abuse Archives - Advocates of Silenced Turkey

Re: Urge Turkish Authorities to stop torture and bring perpetrators to justice on INTERNATIONAL DAY IN SUPPORT OF VICTIMS OF TORTURE JUNE 26 th

INTERNATIONAL DAY IN SUPPORT OF VICTIMS OF TORTURE, JUNE 26TH

Gokhan Acikkollu, the 42-year-old history teacher with diabetes, was dismissed from his job, subsequently detained and tortured for 13 days under police custody in Turkey. He ultimately died from a heart attack. Two years later, after his death, authorities found him not guilty and reinstated him to his teaching post; however, no real justice has been given.

Since the failed coup attempt on July 15, 2016, democratic and fundamental human rights have been suspended in Turkey. The Turkish government has disregarded basic human rights, equality, and respect for human dignity. It has completely broken its ties with the western world, the European Union in particular. It is stated in Human Rights Watch October 2017 report that people accused of terrorism or of being linked to the July 2016 attempted coup are at risk of torture in police custody. There has been a spate of reported cases of men being abducted, some of whom were held in secret detention places, with evidence pointing to the
involvement of state authorities.

Zeid Ra’ad Al Hussein, High Commissioner for UN Human Rights, declared that during the state of emergency period about 160,000 people were detained in Turkey; 152,000 state officials, including teachers, judges, and lawyers were arbitrarily expelled or investigated; over 200 journalists were arrested, 201 media outlets and hundreds of websites were shut down. There were many cases of torture, rape, and kidnapping, which were only partially reflected in the reports.

According to a report released by the United States Department of State on human rights practices in Turkey in 2018 between July 2016 and July 2018, Turkish Ministry of Justice reported that “investigations” were opened into 612,347 persons, the majority of whom were affiliated with the Gulen movement. Authorities prosecuted 1,519 lawyers and dismissed 7,257 academics and more than 4,000 judges and prosecutors. After the coup, the government operated prisons became filled with people who were detained and awaiting trial and began to work over capacity. 28 individuals disappeared, some kidnapped in broad daylight in front of their families.

Reports of torture, mistreatment, and abuse skyrocketed from tens in 2017 to more than 2,500 in 2018. 51 people lost their lives under suspicious circumstances in official custody.

The most recent torture incidents took place at Police Headquarters in Ankara against detained six ex-diplomats of Turkish Foreign Ministry on May 26th which were documented by the Ankara Bar Association. HDP MP Omer F. Gergerlioglu; Erinc Sagkan, President of Ankara Bar Association, and CHP MP Sezgin Tanrikulu spoke out about the allegations immediately.

We urge all the international bodies and human rights organizations along with Turkish judiciary to take all necessary steps to STOP TORTURE in TURKEY and bring all the perpetrators to justice.

Advocates of Silenced Turkey
help@silencedturkey.org
www.silencedturkey.org
Twitter: @silencedturkey
Facebook: @silencedturkey

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PRESS RELEASE ON THE OCCASION OF THE WORLD REFUGEE DAY 2019

PDF LINK

WORLD REFUGEE DAY 2019

It is acknowledged in UNHCR’s Global Trends 2018 Report that the number of forcibly displaced people increased by 2.3 million people in 2018. By the end of the year, almost 70.8 million individuals were forcibly displaced worldwide as a result of persecution, conflict, violence, or human rights violations. Filippo Grandi, United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, states:

“What we are seeing in these figures is further confirmation of a longer-term rising trend in the number of people needing safety from war, conflict, and persecution.”

Since the coup attempt on July 15, 2016, the Turkish government has targeted individuals and groups opposing the government. Through a mass witch-hunt, hundreds of thousands of people have been faced with arrest, imprisonment, torture, inhumane and degrading treatment, denial of fair treatment, labeling, confiscation, and passport seizure. Turkish prisons became filled with people who were detained and awaiting trial and began to operate over capacity. 28 individuals disappeared, some kidnapped in broad daylight in front of their families. Reports of torture, mistreatment, and abuse skyrocketed from tens in 2017 to more than 2,500 in 2018. 51 people lost their lives under suspicious circumstances in official custody. Consequently, thousands of people were forced to leave the country for freedom and to live in humane conditions.

