In 1993, Suleyman Demirel of
the Democratic Left Party (DSP) was elected president for a 7-year term,
and in January of 1999 he asked B/lent Ecevit, leader of the DSP, to form
a new government, pending elections, which took place that April. A
coalition government was formed between the DSP and extreme right-wing National
Action Party (MHP), two strongly nationalist parties, and former Prime Minister
Mesut Yilmaz's Motherland Party (ANAP), with Ecevit acting as prime minister.
The military, under the belief that it is the "constitutional protector
of the state," exercises indirect, but substantial influence over the government
(U.S. Department of State [DOS], "Turkey," 1999).
Since 1984, the Turkish government has been engaged in
armed conflict with the Kurdish Workers' Party (PKK), a terrorist group whose
original goal was to form a separate state of Kurdistan in the southeastern
region of Turkey. The state of emergency declared in 1987 still remains
in effect in five provinces in the southeast facing violence from the PKK
(DOS, "Turkey," 1999). The twenty-five million Kurds, seven million
of which live in Turkey, are the world's largest ethnic group without their
own state (Sirin, 1998). In comparison with 1998, the violence in these
areas has significantly decreased, but human rights are still frequently
abused, despite positive legislation put into effect (DOS, "Turkey,"
1999). Extrajudicial killings and torture, as well as women's rights
and free speech violations are all problems.
Extrajudicial/Civilian and Political Killings
Credible reports have acknowledged extrajudicial and political killings, but no accurate number is available. In March 1999, Suleyman Yeter, a plaintiff in a trial against eight police officers alleged to have raped and tortured detainees in 1997, died in custody "because of pressure on the neck," which was accompanied by bone fractures and bruises. August of 1999 saw the death of a 14-year old street vendor, who was kicked to death by two Van policemen. He was found to have swelling around the brain and liver. In September of 1999, a suspected narcotics trafficker died under "suspicious circumstances" while in detention in Istanbul. Salih Karaaslan, a civilian, was tortured to death by security forces in March, and in July, Alpaslan Yelden, another civilian, was tortured to death by a police inspector. A 16-year old male prisoner was killed in custody for, according to his relatives, resisting rape by security guards. Over a dozen civilians were shot to death after resisting to heed a "stop warning" during arrest, as well as in accidental shootings by police, Jandarma, and the military in four cases. Over forty people, the majority of which being children and military soldiers, were killed by landmines in the Southeast (DOS, "Turkey," 1999).
Mystery killings, particularly
with political motives, decreased significantly in 1995 and presently remain
less common. In 1999 there were no high-profile mystery killings reported,
with only 212 unsolved killings reported nationwide, including those
not related to politics and those attributed to terrorism . The Turkish
Hizbullah, an Islamist terrorist group, is thought to be responsible for
many of the mystery killings in the southeast, including that of Knoca Kurist,
a prominent feminist. Seventeen murders in 1999 were associated with
the Hizbullah (DOS, "Turkey," 1999).
Political killings by the PKK of soldiers, state officials
(such as the Jandarma), state-paid paramilitary guards and family members,
child civilians who refused to be recruited, and PKK guerillas who became
informants by the PKK continued. The Turkish government reported 220
deaths of security officials and 118 of civilians in terrorist incidents
(DOS, "Turkey," 1999).
Torture and other Cruel Punishment
Brutal security operations
resulting in torture and extrajudicial execution were still rampant in the
cities and countryside, though at a much lower rate than in the past, reflecting
a decrease in activity by armed opposition groups. However, death of
police detainees caused by torture persisted due to a lack of effort on the
government to stop it (Human Rights Watch [HRW], "Turkey," 1999). The
Human Rights Foundation (HRF) estimated 700 credible reports of torture at
its five treatment centers in 1999. Many human rights activists place
the number in the thousands, and claim that only 5 to 20% of victims report
the torture due to fear (DOS, "Turkey," 1999).
Children as young as twelve report being hosed down with
cold water as a form of torture (Torture, 1999). Muzaffer Cinar, an
official of the People's Democracy Party (HADEP), was held in incommunicado
prison for eight days under suspicion of supporting the PKK. Never
receiving a charge, Cinar was released, upon which time he reported having
his testicles pulled by a noose and being suspended by his arms and hosed
with cold water under pressure. In addition, Cinar reported that police officers
detained and threatened to rape his wife. Prisoners are often held
in small-group isolation, which is known to be detrimental to mental and
physical health (HRW, "Turkey," 1999).
Women's Rights
Spousal abuse is a common problem
in Turkey, and in 1998 legislation was passed making it illegal. However,
it is considered a private matter, involving societal notions of "family
honor," which keeps most women from reporting abuse; those women who
do turn to police are generally advised to go back home. Women are
also commonly victims of "honor killings," in which a family member murders
a female thought to be unchaste (DOS, "Turkey," 1999).
Turkish women under detention are subjected to rape and
other forms of sexual assault. One 17-year old girl under detention
had to be transferred to a hospital due to vaginal bleeding from electrical
shocks applied to her genitals. Women are also sexually tortured due
to association with suspected terrorists. Sirin Abi was stripped completely
naked and molested in front of her husband to force him to sign a pre-written
confession. Virginity testing is performed particularly on women suspected
of prostitution and political prisoners. If a woman's test established her
to be a virgin, officials threaten to rape her, stripping her of her virginity
and thus her honor (which leads to ostracization by family and sometimes
honor killings). Those women found not to be virgins are humiliated and taunted.
In 1992, the Head of the Security Department in Adana gave a press
release in which he claimed that virginity testing was performed to repudiate
possible future claims of rape by police (Amnesty International [AI], Torture
of Women, 2000).
Women suffer legislative discrimination, as many laws,
particularly those in regards to divorce, favor men. Literacy rates
among women are 20 to 44% lower than men, depending on the region of the
country. Women constitute half of the work force, but only 10% hold
managerial positions (DOS, "Turkey," 1999).
Freedom of Speech
While the state constitution
allows for freedom of speech and press, restrictions are imposed. Local
courts confiscate newspapers and books on a daily basis. One such book,
Mehmit's Book - soldiers who have fought in the southeast tell their
stories, was confiscated for "insulting armed forces" (HRW, "Turkey,"
1999).
It is illegal for broadcasters to "threaten the country's
unity or national security," and private broadcast of programs in languages
other than Turkish is highly limited. In 1994 the High Board of Radio
and Television (RTUK) was created to regulate private television and radio,
and they impose sanctions if they find stations to be non-compliant with
laws. Use of offensive language, libel, obscenity, separatist propaganda,
or broadcasting in Kurdish all call for penalties imposed by the RTUK.
Penalization entails suspension of broadcasts. Channel 6 broadcast
criticism in regards to the government's handling of the earthquake in August
of 1999, and consequently broadcast was suspended for a week, based on the
grounds that the reports "hurt confidence in and fueled anger against the
State." Numerous radio broadcasts were suspended for times ranging
in a day to a year, most commonly for violating laws which prohibited the
broadcast of "terrorist organization declarations" (DOS, "Turkey," 1999).
People who write against or speak out against sensitive
topics like the role of religion in politics, various Kurdish issues, or
the PKK, are often prosecuted. Journalists, including foreign reporters,
suffer from harassment and abuse, specifically in the southeast. In
February 1999, eight police officers beat a cameraman for the NTV television
station until he lost consciousness. In April, three reporters from
the daily Star were beat with rifle butts by police (DOS, "Turkey,"
1999).
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