Human rights violation still very high in 2010
Human rights violation still very high in 2010
The 2010 report about human rights violations has been released by the Human Rights Association (IHD). The report notes that there hasn’t been a concrete and observable progress in the human right violations in Turkey as well as the worsening of freedom of thought, expression and press in 2010. According to the report which emphasizes that "Police State" practices were exhibited last year, 7,100 people were taken into custody in a year and 1,599 of them were arrested.
Considering the human rights violations in 2010, it is observed that the violations are not much different from the figures of 2009. The report said; “We regret to explain that "Police State" practices were exhibited last year, when 'democracy' was the most spoken discourse, the system became more authoritarian, the judiciary constraint gradually increased through special authority Heavy Criminal Courts, the elimination policies within the Kurdish problem increased violations, torture and ill-treatment continued, strong interventions were made on the right to protest, the freedom of expression was not recognized and frequently punished, prisoners’ rights reached the worst level.
According to the report, 22 identified murders were committed in a year, while deaths as extra-judicial executions / as a result of torture / by village guards/under detention were recorded as 100. 224 people lost their lives during clashes and 1349 were exposed to torture and ill-treatment. In addition, 7100 people were taken into custody and 1599 of them were arrested.
While 11 political parties and associations were closed or intended to be closed, the mass organizations, political institutions, media organs and cultural centers suffering from pressure and attack were recorded as 105 and listed as follows; “57 party representations, , 36 associations, 6 municipalities, 5 cultural centers and a foundation. Separately, 5 journals were confiscated eight times and four magazines were confiscated ten times.
The number of confiscated and banned publications; 10 posters, 8 banners, 3 books and a calendar was banned or confiscated. The display of a song was also banned by Radio and Television Supreme Council.
Demanded prison sentence (Lawsuits): During the referendum, 12 televisions were given a warning and 6 televisions were given program suspension penalty eight times. While 1596 people were sued in 2010, the number of ongoing litigations was recorded as 191 and the number of people on trial as 1961. 267 lawsuits of 1212 people ended in acquittal of 143 suspects, while 1069 people were sentenced to 3757 years 7 months and 20 days in prison and 55,260 TL pecuniary fine.
Deaths in prisons and under detention centers continue. The death of 413 prisoners in prisons, according to official data of the Ministry of Justice, has displayed the dimension of the violations. While this number was 319 the year before, the increasing death rate of prisoners due to deprivation of treatment reveals the insensitivity of the government and the special confutation policy it follows. The number of sick prisoners is still 263 and 122 of them are in a critical situation. The number of imprisoned, which was 116,340 by the end of 2009, increased to 122,404 as of January 2011 and to 124,074 by the end of April 2011.
According to data from the Ministry of Justice, while 438 suspects were accused of torture and cruelty in 2008, this number rose to 707 suspects in 2009. On the other hand, 18,859 people were sued in 2008 for resisting to security forces and this number rose to 22,195 in 2009.
Translation: Berna Ozgencil
Considering the human rights violations in 2010, it is observed that the violations are not much different from the figures of 2009. The report said; “We regret to explain that "Police State" practices were exhibited last year, when 'democracy' was the most spoken discourse, the system became more authoritarian, the judiciary constraint gradually increased through special authority Heavy Criminal Courts, the elimination policies within the Kurdish problem increased violations, torture and ill-treatment continued, strong interventions were made on the right to protest, the freedom of expression was not recognized and frequently punished, prisoners’ rights reached the worst level.
According to the report, 22 identified murders were committed in a year, while deaths as extra-judicial executions / as a result of torture / by village guards/under detention were recorded as 100. 224 people lost their lives during clashes and 1349 were exposed to torture and ill-treatment. In addition, 7100 people were taken into custody and 1599 of them were arrested.
While 11 political parties and associations were closed or intended to be closed, the mass organizations, political institutions, media organs and cultural centers suffering from pressure and attack were recorded as 105 and listed as follows; “57 party representations, , 36 associations, 6 municipalities, 5 cultural centers and a foundation. Separately, 5 journals were confiscated eight times and four magazines were confiscated ten times.
The number of confiscated and banned publications; 10 posters, 8 banners, 3 books and a calendar was banned or confiscated. The display of a song was also banned by Radio and Television Supreme Council.
Demanded prison sentence (Lawsuits): During the referendum, 12 televisions were given a warning and 6 televisions were given program suspension penalty eight times. While 1596 people were sued in 2010, the number of ongoing litigations was recorded as 191 and the number of people on trial as 1961. 267 lawsuits of 1212 people ended in acquittal of 143 suspects, while 1069 people were sentenced to 3757 years 7 months and 20 days in prison and 55,260 TL pecuniary fine.
Deaths in prisons and under detention centers continue. The death of 413 prisoners in prisons, according to official data of the Ministry of Justice, has displayed the dimension of the violations. While this number was 319 the year before, the increasing death rate of prisoners due to deprivation of treatment reveals the insensitivity of the government and the special confutation policy it follows. The number of sick prisoners is still 263 and 122 of them are in a critical situation. The number of imprisoned, which was 116,340 by the end of 2009, increased to 122,404 as of January 2011 and to 124,074 by the end of April 2011.
According to data from the Ministry of Justice, while 438 suspects were accused of torture and cruelty in 2008, this number rose to 707 suspects in 2009. On the other hand, 18,859 people were sued in 2008 for resisting to security forces and this number rose to 22,195 in 2009.
Translation: Berna Ozgencil
