Erdogan’s kidnapping network strikes in Kyrgyzstan Information statement on the kidnapping of Orhan İnandi – Bishkek/Kyrgyzstan

Berlin, June 1, 2021

With this statement we would like to inform you about the recent abduction cases of civilians of Turkish origin abroad by the Turkish Intelligence Service. Since the coup attempt in July 2016, the Turkish government has repeatedly attempted to intimidate or even eliminate supporters of the global Hizmet movement (“Gülen movement”) and opponents of the Erdogan regime through illegal means. Even abroad, Turkish intelligence has not shied away from kidnapping civilians.

The most recent cases of such abductions are Selahaddin Gülen and Orhan İnandi. On the morning of June 1, Orhan İnandı, the founder and president of the Turkish-Kyrgyz Sapat School Network operating in Kyrgyzstan, was abducted from his personal passenger car outside his own home. İnandı was last contacted by his family at 6 p.m. Monday. His car was found near his house with the doors open. His family immediately informed Kyrgyz police about the teacher’s disappearance and called for an urgent investigation.

In Kyrgyzstan, the Sapat network has been active in Kyrgyz education since 1992. Today, 30 percent of the school network’s shares belong to the Kyrgyz Republic. Within the school network there are 16 high schools, one international university, one international school and three elementary school.

İnandı had been working in Kyrgyzstan since 1995 and had been the president of the school network since 2001. According to the Sapat Schools, İnandı received the title of “Excellence in Education of the Kyrgyz Republic” and the Honorary Diploma of the Kyrgyz Republic in 2002, and the Medal of Gratitude of the Kyrgyz Republic in 2003 for his contribution to the improvement of the education system in the country. İnandı also holds citizenship of the Kyrgyz Republic.
According to İnandı’s family, there are reportedly two planes waiting at the airport in Bishkek and the Uzbek capital Tashkent that are not on the flight lists of any of the airlines operating at those airports, raising suspicions that these planes could be used to return the teacher to Turkey.

In early May, Erdoğan made a public rally that notable arrests would be made in a timely manner. According to a recent Freedom House report on global transnational repression, Turkey is the number one country that has conducted renditions from host states since 2014. The Turkish government has been persecuting its perceived enemies in at least 30 different countries across the Americas, Europe, the Middle East, Africa and Asia since July 2016. “Ankara’s campaign has primarily targeted people associated with religious leader Fethullah Gülen’s movement, which the government blames for the coup attempt,” the report states.

We hereby wish to create public awareness of human rights violations in the form of illegal abductions and kidnappings of people outside Turkey and welcome all forms of support and solidarity.

Erdogans Entführungsnetzwerk schlägt in Kirgisistan zu Informationsbekundung zur Entführung von Orhan İnandi – Bishkek/Kirgisistan

Wir möchten Sie über die jüngsten Entführungsfälle von türkischstämmigen Zivilisten im Ausland durch den Türkischen Geheimdienst in Kenntnis setzen. 

Die türkische Regierung versucht seit dem Putschversuch vom Juli 2016 immer wieder Anhänger der globalen Hizmet-Bewegung (“Gülen-Bewegung”) und Gegner des Erdogan-Regimes auf illegale Wege einzuschüchtern oder gar zu beseitigen. Selbst im Ausland hat der Türkische Geheimdienst keine Scheu davor, Zivilisten zu entführen.

Die jüngsten Fälle derartiger Entführungen sind Selahaddin Gülen und Orhan İnandi. Am Morgen des 1. Juni wurde Orhan İnandı, der Gründer und Präsident des in Kirgisistan tätigen türkisch-kirgisischen Sapat-Schulnetzwerks vor seinem eigenen Haus aus seinem persönlichen PKW entführt. İnandı wurde zuletzt am Montag um 18 Uhr von seiner Familie kontaktiert. Sein Auto wurde in der Nähe seines Hauses mit geöffneten Türen gefunden. Seine Familie informierte sofort die kirgisische Polizei über das Verschwinden des Lehrers und forderte eine dringende Untersuchung.

In Kirgisistan ist seit 1992 das Sapat-Netzwerk im kirgisischen Bildungswesen tätig. Heute gehören 30 Prozent der Anteile des Schulnetzwerks der Kirgisischen Republik. Im Rahmen des Schulnetzwerks gibt es 16 Gymnasien, eine internationale Universität, eine internationale Schule und drei Grundschulen.

