Two soldiers were wounded with the explosion of a mine near Egriyamaç Village of Tunceli Province on 30 April 2009 (IHA, 30 April).
Turkish General Staff announced that Turkish Air Force attacked on the Kurdistan Workers’ Party’s (PKKKurdish Workers' Party ) armed wing People’s Defence Forces (HPGPeople's Defence Forces (armed wing of the PKK) ) targets in Northern Iraq on 29 April 2009. HPG confirmed the attack and stated that two militants were killed in the attack (AA, 30 April; ANF, 2 May).
Three out of 11 villagers who had been detained after the mine attack in which nine soldiers were killed and two soldiers were wounded in Lice District of Diyarbakir Province on 29 April 2009 were arrested on charges of “helping and harbouring an illegal organisation” on 2 May 2009 (ntvmsnbc.com, 2 May).
(05/003) Impunity in torture case…
Gaziosmanpasa Penal Court of First Instance No. 2 acquitted one commissioner and four police officers in connection with inflicting torture and ill-treatment on Hidir Atas in Sultançiftligi Sehit Mustafa Tercan Police Headquarter in Istanbul Province on 29 July 2004 on the grounds that there was not enough evidence despite Hidir Atas’s health report which documented that he was unable to work for 25 days on 20 April 2009 (Radikal, 3 May).
(05/004) Coercion in prison…
Hanifi Kuzu, a prisoner in Tekirdag F Type Closed Prison No.2, began to make hunger strike on the grounds that his medical treatment was hindered on 14 April 2009 (Gündem, 30 April).
(05/005) Operations against DTP…
Approximately fifteen thousand DTP supporters began to make hunger strike for two days to protest the operations against DTP which was launched with the order of Diyarbakir Chief Public Prosecution Office on 14 April 2009 in Kosuyolu Park in Diyarbakir Province on 3 May 2009 (ntvmsnbc.com; ANF, 3 May).
(05/006) Home raid in Istanbul Province…
19 out of 40 people who had been detained after the operation which resulted with the death of Orhan Yilmazkaya, a militant of Revolutionary Headquarter Organisation in Bostanci Quarter of Kadiköy District of Istanbul Province on 27 April 2009 were arrested on charges of “being a member of an illegal organisation” by Istanbul Heavy Penal Court No. 12 on 29 and 30 April 2009 (Vatan, 1 May).
(05/007) Closure case against LGBT organisation…
The Supreme Court of Appeal’s Civil Chamber No. 7 overturned the closure verdict of local court against the LGBT organisation Lambdaistanbul on 25 November 2008. Beyoglu Civil Court of First Instance No. 3 adjudicated to conform the overturn decision of the higher court on 30 April 2009 (lambdaistanbul.org, 30 April).
(05/008) Tried journalist…
Istanbul Heavy Penal Court No. 10 went on hearing this case against the journalists of Birgün Newspaper Hakan Tahmaz and Bülent Yilmaz in connection with their interview with Murat Karayilan, the president of the administrative council of Koma Civaken Kurdistan (KCKUnion of Communities in Kurdistan ) in Kandil Mountain in northern Iraq on 30 April 2009. The court postponed the hearing on 11 June 2009 for the preparation of defences of the defendants (Birgün, 1 May).
(05/009) Convicted person…
Diyarbakir Heavy Penal Court No. 5 sentenced Ahmet Kizilirmak to six years’ of imprisonment in connection with attending to several meetings organised by DTP in 2007 and 2008 on charges of “making propaganda of an illegal organisation” under Article 7/2 of Fighting with Terrorism Law on 30 April 2009 (Gündem, 1 May).
(05/010) Hindered theatre’s play…
Police teams interfered to Yenikapi Theatre artists who wanted to perform their play in Taksim Square on 3 May 2009 (Cumhuriyet, 4 May).
