TURKEY: HUMAN RIGHTS GROUP AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL SAYS TORTURE STILL EXISTS IN THE COUNTRY DESPITE ANKARA'S "ZERO TOLERANCE" STANCE
Record ID:
647779
TURKEY: HUMAN RIGHTS GROUP AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL SAYS TORTURE STILL EXISTS IN THE COUNTRY DESPITE ANKARA'S "ZERO TOLERANCE" STANCE
- Title: TURKEY: HUMAN RIGHTS GROUP AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL SAYS TORTURE STILL EXISTS IN THE COUNTRY DESPITE ANKARA'S "ZERO TOLERANCE" STANCE
- Date: 28th September 2004
- Summary: (EU) DIYARBAKIR, TURKEY (SEPTEMBER 28, 2004) (REUTERS) 1. VARIOUS: STREETS OF DIYARBAKIR (3 SHOTS) 0.16 2. VARIOUS: SAIT ISIKLI WORKING IN HIS SHOP (5 SHOTS) 0.48 3. SOUNDBITE (Turkish) SAIT ISIKLI, SAYING: "They covered my head with a blanket, then they start to hit me with a hose, kicked me, they insulted me with very bad words, and then they took my pants off." 1.07 4. HAS/CU: POLICE STATION/ SIGN (2 SHOTS) 1.19 5. POLICE ON STREET 1.26 (EU) ANKARA, TURKEY (SEPTEMBER 29, 2004) (REUTERS) 6. CU/WS: BANNER / NEW TACTICS ON HUMAN RIGHTS CONFERENCE (2 SHOTS) 1.37 7. FOREIGN MINISTER ABDULLAH GUL SPEAKING AT CONFERENCE 1.43 8. AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL EU OFFICE EXECUTIVE OFFICER GABRIELE JUEN OUTSIDE CONFERENCE ROOM (2 SHOTS) 1.53 9. SOUNDBITE (English) GABRIELE JUEN, SAYING: "Now what we need to see is the same commitment, the same determination by the Turkish government to put these laws into practice. There we still have very very serious problems, for Amnesty International torture remains number one priority in Turkey. Torture remains a serious problem, it is widespread, we continue to receive reports about torture from all parts of the country, so we still need a lot of commitment by the Turkish government that their "zero tolerance" on torture message really reaches every single police station in this country." 2.29 (EU) ISTANBUL, TURKEY (FILE - MARCH 16, 2004) (REUTERS) 10. WS/SV: POLICE USING BATONS TO DISPERSE PROTESTERS (2 SHOTS) 2.46 (EU) ANKARA, TURKEY (RECENT - SEPTEMBER 29, 2004) (REUTERS) 11. SOUNDBITE (English) GABRIELE JUEN, SAYING: "The Turkish Human Rights Foundation and the Turkish Human Rights Association, they have documented over 500 cases of torture in the first half of 2004 alone." 2.56 (EU) ISTANBUL, TURKEY (FILE - MARCH 16, 2004) (REUTERS) 12. PROTESTERS RUNNING AWAY, POLICE USING BATONS AND KICKING PROTESTERS (2 SHOTS) 3.14 (EU) ANKARA/TURKEY (RECENT - SEPTEMBER 28, 2004) (REUTERS) 13. TURKISH INTERIOR MINISTER ABDULKADIR AKSU 3.20 14. SOUNDBITE, (Turkish) INTERIOR MINISTER ABDULKADIR AKSU, SAYING: "We have established a special unit to investigate every single appeal (about torture) we trained these friends, they will not only investigate the appeals but they will audit our police stations from time to time." 3.36 (EU) ISTANBUL, TURKEY (OCTOBER 1, 2004) (REUTERS) 15. VARIOUS OF A POLICE STATION (3 SHOTS) 3.54 (EU) ANKARA, TURKEY (RECENT - SEPTEMBER 28, 2004) (REUTERS) 16. SOUNDBITE (Turkish) ABDULKADIR AKSU, SAYING: "To train the practicers, to make them conscious, they need to understand and accept." 4.00 (EU) ISTANBUL, TURKEY (OCTOBER 1, 2004) (REUTERS) 17. SV/CU: DETENTION ROOM IN POLICE STATION (2 SHOTS) 4.11 Initials Script is copyright Reuters Limited. All rights reserved
- Embargoed: 13th October 2004 13:00
- Keywords:
- Location: ISTANBUL, ANKARA,DIYARBAKIR,TURKEY
- Country: Turkey
- Reuters ID: LVA68564BKZZ2EDJ5XH1HP1HMP2G
- Story Text: Despite Turkish "zero tolerance" for torture,
Amnesty International says that it still exists in the
country.
Sait (sa-eat) Isikli (eash-eak-lee), father of
three, lives in southeastern Diyarbakir, a town which
people say the "road to the European Union" (EU) passes
through.
In July 2004, Iskili received a phone call from a
security official in order to gather information that might
help to catch his fugitive brother, sought for 'criminal
acts.' Iskili says that things went out of control and he
was detained by security personnel.
"They covered my head with a blanket, then they start
to hit me with a hose, kicked me, they insulted me with
very bad words, and then they took my pants off," claims
Isikli, showing his report from the hospital.
Iskli's case is one of the several other cases of
torture and ill treatment allegations, which the
government, as well as non governmental organizations
continue to receive.
The human rights situation in Turkey has improved as a
result of its bid to join the EU but more work must be done
to ensure laws are translated into action, Amnesty
International said on last week.
The human rights group said it was up to the EU's
executive Commission and the EU leaders to judge whether
Turkey, whose parliament passed a new penal code in
September, had made enough progress for the bloc to open
membership talks with Ankara.
The Commission is due to present a key report on
October 6 on Turkish progress towards meeting tough EU
criteria on democracy, the rule of law and human rights
that must be met before membership talks can start.
"Now what we need to see is the same commitment, the
same determination by the Turkish government to put these
laws into practice. There we still have very very serious
problems, for Amnesty International torture remains number
one priority in Turkey. Torture remains a serious problem,
it is widespread, we continue to receive reports about
torture from all parts of the country, so we still need a
lot of commitment by the Turkish government that their
'zero tolerance' on torture message really reaches every
single police station in this country," said Gabriele Juen
of Amnesty International, who attended a human rights
conference in the capital Ankara.
Juen underlines also the fact that Turkish human
rights associations continue to receive cases of torture
despite the changes made in the legislation.
"The Turkish Human Rights Foundation and the Turkish Human
Rights Association, they have documented over 500 cases of
torture in the first half of 2004 alone" says Juen.
Amnesty supported the EU's ruling that Turkey is free
of any systematic torture, but said it remained to be seen
whether the new, strict policy on torture would translate
into action.
According to Interior Minister Abdulkadir Aksu
theTurkish government is already in action.
"We have established a special unit to investigate
every single appeal (about torture) we trained these
friends, they will not only investigate the appeals but
they will audit our police stations from time to time". But
much more is needed, the minister accepts, saying the
perpetrators of torture should be trained.
"To train the perpetrators of torture, to make them
conscious, they need to understand and accept," Aksu says.
Among routine punishments meted out to people were
sleep deprivation, beatings, electric shocks, lack of food
and water and a complete loss of contact with the outside
world.
Eradication of torture is one of the key demands made
of Turkey by the European Union as it weighs whether to
open entry talks with the large, poor, Muslim country of 70
million people.
Among the changes of the laws in last couple of years
were improvements to medical checks, shortening of
pre-trial detention periods and, recognition of the right
of immediate access to legal counsel for all detainees.
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