Migration is not easy for those who migrate as well as those countries who receive them. The activist poet Warshan Shire’s words about forced displacement summarize the refugee issue very concisely: “No one puts their children in a boat unless the boat is safer than the land.”

We, as AST (Advocates of Silenced Turkey), are dedicated to support refugees as well as to defend their rights and be a voice for them.

Hafza Y. GIRDAP
Spokesperson
directorhg@silencedturkey.org

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Report exposes death from torture of Turkish teacher in police custody

A new report from the Stockholm Center for Freedom (SCF) titled “Tortured to Death” exposes the case of 42-year-old history teacher Gökhan Açıkkollu, who died after enduring 13 days of torture and abuse in police detention in İstanbul.
The report details every day he was kept in custody, where he was repeatedly beaten by his interrogators. The government documents, medical reports, independent opinions and witness statements obtained by SCF and revealed in the report show his death was not due to natural causes.

“The details of this single case with hitherto unknown facts about Açıkkollu’s death have really shaken our investigators, and we have decided to dedicate this report to his memory to show the world what is taking place under President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s brutally oppressive regime,” Abdullah Bozkurt, the president of SCF, said.

“He was telling doctors every day what he was going through, and the prosecutor’s office was getting copies of these records on a daily basis. Yet he was time and again sent back to detention to face a new round of torture that eventually claimed his life,”’ he added.

The report also exposes the names of the police officers who were present in the building at the time of Açıkkollu’s death and urges the Turkish government to hold to account those who were responsible for his death.

Unfortunately, the terrible saga of Açıkkollu’s family was far from over even after his death as authorities neither arranged for a hearse to transport him nor provided embalming of the body, which are standard services in Turkey for all deceased. He was hauled in a utility vehicle to the cemetery where the government imam refused to lead a prayer service. His wife, Mümüne Açıkkollu, was also briefly detained afterwards by the same prosecutor who ordered the detention of her husband.
The public prosecutor dropped the probe into torture allegations although he had more than enough evidence of torture according to the documents provided by government-designated health facilities. Several witnesses came forward and testified to torture. After a long legal challenge, the prosecutor had to open another probe, but there was no progress reported on the second probe, either.

Turkish authorities continue to deny that there is torture in Turkey while blocking the publication of a report by the Council of Europe Anti-Torture Committee (CPT), which visited Turkey for a fact-finding mission in September 2016.

The accumulation of overwhelming evidence in this case is quite valuable considering that the police in Turkey often try to cover up the commission of crimes. Authorities tamper with evidence and doctors’ records and ensure that the text of witness accounts, autopsies and medical reports reflect the official version of the detainee’s death.

Deaths in detention and prisons due to torture, abuse and ill treatment have become a recurring theme in Turkey with close to 100 cases reported as suspicious deaths and suicides in the last 16 months alone.

Many human rights monitoring groups have documented cases of torture and ill treatment of detainees that suggest a widespread, systematic and deliberate torture by the government of President Erdoğan.

SCF has already published several reports confirming that such cases have been taking place in detention centers and jails or sometimes in black sites that were used as mass holding facilities for a large number of detainees without due process.

Source: https://www.turkishminute.com/2017/11/21/report-exposes-death-from-torture-of-turkish-teacher-in-police-custody/

AST Turkey’s Human Rights Violations Weekly Nov. 13

Download as pdf: AST_Turkey’s Human Rights Violations Weekly_Nov13

Turkey’s Human Rights Violations Weekly | 11/06/2017 – 11/13/2017

1-“1,025 in poor health in Turkish prisons, 357 seriously ill: rights group”
https://turkeypurge.com/1025-turkish-prisons-poor-health-357-seriously-ill-rights-group

2-“‘The threats continue’: Murder of retired couple chills fellow activists in Turkey
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2017/oct/18/the-threats-continue-of-retired-couple-chills-fellow-activists-in-turkey?CMP=share_btn_tw

