At least 128 prisoners were subjected to torture and ill-treatment in prisons and 1,413 people, including 44 children, were detained in mostly Kurdish populated provinces of Turkey in first 6 months of 2018, according to a report released by the Human Rights Association (İHD) on Friday.
The İHD presented the data compiled by its Diyarbakır Branch under the title of “Report on Human Rights Violations in the Eastern and Southeastern Anatolia for the first 6 months of 2018” in a press conference held in Diyarbakır.
According to a report by pro-Kurdish Fırat news agency (ANF), lawyer Abdullah Zeytun, İHD Diyarbakır Branch Chair, read the statement while Abdusselam İnceören, Regional Representative of the İHD, went through the violations in detail.
Zeytun pointed out that the State of Emergency (OHAL) was responsible for limitation and restriction of freedom of thought and expression, freedom of the press, economic and social rights and freedom of the person, as well as being the source of grievance and security violations and serious human rights violations.
Zeytun also said that “It is clear that the presidential government system is in contradiction with the concept of a pluralist-democratic society. The 25-articles law package currently discussed in the Parliament is an attempt of actually making the OHAL permanent. The new law would equip the civic authority of the city with extraordinary powers and this will result in the restriction of democratic life, social freedoms and human rights”.
Noting that the ‘security’ state policies regarding the Kurdish question are not going to work, Zeytun said it would be important to create an environment favouring negotiation conditions.
Some of the findings of the IHD report include the presence of 700 children below the age of 7 in Turkish prisons alongside their mothers. A total of 1,154 sick inmates, 402 of which are in critical condition, have been virtually ‘’abandoned to deaths,’’ the İHD said.
According to İHD’s report, 2 children lost their lives because of mines and abandoned devices and 4 people, including 2 children, were injured. Three people, two children and one male, were suspected of being murdered by unknown persons in the first half of 2018 in the region.
Turkish government authorities have declared curfews 16 times affecting 4 town centers and 282 villages/neighborhoods.
Six women committed suicide and a woman attempted suicide. Eighteen women were murdered by domestic violence, and 10 women were wounded. One woman was subjected to sexual assault. As 6 women were also killed in public are, 3 women were wounded. While 4 women were exposed to sexual assault, 2 women were kidnapped.
The report said 3 children committed suicide and 3 more children attempted to commit suicide. Also, 3 children were murdered as a result of domestic violence, 7 children were injured, and 6 children were subjected to sexual exploitation. Four children were injured as the result of violence they were subjected to in social life. While 52 children were exposed to sexual abuse, 3 children were kidnapped and detained.
At least one person was subjected to torture and ill-treatment in police custody. Thirty-two persons were subjected to torture and ill-treatment outside of detention places (street-house raids). One-hundred-twenty-eight prisoners were subjected to torture and ill-treatment in prison. Eight people were subjected to harassment by security forces, while four were threatened. Seven people were injured during intervention in demonstrations.
A total of 997 homes were raided by security forces, 1,413 people, including 44 children, were detained and 251 people, including 1 child, were remanded in custody during the first half of the year in the region.
At least 3 issues of 11 newspapers were recalled. A publishing house and 1 newspaper representative office were raided. Access to internet news sites was hindered 7 times.
At least 43 people were investigated in 6 case files. Sixtysix people were sued in 16 case files. Fifty-two people including politicians and journalists were sentenced to prison in 34 case files. Fifteen political party buildings were attacked or raided. Security forces intervened in 10 social demonstrations or open-air meetings. Sixteen demonstrations were forbidden in the first six months of 2018.
At least 112 prisoners were transferred without any justification. One-hundred-thirty-four prisoners were subjected to a violation of their right to health. One-hundred-fourteen prisoners families were barred from visit. At least 11 prisoners were subjected to isolation. Seven prisoners were denied the right to communication. One prisoner was deprived of social activity rights.
Nine workers lost their lives, 10 workers were injured as a result of poor safety conditions in the workplace. 1,328 workers were removed from work.