İnandı war seit 1995 in Kirgisistan tätig und seit 2001 Präsident des Schulnetzwerks. Laut Aussage der Sapat-Schulen erhielt İnandı 2002 den Titel „Exzellenz in der Bildung der Kirgisischen Republik“ und das Ehrendiplom der Kirgisischen Republik, sowie 2003 die Dank-Medaille der Kirgisischen Republik für seinen Beitrag zur Verbesserung des Bildungssystems im Land. İnandı besitzt außerdem die Staatsbürgerschaft der Kirgisischen Republik.

Laut Angaben der Familie İnandı sollen am Flughafen von Bischkek und der usbekischen Hauptstadt Taschkent zwei Flugzeuge warten, die nicht auf den Fluglisten einer der an diesen Flughäfen tätigen Fluggesellschaften aufgeführt sind, was den Verdacht aufkommen lässt, diese Flugzeuge könnten verwendet werden, um den Lehrer in die Türkei zurückzubringen.

Anfang Mai machte Erdoğan öffentlich eine Kundgebung, dass zeitnah namhafte Festnahmen erfolgen würden. Laut einem kürzlich veröffentlichten Bericht von Freedom House über globale transnationale Repression ist die Türkei die Nummer eins unter den Ländern, die seit 2014 Überstellungen aus Gaststaaten durchgeführt haben. Die türkische Regierung verfolgt ihre vermeintlichen Feinde seit Juli 2016 in mindestens 30 verschiedenen Ländern in ganz Amerika, Europa, dem Nahen Osten, Afrika und Asien. „Ankaras Kampagne hat sich in erster Linie gegen Menschen gerichtet, die mit der Bewegung des religiösen Führers Fethullah Gülen verbunden sind, die die Regierung für den Putschversuch verantwortlich macht“, heißt es in dem Bericht.

Wir möchten hiermit eine öffentliche Aufmerksamkeit für die Menschenrechtsverletzungen in Form von illegalen Verschleppungen und Entführungen von Menschen außerhalb der Türkei schaffen und heißen jede Form der Unterstützung und Solidarisierung willkommen.

Human Rights Defenders e.V. – info@humanrights-ev.com

Berlin, 1. Juni 2021

UNLAWFULLNESS IN TURKEY

In this brochure; the violation of fundamental and

universal human rights such as the right to life, the right to respect for private and family life, the right to property and the right to a fair trial in Turkey are examined.

The findings in the brochure are presented chronologically, with

information compiled from reports of local and international institutions and open sources.

The study analyzes the period between 2013 – April 2021 to determine whether or not there is an independent and impartial judiciary and a fair trial in Turkey. Additionally, it reviews the outcomes of the political intervention in the judicial proceedings.

It also examines whether the current administration abuses the

international mechanisms to capture dissidents abroad and the

extradition requests lack legal basis and are politically motivated.

The data and examples published in the brochure have been selected among a large number of cases to show the whole framework.

Please use the link to get the full report: Unlawfulness in Turkey_Pages Final

Press Release: Immediate stop of violence in Israel and the Palestinian Territories

We are deeply concerned at the escalation of violence in the Palestinian territories and in Israel during the past days. We condemn in the strongest terms all acts of terrorism or violence and extend our condolences to the families of the victims on both sides.

We denounce the indiscriminate firing of rockets into Israel by Hamas and militant groups in the Gaza Strip, directly harming civilians. These are criminal and unjustifiable acts. All terrorist groups in Gaza must disarm.

 

We also condemn the loss of hundreds of Palestinians, among them many women and children. While recognizing Israel’s legitimate right to defend itself against any attacks, the Israeli military operation must be proportionate and in line with international humanitarian law.

 

Bearing in mind that that the recent upsurge of violence in the occupied West Bank, East Jerusalem and Gaza was triggered due to Israel’s settlement policy, we do stress that all settlements in the occupied Palestinian territory are illegal under international law. The Israeli authorities should cease these activities and provide adequate permits for legal construction and development of Palestinian communities.

 

Furthermore, we appeal for full respect of the Holy Sites. Any changes in the status quo would only have seriously destabilizing effects on the already tense atmosphere.

 

We underline that any violent action can only fuel extremism on both sides; urging all parties to refrain from any action that would worsen the situation by way of incitement, provocation, excessive use of force or retaliation.

 

We call on political leaders from all sides to work together through visible actions to de-escalate the situation and stress that non-violent means and respect for human rights and humanitarian law are the only way to achieve a sustainable solution and a just and lasting peace between Israelis and Palestinians.

Arbitrary mass arrests in Turkey

HRDfactsheet: 2021/1

POLITICAL PERSECUTION AGAINST
THE GÜLEN MOVEMENT

Since 2014, the Turkish state apparatus is willingly targeting the Gülen movement and its sympathizers. A notorious tool used by the Turkish security agencies authorities and the judiciary are the daily waves of arbitrary arrests and detentions of citizens allegedly having links to the Gülen Movement.