3-“Turkey: Arrest of Civil Society Leader Arbitrary, Punitive”
https://www.hrw.org/news/2017/11/02/turkey-arrest-civil-society-leader-arbitrary-punitive

4-“Turkey jails journalists Gündem, Gönültaş and Kılıç”
https://www.turkishminute.com/2017/11/08/turkey-jails-journalists-gundem-gonultas-and-kilic/

5-“Detention warrants issued for 88 more military personnel over Gülen links”
https://www.turkishminute.com/2017/11/07/detention-warrants-issued-for-88-more-military-personnel-over-gulen-links/

6-“Minister: 2,274 Gülen-linked private educational institutions closed since coup attempt”
https://www.turkishminute.com/2017/11/07/minister-2274-gulen-linked-private-educational-institutions-closed-since-coup-attempt/

7-“Erdoğan admits trapping Gülen movement people”
https://www.turkishminute.com/2017/11/07/erdogan-admits-trapping-gulen-movement-people/

8-“Kaçmaz family deportation case: LHC seeks record of CAA”
https://en.dailypakistan.com.pk/pakistan/kacmaz-family-deportion-case-lhc-seeks-record-of-caa-record-of-13-14-october/

9-” Court Of Appeals Approves 6-Month Sentence For Turkish Fashion Designer”
https://stockholmcf.org/court-of-appeals-approves-6-month-sentence-for-turkish-fashion-designer/

10-” Turkish Security Forces’ Abandoned Ammunitions Kill 18 Children In Last 20 Months”
https://stockholmcf.org/turkish-security-forces-abandoned-ammunitions-kill-18-children-in-last-20-months/

11-“Exiled Journalist Reveals Systematic Mass Torture, Abuse Targeting Turkey’s Military Staff”
https://stockholmcf.org/exiled-journalist-reveals-systematic-mass-torture-abuse-targeting-turkeys-military-staff/

12-” Turkey’s Pro-Erdoğan Thugs Launch A Campaign Of Insult Targeting Those Who Have To Live In Exile”
https://stockholmcf.org/turkeys-pro-erdogan-thugs-launch-a-campaign-of-insult-targeting-those-who-have-to-live-in-exile/

13-“Briefly detained teacher blacklisted, denied notary service to sell car”
https://turkeypurge.com/briefly-detained-teacher-blacklisted-denied-notary-service-sell-car

14-“Emotional reunion of son, journalist father after 174 days in Turkish prison”
https://turkeypurge.com/watch-emotional-reunion-son-journalist-father-174-days-turkish-prison

15-“Turkish police detain president of the Progressive Lawyers’ Association”
https://turkeypurge.com/breaking-turkish-police-detain-president-progressive-lawyers-association

16-“WSJ: Turkey proposed $15 million to Flynn, son to abduct Fethullah Gulen”
https://turkeypurge.com/wsj-turkey-proposed-15-mln-flynn-son-abduct-fethullah-gulen

17-“1,059 Turkish nationals claimed asylum in Germany in October”
https://turkeypurge.com/1059-turkish-nationals-claimed-asylum-germany-october

18-“Investigation launched against Erdogan’s long-arm in Sweden: report”
https://turkeypurge.com/investigation-launched-erdogans-long-arm-sweden

19-“Engineering professor, 4 other university personnel under custody”
https://turkeypurge.com/engineering-professor-4-university-personnel-custody

20-“22,000 public servants, families forced to declare social media accounts: report”
https://turkeypurge.com/22000-public-servants-families-forced-declare-social-media-accounts

21-“Two Turkish nationals, abducted from plane in Kazakhstan, returned to Turkey: report”
https://turkeypurge.com/two-turkish-nationals-abducted-plane-kazakhstan-returned-turkey-report

22-” Wives of police chiefs who led 2013 corruption operations detained”
https://turkeypurge.com/wives-police-chiefs-led-2013-corruption-operations-detained

23-“Appeals court upholds journalist Cemal’s sentences”
https://www.turkishminute.com/2017/11/10/appeals-court-upholds-journalist-cemals-sentences/

