Document - Turkey: Further information on fear for safety

TURKEY Turkey: Further information on fear for safety

PUBLIC AI Index: EUR 44/015/2003
15 May 2003
UA 134/03 Fear for safety

TURKEY K. Ö. (f) (Anonymity requested; Full name known to Amnesty International)

K. Ö. , a Kurdish woman, has received death threats, including one at gunpoint, and her house in Adana, southern Turkey, has been raided by police. K. Ö. was reportedly raped and tortured by police at her home in 1999 and has frequently been threatened and intimidated since then, apparently in an attempt to prevent her from pursuing her case with the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR). She was previously the subject of UA 186/00 (EUR 44/32/00, 29 June 2000) and follow-up (EUR 44/60/00, 22 November 2000).

On 23 April K.Ö.'s home was reportedly raided by police. The police officers allegedly threatened her with death if she did not give up her case against the Turkish authorities with the ECHR. On 28 April, K. Ö. visited the Adana branch of the Human Rights Association (IHD), Turkey's largest human rights organization, to make a complaint about the raid. On her return home the same police officers reportedly forced her into a car at gunpoint, blindfolded her, and threatened her with death. When she told them that she would not give up her case, her assailants reportedly threw her from the car. Her lawyers have made a complaint to the ECHR prosecutor.

Since K.Ö. was allegedly tortured, including being raped, at her home in 1999, she has been assaulted, her house has been raided, and she has received frequent threats. The harassment did stop for a short period after UA 186/00 was issued. In November 2000, police visited her house again and reportedly beat her and tried to get her to sign a document which she was unable to read. Police reportedly raided her house in April 2001 and June 2001, demanding she withdraw her case. The Turkish courts have, to date, rejected all of K.Ö.’s attempts to press charges against the police officers. Her lawyers therefore sent her case to the European Court of Human Rights.

The Turkish prosecutor and the court who rejected her original complaint against the policemen refused to consider a psychiatric report submitted in relation to her original complaint. The report, prepared by the Psychosocial Trauma Centre at Istanbul University’s Çapa Medical Faculty, stated that K.Ö. was suffering from chronic Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). The psychiatrists concluded that she had very probably suffered a trauma.

RECOMMENDED ACTION: Please send appeals to arrive as quickly as possible, in English, Turkish or your own language:
- expressing concern at the threats and ill-treatment reported by K.O.;
-calling for immediate steps be taken to guarantee her safety in accordance with her wishes;
- urging the authorities to conduct a full and impartial investigation into the threats and assaults, for the results to be made public and for those responsible to be brought to justice;
- expressing concern that the threats appear to be related to the forthcoming case at the European Court of Human Rights of those accused of raping and torturing K.O.

APPEALS TO:
Minister of the Interior
Mr Abdulkadir Aksu
Ministry of Interior
Içisleri Bakanligi
06644 Ankara, Turkey
Telegram: Interior Minister, Ankara, Turkey
Fax: Fax: + 90 312 418 17 95
Salutation: Dear Minister

Minister of Justice
Mr Cemil Çiçek
Ministry of Justice
Adalet Bakanligi
06659 Ankara, Turkey
Telegram: Justice Minister, Ankara, Turkey
Fax: + 90 312 418 5667
Salutation: Dear Minister

COPIES TO:
State Minister with responsibility for Human Rights and Foreign Minister
Mr Abdullah Gul
Office of the Prime Minister,
Basbakanlik,
06573 Ankara, Turkey
Fax: + 90 312 417 04 76
Salutation: Dear Minister

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 26 June 2003.********



Amnesty International, International Secretariat, 1 Easton Street, WC1X 0DW, London, United Kingdom

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