In total, more than 5,000 mass arrests operations have been carried out since 2014 and the number of jailed persons exceeds 123.000. On average, at least 3 mass-arrests operations with up to 70 detentions are executed on a daily base. 

In our factsheet we are showing some numbers, naming the reasons and drawing some recommendations to stop these arrests in Turkey.


To download our factsheet in English please use the following link. 

1-FactSheet2021-ENG-3Download

To download our factsheet in German please use the following link.

1-FactSheet2021-DE-1Download

Open Letter to President Erdogan in Solidarity with Human Rights Activist and MP Ömer Faruk Gergerlioğlu

Together with the  International Observatory of Human Rights we, joined by scores of leading human rights organizations and esteemed members of civil society groups from across the world who have written this letter to express concerns about the current sheer human rights violations committed by Turkey against many individuals such as Mr. Ömer Faruk Gergerlioğlu. He is an honorable Turkish citizen who has been involved in tireless efforts to champion human rights in Turkey and continues to work with many institutions that share the same values and who are struggling to this end.

Gergerlioğlu, a human rights activist and an MP, was first threatened recently by Uşak Police Chief who accused him of involvement in “terrorism.” AKP Group Chairman Özlem Zengin and Interior Minister Suleyman Soylu echoed the same baseless accusations—finger-pointing Mr. Gergelioglu denies categorically.

The fact remains that 23 female students who study at Uşak University had been subjected to strip searches on two separate incidents over a duration of five days during their detention starting from on August 31, 2020. This sheer violation of human rights drew strong condemnation on social media outlets once the strip searching of the ladies was revealed.

Mr. Gergerlioğlu relayed this news in the Turkish Parliament and called for an end to the unlawful practice of strip searches.

Two of the five women who were subjected to the strip searches revealed over social media the details of the atrocity they endured.

Countless human rights activists and appalled private citizens supported the victims and categorically denounced this unlawfulness which is no way is compatible with human dignity.

The strip searches conducted were supposedly conducted for “security reasons” by the Uşak Police.

We the signatories demand an effective investigation into this inhumane act.

MP Ömer Faruk Gergerlioğlu, who brought the problem up in Parliament and made it public should not be subjected to serious accusations such as “involvement in terrorism” only because he is demanding justice and protection of the innocent women.

AKP Group Deputy Chair Özlem Zengin targeted MP Gergerlioğlu, and said; “So far, I have never seen a deputy who terrorizes the Parliament as much as Mr. Gergerlioğlu.”

Shortly after AKP statement was released, Uşak Police Chief Mesut Gezer released a threatening comment:

“We are here to fight with those who slander us, these sanguinaries who shed blood, … We will not let them breathe in this country.”

Following this statement, Interior Minister Süleyman Soylu also pointed his fingers at Mr. Gergerlioglu, and said: “Indeed, this man is a terrorist, we have filed numerous complaints. I’m calling on the judiciary to do whatever is necessary about him. ”

Immediately afterwards, Ankara Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office announced that an investigation was launched against Gergerlioğlu and the people who voiced their support on social media.

The authors of this report would like to underline that we are seriously concerned about long-standing mass detentions and human rights violations in Turkey. Public officials are easily accusing human rights defenders and MPs of being “terrorists”.

IOHR and the signatories to this letter stand in solidarity with Mr. Ömer Faruk Gergerlioğlu. We call on the authorities in Turkey to investigate and stop all threats directed by public officials, politicians and prosecutors at Mr. Gergerlioğlu and other human rights defenders.