24-“Turkish Court Decides Once Again For Continuation Of Journalist Parıldak’s Imprisonment”
https://stockholmcf.org/turkish-court-decides-once-again-for-continuation-of-journalist-parildaks-imprisonment/

25-“Turkish PM Yıldırım Takes Anti-Gülen Witch-Hunt To The US”
https://stockholmcf.org/turkish-pm-yildirim-takes-anti-gulen-witch-hunt-to-the-us/

26-“Jailed German-Turkish reporter sees Turkey drifting toward fascism”
https://www.reuters.com/article/us-germany-turkey-journalist/jailed-german-turkish-reporter-sees-turkey-drifting-toward-fascism-idUSKBN1DA2S1

27-“Police assault, detain 10 people commemorating October Revolution in İstanbul”
https://turkeypurge.com/police-assault-detain-10-people-commemorating-october-revolution-istanbul

28-“Jailed coup suspect’s brother arrested as well”
https://turkeypurge.com/jailed-coup-suspects-brother-arrested-well

29-“Turkey issues detention warrant for US academic Barkey”
https://www.turkishminute.com/2017/11/11/turkey-issues-detention-warrant-for-us-academic-barkey/

30-“10 detained over social media posts in Ankara”
https://turkeypurge.com/10-detained-social-media-posts-ankara

31-“586 people detained over Gülen links in past week: ministry”
https://turkeypurge.com/586-people-detained-gulen-links-past-week-ministry

32-” Turkish lieutenant colonel recants testimony, says drugged and tortured”
https://www.turkishminute.com/2017/11/13/turkish-lieutenant-colonel-recants-testimony-says-drugged-and-tortured/

Türkiye tarafından işlenenen İnsan Hakları İhlalleri | 11/06/2017 – 11/13/2017

1-“Akın Öztürk’ün anlatamadığı işkenceler!”
http://aktifhaber.com/iskence/akin-ozturkun-anlatamadigi-iskenceler-h107045.html

2-“Gaziantep’in en zenginiydiler, şimdi eşinin fakirlik belgesine kaldılar!”
http://aktifhaber.com/gundem/gaziantepin-en-zenginiydiler-simdi-esinin-fakirlik-belgesine-kaldilar-h107114.html

3-“Kapatılan Selahaddin Eyyübi Üniversitesi çalışanlarına operasyon”
http://aktifhaber.com/gundem/kapatilan-selahaddin-eyyubi-universitesi-calisanlarina-operasyon-h107093.html

4-“Kaçırılan iki Türk’ün kayıtsız gözaltında tutulduğu ortaya çıktı”
http://aktifhaber.com/gundem/kacirilan-iki-turkun-kayitsiz-gozaltinda-tutuldugu-ortaya-cikti-h107173.html

5-“İHD Eş Genel Başkanı Türkdoğan gözaltına alındı”
http://aktifhaber.com/genel/ihd-es-genel-baskani-turkdogan-gozaltina-alindi-h107151.html

6-“Enis Berberoğlu: Tahliyemi talep edebileceğim bir mahkemem bile yok”
http://aktifhaber.com/politika/enis-berberoglu-tahliyemi-talep-edebilecegim-bir-mahkemem-bile-yok-h107161.html

7-“İnşaat İşçisine ‘Bylock’tan 6 Yıl 3 ay hapis!”
http://aktifhaber.com/gundem/insaat-iscisine-bylocktan-6-yil-3-ay-hapis-h107244.html

8-“WSJ: Türkiye, ‘Gülen’i İmralı’ya kaçırması’ için Flynn’e 15 milyon dolar teklif etti”
http://www.diken.com.tr/wsj-turkiye-guleni-imraliya-kacirmasi-icin-flynne-15-milyon-dolar-teklif-etti/

9-“Hasan Cemal’e ‘silahlı terör örgütünün açıklamalarını yayınladın’ cezası”
http://aktifhaber.com/gundem/hasan-cemale-silahli-teror-orgutunun-aciklamalarini-yayinladin-cezasi-h107218.html