Signatories

  1. Dietmar KÖSTER, Member of European Parliament, Group of the Progressive Alliance of Socialists and Democrats in the European Parliament (Germany)
  2. Özlem DEMIREL, Member of European Parliament, The Left Group in the European Parliament – GUE/NGL (Germany)
  3. Rev. Dirk Ficca, Executive Director of the Council for a Parliament of the World’s Religions (USA)
  4. Sophie ROHONYI, Member of the Federal Parliament (Belgium)
  5. Christophe LACROIX, Member of the Federal Parliament (Belgium)
  6. Georges DALLEMAGNE, Member of the Federal Parliament (Belgium)
  7. Carlo SOMMARUGA, Senator (Switzerland)
  8. Gyde JENSEN, President of the German Bundestag Human Rights and Humanitarian Aid Commission (Germany)
  9. Sevim DAGDELEN, Die Linke, Chairwomen of the German-Turkish Parliamentary Friendship Group, Member of the German Parliament (Germany)
  10. Gokay AKBULUT, Die Linke, Member of the German Parliament (Germany)
  11. Andrej HUNKO, Member of the German Parliament and the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (Germany)
  12. Kai GEHRING, Bündnis 90/ Die Grünen, Member of the German Parliament (Germany)
  13. Ulla JELPKE, Die Linke, Member of the German Parliament (Germany)
  14. Simone SUSSKIND, Member of the Brussels Parliament and the Federal State, Founder and Executive Director of Actions in the Mediterrenian (Belgium)
  15. Bianca DEBAETS, Member of the Brussels Parliament (Belgium)
  16. Victoria AUSTRAET, Member of the Brussels Parliament (Belgium)
  17. Joris NACHTERGAELE, Member of the Flemish Parliament (Belgium)
  18. Hannelore GOEMAN, Member of the Flemish Parliament (Belgium)
  19. Karl VANLOUWE, Member of the Flemish Parliament (Belgium)
  20. Berivan ASLAN, Member of the Austrian Parliament (Austria)
  21. Philippe COURARD, Member of the Walloon Parliament and Senator (Belgium)
  22. Pierre BAYENET, Parliamentarian and Lawyer, Geneva (Switzerland)
  23. Laurence FEHLMANN RIELLE, Member of the Swiss National Council, Chair of the Legal Affairs Commission (Switzerland)
  24. Sylvain THÉVOZ, Parliamentarian, Co-chairman of the City of Geneva Socialist Party (Switzerland)
  25. Jean-Charle RIELLE, Parliamentarian, Geneva (Switzerland)
  26. Emmanuel DEONNA, Parliamentarian, Geneva (Switzerland)
  27. Rémy PAGANI, Parliamentarian, Former Mayor of Geneva (Switzerland)
  28. Ingebjørg GODSKESEN, Member of the Norwegian Parliament and Former Rapporteur for Turkey from the Council of Europe (Norway)
  29. Lloyd RUSSELL, Brighton MP from the UK parliament (England)
  30. Caroline LUCAS, Green Party MP for Brighton Pavilion (England)
  31. Dr. Peter PILZ, Former Member of the Austrian Parliament (Austria)
  32. Elisabeth DECREY WARNER, Former President of the Parliament, Geneva (Switzerland)
  33. Jean-Marc DEVAUD, Former Mayor, Meyrin, Geneva (Switzerland)
  34. Abdullah DEMIRBAŞ, Former Mayor of the Municipality of Sur in the city of Diyarbakir (Turkey)
  35. Abdulhakim DAŞ, Former Deputy of HDP- Peoples’ Democratic Party (Turkey)
  36. Nesrin NAS, Former Deputy (Turkey)
  37. Ramazan GEZGIN, Former Deputy (Turkey)
  38. Mahmut Alınak, Former Deputy (Turkey)
  39. Johan VANDE LANOTTE, Former Deputy Prime Minister, Professor, Ghent University (Belgium)
  40. Johan LEMAN, Emeritus Professor at KU Leuven, Former Director of Centre for Equal Opportunities and Fight against Racism (Belgium)
  41. Jean ZIEGLER, Emeritus Professor of the University of Geneva, Former Swiss Parliamentarian, Former United Nations Special Rapporteur on the Right to Food (Switzerland)
  42. Hugues DUMONT, Professor at Saint-Louis University, Former Dean of the Faculty of Law of Saint-Louis University (Belgium)
  43. Burak ÇOPUR, Professor and Political Scientist (Germany)
  44. Ahmet AYKAÇ Professor of Economics, Founder, General Partner, and Chairman at ISTCAP Partners (France)
  45. Kisten GOVENDER, South African Legal Practice Council member (South Africa)
  46. Taner AKÇAM, Sociologist, Historian and Author, Professor at the University of Minnesota Shoah and Genocide Studies Center (Germany)
  47. Pascale VIELLE, Professor at UCLouvain and Member of the Scientific Committee of the “Center for Human Rights” at UCLouvain (Belgium)
  48. Prof. Dr. Gençay GÜRSOY, Chairman of the Turkish Medical Association Central Council (Turkey)
  49. Zacharie ZACHARIEV, Ph.D. at Paris Sorbonne and Sofia Universities, Former Director at UNESCO (France)
  50. Levent MAZILIGÜNEY, Ph.D., Attorney at Law, Human Rights Defender (Turkey)
  51. David A. KESSLER, Ph.D. – Kent State University (USA)
  52. Eric JEFFERIS, Ph.D. – Faculty Program Coordinator, Kent State University (USA)
  53. Sophia PANDYA, Professor, California State University at Long Beach (USA)
  54. Ramiro Jesús SANDOVAL, Professor at National Autonomous University of Mexico-UNAM (Mexico)
  55. Juan Manuel PORTILLA GÓMEZ, Professor at National Autonomous University of Mexico – UNAM (Mexico)
  56. Ori Z Soltes, Professor in the Theology department at Georgetown University (USA)
  57. Anne MORELLI, Professor at “Université libre de Bruxelles” and Belgian historian, specializing in the History of Religions and Minorities (Belgium)
  58. Hacer ANSAL, Professor of Isik University (Turkey)
  59. Kuvvet LORDOĞLU, Professor of Marmara University (Turkey)
  60. Nil MUTLUER, Researcher (Germany)
  61. Eric SOTTAS, Former Secretary General of the World Organization against Torture, OMCT (Switzerland)
  62. Ahmet INSEL, Economist, Editor, Journalist and Political Scientist (Turkey)
  63. Baskın ORAN, Academician, Political Scientist, Politician and Human Rights Activist (Turkey)
  64. Mehmet RASGELENER, Economist (Turkey)
  65. Onur HAMZAOĞLU, Doctor of Medicine (Turkey)
  66. Hakkı TAŞ, Doctor of Medicine (Turkey)
  67. İsmail BEŞIKÇI, Sociologist (Turkey)
  68. Kadir CANGIZBAY, Sociologist (Turkey)
  69. Murat BELGE, Academician, Translator, Literary Critic, Columnist, Civil Tights Activist and Turkish Tour Guide (Turkey)
  70. Binnaz TOPRAK, Academician and Former Deputy (Turkey)
  71. Muhammed YASIN, Academician and Activist (Turkey)
  72. Taner BAYRAK, Academician (Turkey)
  73. Semra SOMERSAN, Academician (Turkey)
  74. Mevlut ULGEN, Academician (Turkey)
  75. Serdar M. DEĞIRMENCIOĞLU, Academician and Writer (Turkey)
  76. Bülent BILMEZ, Academician and Writer (Turkey)
  77. Prof. Dr. Ümit CIZRE, Academician and Writer (Turkey)
  78. Sibel ÖZBUDUN, Academician, Writer, Human Rights Activist (Turkey)
  79. Carmen Monica CERCELESCU, Lawyer, Communication Specialist in Law, Communication Department Chief of The National Union of Romanian Bars (Romania)
  80. Fethiye ÇETIN, Lawyer, Writer, Human Rights Activist (Turkey)
  81. Sami EVREN, Former President of the Confederation of Public Workers Unions (Turkey)
  82. Akın ATALAY, Media Boss, Attorney (Turkey)
  83. Ahmet Hulusi KIRIM, Attorney at the Istanbul Bar (Turkey)
  84. Erdal DOĞAN, Attorney at the Istanbul Bar (Turkey)
  85. Ergin CINMEN, Lawyer (Turkey)
  86. Kemal AKKURT, Lawyer (Turkey)
  87. Mebuse TEKAY, Lawyer (Turkey)
  88. Şiar RIŞVANOĞLU, Lawyer (Turkey)
  89. Ziya BAYRAK, Lawyer (Turkey)
  90. Fethiye ÇETIN, Lawyer (Turkey)
  91. Konnan KOFFI, President of the International Observatory for Non-Violence (France)
  92. Akın BIRDAL, Politician and Human rights activist (Turkey)
  93. Aydın ENGIN, Journalist, Playwright, Screenwriter and Politician (Turkey)
  94. Ufuk URAS, Politician (Turkey)
  95. Ümit FIRAT, Politician (Turkey)
  96. Mehmet Nafiz KOÇ, Politician (Turkey)
  97. Eşber YAĞMURDERELI, Writer, Screenwriter, Poet, Short Story Writer, Activist (Turkey)
  98. Attila TUYGAN, Writer, Editor, Translator, Researcher and Human rights activist (Turkey)
  99. Orhan ALKAYA, Poet, Writer, Actor (Turkey)
  100. Vecdi SAYAR, Critic, Writer, Director (Turkey)
  101. Uğur AKER, Writer and Economist (Turkey)
  102. Prof. Dr. Eser KARAKAŞ, Writer and Economist (Turkey)
  103. Prof. Dr. İştar GÖZAYDIN, Professor for Law and Politics, Founder of Helsinki Citizens Assembly (Turkey)
  104. Cengiz AKTAR, Political Scientist, Journalist and Writer (Turkey)
  105. Erdoğan AYDIN, History Researcher, Journalist, Author (Turkey)
  106. Cumali UYAR, Journalist and Writer (Germany)
  107. Ercan İPEKÇI, Journalist and Lawyer (Turkey)
  108. Yalçın ERGÜNDOĞAN, Journalist and Writer (Turkey)
  109. Sengun KILIÇ, Journalist and Writer (Turkey)
  110. Doğan ÖZGÜDEN, Journalist and editor (Belgium)
  111. İnci HEKIMOĞLU, Journalist (Turkey)
  112. İnci TUĞSAVUL, Journalist (Belgium)
  113. Güngör ŞENKAL, Linguist and Writer (Austria)
  114. Temel DEMIRER, Writer and Human rights activist (Turkey)
  115. Ayşegül DEVECIOĞLU, Writer (Turkey)
  116. Fikret BAŞKAYA, Writer (Turkey)
  117. Mustafa PAÇAL, Writer (Turkey)
  118. Reyan TUVI, Writer (Turkey)
  119. Oya BAYDAR, Writer (Turkey)
  120. Pervin ERBIL, Writer (Turkey)
  121. Melek ULAGAY, Writer (Turkey)
  122. Ragıp ZARAKOLU, Writer (Turkey)
  123. Bülent TEKIN, Writer (Turkey)
  124. Nazar BÜYÜM, Writer (Turkey)
  125. Sait ÇETINOĞLU, Writer (Turkey)
  126. Babür PINAR, Poet, Writer (Turkey)
  127. Hanna BETH-SAWOCE, Writer (Sweden)