10-“Cezaevinde öümüne işkence: yüzde 86 özürlü hasta bir ay doktora çıkarılmadı; yoğun bakımda yaşam mücadelesi veriyor!”
http://www.tr724.com/cezaevinde-olumune-iskence-yuzde-86-ozurlu-hasta-bir-ay-doktora-cikarilmadi-yogun-bakimda-yasam-mucadelesi-veriyor/

11-“İHD’nin raporu Türkiye’deki kötü muaemleyi ortaya koydu”
http://aktifhaber.com/iskence/ihdnin-raporu-turkiyedeki-kotu-muaemleyi-ortaya-koydu-h107251.html

12-“Antalya Döşemealtı L tipi Cezaevi’nde insan hakları ihlal ediliyor”
http://aktifhaber.com/iskence/antalya-dosemealti-l-tipi-cezaevinde-insan-haklari-ihlal-ediliyor-h107264.html

13-“Havalimanlarında yolculara keyfi uygulama!”
http://aktifhaber.com/gundem/havalimanlarinda-yolculara-keyfi-uygulama-h107271.html

14-“KHK ile ihraç edilen memura ‘LGBTİ terör örgütü’ suçlaması”
http://www.kronos.news/tr/khk-ile-ihrac-edilen-memura-lgbti-teror-orgutu-suclamasi/

15-“Bakan İsmet Yılmaz: Nuriye ve Semih’i desteklerseniz ölürler”
http://www.kronos.news/tr/bakan-ismet-yilmaz-nuriye-ve-semihi-desteklerseniz-olurler/

16-“Sanatçı Ömer Pekin tutuklandı”
http://aktifhaber.com/gundem/sanatci-omer-pekin-tutuklandi-h107302.html

17-“Tam teşekküllü Lösemi hastanesine izin yok”
http://aktifhaber.com/saglik/tam-tesekkullu-losemi-hastanesine-izin-yok-h107315.html

18-“Hulusi Akar’ın yaveri: Bana bir şey içirdiler”
http://aktifhaber.com/15-temmuz/hulusi-akarin-yaveri-bana-bir-sey-icirdiler-h107361.html

19-“Altanlar ve Ilıcak’ın tutukluk halinin devamına karar verildi”
http://www.diken.com.tr/altanlar-ve-ilicakin-yargilandigi-davada-tutukluk-halinin-devamina-karar-verildi/

20-“Altanlar ve Ilıcak’ın davasında 3’üncü duruşma: Avukatlar salondan çıkarıldı”
http://www.diken.com.tr/altanlar-ve-ilicakin-yargilandigi-davada-3uncu-durusma-avukatlar-salondan-cikarildi/

21-” Ankara Cumhuriyet davasında AİHM’e savunma gönderdi: ‘FETÖ’yle ilişkili; darbeci”
http://www.diken.com.tr/ankara-cumhuriyet-davasinda-aihme-savunma-gonderdi-fetoyle-iliskili-darbeci/

22-” Soru: 15 Temmuz’la ilgili kanıt yok, Yanıt: 11 Eylül için kanıt mı sorduk”
http://www.kronos.news/tr/15-temmuzla-ilgili-inandirici-kanit-yok-sorusuna-basbakan-yildirim-11-eylulle-ilgili-de-yok/

23-” Cezaevlerindeki kitap yasağını mektupla delecekler”
https://www.evrensel.net/haber/337848/cezaevlerindeki-kitap-yasagini-mektupla-delecekler

Human Rights Watch Documents Police Torture and Abductions in Turkey

Based on court records, statements made by the lawyers and family members of the victims, the 43-page report contains claims that individuals were exposed to heavy beating, harassment, treatments and in some cases were victims of verbal abuse. Individuals have been abducted in bright daylight and kept in secret in hideaways.

abuse

Re: Urge Turkish Authorities to stop torture and bring perpetrators to justice on INTERNATIONAL DAY IN SUPPORT OF VICTIMS OF TORTURE JUNE 26 th

PRESS RELEASE ON THE OCCASION OF THE WORLD REFUGEE DAY 2019

Report exposes death from torture of Turkish teacher in police custody

Human Rights Watch Documents Police Torture and Abductions in Turkey

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Human Rights Watch Documents Police Torture and Abductions in Turkey