  128. Hovsep HAYRENI, Writer (Belgium)
  129. Necmiye ALPAY, Writer (Turkey)
  130. Viki ÇIPRUT, Writer (Turkey)
  131. Neşe ERDILEK, Writer (Turkey)
  132. Nesteren DAVUTOĞLU, Writer (Turkey)
  133. Erdoğan KAHYAOĞLU, Writer (Turkey)
  134. Hakan TAHMAZ, Writer (Turkey)
  135. Recep MARAŞLI, Writer (Germany)
  136. Hüseyin Habip TAŞKIN, Writer (Turkey)
  137. Şükrü HAMARAT, Building engineer (Turkey)
  138. Hacı ORMAN, Movie director (Turkey)
  139. Haldun AÇIKSÖZLU, Movie director (Turkey)
  140. A. Serdar KOÇMAN, Sworn Translator (Turkey)
  141. Madiambal DIAGNE, President of the International Union of the Francophone Press (Senegal)
  142. Iulia NUELEANU, Journalist, Chief Editor, Former State Counsellor (Romania)
  143. Alev ER, Journalist (Turkey)
  144. Cengiz ÇANDAR, Journalist (Turkey)
  145. Necati ABAY, Journalist (Turkey)
  146. Bülent ATAMER, Journalist (Turkey)
  147. Valentin STELIAN BĂDESCU – Associate Scientific Researcher, Lawyer at Bucharest Bar (Romania)
  148. William C. PETERS, J.D., LL.M. – Coordinator for Legal Studies, SUNY Plattsburgh (USA)
  149. Audrey KESSLER, Owner of The Write Hand of Ohio (USA)
  150. İsmail Cem ÖZKAN, Graphic artist (Turkey)
  151. Walter VAN STEENBRUGGE, Partner at Van Steenbrugge Advocaten (Belgium)
  152. Johan HEYMANS, Partner at Van Steenbrugge Advocaten and Assistant at the University of Antwerp (Belgium)
  153. Constantin IONUT COJOCARU – University Lector, Journalist, History Researcher, President of the Glasul Istoriei Association (Romania)
  154. Fatma DIKMEN, Former KNK member (Turkey)
  155. François DE VARGAS, Former Secretary General of the Association for the Prevention of Torture-APT, Former Secretary of the NGO Public Eye (Switzerland)
  156. José L. GOMEZ DEL PRADO, International Human Rights Expert, Former Member UN Working Group on the Use of Mercenaries (Switzerland)
  157. Lars SEMMERUD, Administrative Leader at “Bydelsfedre” (Norway)
  158. Helga ØVSTHUS, Board Leader at “Unlimited” (Norway)
  159. Monica MARCELLA, Board Leader at “La Humla Suse” (Norway)
  160. Amina FRENSE, Founder-Director of South African Editor’s Forum (South Africa)
  161. Felix KAIZA, Independent Media Consultant (Tanzania)
  162. Mehmet ÖZER, Artist (Turkey)
  163. Pınar AYDINLAR, Artist (Turkey)
  164. Ferhat TUNÇ, Artist (Turkey)
  165. Şanar YURDATAPAN, Composer, Songwriter, Human Rights Advocate (Turkey)
  166. Isaac LONGWE, Human Rights Defender, Amnesty International (East Africa)
  167. Halil SAVDA, Human Rights Defender (Turkey)
  168. Zeynep TANBAY, Human Rights Defender (Turkey)
  169. Pınar ÖMEROĞLU, Human Rights Defender (Turkey)
  170. Bülent ATAMER, Human Rights Defender (Turkey)
  171. Ali GÖKKAYA, Human Rights Defender (Turkey)
  172. Esra KOÇ, Human Rights Defender (Turkey)
  173. Gürhan ERTÜR, Human Rights Defender (Turkey)
  174. Hanife YÜKSEL, Human Rights Defender (Turkey)
  175. Evren ALTINER, Human Rights Defender (Turkey)
  176. Mahmut KONUK, Human Rights Defender (Turkey)
  177. Mehmet ULUIŞIK, Human Rights Defender (Germany)
  178. Habib MIRADJI, Director of Azaniapost operating in Dar es Salaam (Tanzania)
  179. José Oswaldo URBINA PEREZ, Cruz Saco Educational Institution General Manager, Lima Chamber of Commerce Education Commission Member (Republic of Peru)
  180. William CARREÑO PÉREZ, Education Commission Advisor of the Congress of the Republic of Peru (Republic of Peru)
  181. Aaron COHEN (USA)
  182. Frank Schwabe, German Federal MP, SPD Parliamentary Group Human Rights Policy spokesperson, vice-chair of the European Council German Delegation
  183. International Observatory of Human Rights (United Kingdom)
  184. International Association of People’s Lawyers (France)
  185. Open Dialogue (Poland)
  186. Lawyers’ Rights Watch (Canada)
  187. Australasian Muslim Times (Australia)
  188. Human Rights Foundation (USA)
  189. Raoul Wallenberg Centre for Human Rights (Canada)
  190. Gesellschaft für bedrohte Völker (Germany)
  191. Human Rights Monitoring Institute/ Žmogaus teisių stebėjimo institutas (Lithuania)
  192. International Bar Association’s Human Rights Institute (United Kingdom)
  193. Ankara Initiative for Freedom of Thought (Turkey)
  194. Initiative Against Thought Crime (Turkey)
  195. German Institute for Global and Area Studies (Germany)
  196. Association for Dialogue and Solidarity of Lawyers (Asociația pentru Dialog și Solidaritate a Avocaților) (Romania)
  197. International Association for Human Rights Advocacy – IAHRA (Switzerland)
  198. Human Rights Defenders (Germany)
  199. Solidarity With Others (Belgium)

TAG DER MENSCHENRECHTE

TAG DER MENSCHENRECHTE

TAG DER MENSCHENRECHTE – 10.12.2020

Am 10. Dezember jährt sich zum 72. Mal die Verabschiedung der Allgemeinen Erklärung der Menschenrechte der Vereinten Nationen. An diesem Tag, der als Tag der Menschenrechte gefeiert wird, möchten wir Ihre Aufmerksamkeit auf die anhaltenden Menschenrechtsverletzungen in der Türkei erregen.

Wir möchten vor allem auf 9 Artikel der Allgemeinen Erklärung der Menschenrechte (AEMR) verweisen, die als Meilenstein dienen und die Grundrechte und Freiheiten aller Völker und Nationen festlegen, die in der Türkei systematisch ignoriert und durch politisierte Gerichtsurteile, Verwaltungsentscheidungen und politische Praktiken verletzt werden.

Artikel 3 – Recht auf Leben und Freiheit

In der Türkei wurden in den letzten 5 Jahren mehr als 30 Menschen durch die Hand von staatlichen Agenten entführt, rechtswidrig inhaftiert und gefoltert. Die Türkei weigert sich immer noch, das Internationale Übereinkommen zum Schutz aller Personen vor dem Verschwindenlassen zu unterschreiben.

Artikel 5 – Verbot der Folter

In der Türkei sind Folterfälle keine Ausnahme. In den Polizeistationen und Haftanstalten in Ankara, Istanbul, Bartin, Mersin, Diyarbakir, Mardin und Urfa wurden seit 2016 mehr als 7139 Folterfälle gemeldet.

Artikel 9 – Schutz vor Verhaftung und Ausweisung

Obwohl Artikel 9 der AEMR den Schutz vor Verhaftung und Ausweisung sicherstellt, sträubt sich die türkische Justiz und Regierung dagegen, die Rechtserklärungen des Europäischen Gerichtshofs für Menschenrechte zu implementieren und politische Häftlinge wie Osman Kavala oder Selahattin Demirtas freizusprechen.

Artikel 10 – Anspruch auf faires Gerichtsverfahren

Artikel 10 der AEMR sieht vor, dass jeder, der einer strafrechtlichen Anklage ausgesetzt ist, uneingeschränkt berechtigt ist, einen fairen Prozess vor einem unparteiischen Gericht zu bekommen. Die Realität in der Türkei sieht anders aus. Die Menschenrechtskommissarin des Europarates Dunja Mijatović schreibt hierzu: „…die bestehende Tendenz der türkischen Justiz, den Schutz des Staates über den der Menschenrechte zu stellen, ist erheblich verstärkt, und Strafverfahren scheinen häufig auf eine bloße Formalität reduziert zu werden, insbesondere in Fällen im Zusammenhang mit Terrorismus. In unzähligen anderen Fällen wird die Justiz buchstäblich umgangen, selbst bei Maßnahmen, die die grundlegenden Menschenrechte des Einzelnen ernsthaft beeinträchtigen, wie z. B. bestimmte Reisebeschränkungen oder das Recht, als Anwalt zu praktizieren“.

Artikel 12 – Freiheitssphäre des Einzelnen

Artikel 12 der Erklärung verbietet willkürliche Eingriffe in die Privatsphäre und die Korrespondenz. Der Ehrenvorsitzende von Amnesty International Türkei, Taner Kılıç, wurde jedoch wie Tausende andere für mehrere Jahre mit einer Haftstrafe verurteilt, weil er eine einfache Messaging-App auf seinem Handy installierte.

Artikel 17 – Recht auf Eigentum

Obwohl Artikel 17 der Erklärung besagt, dass jeder das Recht auf Eigentum hat, hat die türkische Regierung während des Ausnahmezustandes (2016-2018) willkürlich Vermögenswerte im Wert von 32.24 Milliarden US-Dollar beschlagnahmt.

Artikel 18 – Gedanken-, Gewissens-, Religionsfreiheit

Artikel 18 der Erklärung garantiert jedem das Recht auf Religionsfreiheit. Trotzdem werden Aleviten in der Türkei weiterhin diskriminiert. Der sunnitisch geprägte Religionsunterricht ist immer noch als Pflichtunterricht im türkischen Curriculum. Christliche Minderheiten müssen auch mit Unterdrückungen und Diskriminierungen rechnen. Der Drang von Präsident Erdoğan, Gebäude – einschließlich historischer Kirchen und Krankenhäuser – in Moscheen und islamische Bildungszentren umzuwandeln, um seine konservative Unterstützungsbasis anzusprechen, sind eklatante Beispiele.

Artikel 19 – Meinungs- und Informationsfreiheit

Seit 2016 gehen Regierung und Justiz härter denn je gegen kritische Journalist*innen vor. Dutzende wurden aufgrund ihrer Berichterstattung zu teils langjähriger Haft verurteilt, viele warten seit Jahren auf ihre Urteile oder wehren sich in Berufungsinstanzen gegen Haftstrafen. Andere sind ins Ausland geflohen. Ausländische Korrespondent*innen warten mitunter monatelang auf die Verlängerung ihrer Akkreditierungen. Laut „Reporter Ohne Grenzen“ ist die Türkei auf Platz 154 von 180 in der Pressefreiheit.

Artikel 21 – Allgemeines und gleiches Wahlrecht

Artikel 21 der Erklärung sieht das Recht vor, an der Regierung und am politischen Leben auf lokaler sowie Landesebene teilzunehmen. Leider sind in der Türkei, überwiegend in den kurdischen Regionen, dutzende gewählte Bürgermeister ohne wesentliche Beweise aus dem Amt verdrängt worden.

„Rechtsstaatlichkeit“ ist die einzige Hoffnung für die Türkei, in der das Erdogan-Regime leider einen Diskurs mit Hass-Sprache und Diskriminierung weiterführt und auf die gezielte Spaltung der Gesellschaft setzt.

Als Mitglieder der “Human Rights Defenders” verurteilen wir Präsident Erdogan und seine Handlanger auf das Schärfste und fordern das Erdogan-Regime und die türkische Justiz dazu auf die Rechtsstaatlichkeit wieder einzuführen.

Wir appellieren heute auch an die UN, dem Europarat und dem Europäischen Gerichtshof für Menschenrechte sich mit den Menschenrechtsverletzungen in der Türkei zu beschäftigen und eine Lösung zu finden.

Wir verfolgen mit Bedenken und bedauern es zutiefst, dass manche europäische Staats- und Regierungschefs eine Appeasement Politik gegen über der türkischen Regierung verfolgen, Zugeständnisse von ihren demokratischen und rechtsstaatlichen Werten machen. Wir erhoffen uns von der EU und der Bundesregierung eine effektivere Initiative zu ergreifen, um der Türkei dabei zu helfen so schnell wie möglich und nachhaltig auf den Weg der Rechtsstaatlichkeit zu kommen.