>+------------------------------------------------------+ >+ AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL URGENT ACTION BULLETIN + >+ Electronic distribution authorised + >+ This bulletin expires: 10 August 2000. + >+------------------------------------------------------+ > >PUBLIC AI Index: EUR 44/32/00 > 29 June 2000 > >UA 186/00 Fear for safety > >TURKEY > > K.O. (f)(Anonymity requested, name known to > Amnesty International), 51 > >Amnesty International is concerned for the safety of K.O. who was >reportedly tortured and raped by police officers on 19 November >1999 and has been subjected to threats and physical attacks ever >since. > >According to K.O., three armed plainclothes officers, who >introduced themselves as police from the Anti-terror branch, came >to her house in the Gulbahce district of Adana at about midnight >on 19 November 1999. They asked about the whereabouts of her >daughter who has reportedly not come home for five years and is >alleged by the police to have joined the PKK (Kurdistan Workers' >Party, an armed opposition group). The policemen verbally abused >and threatened K.O and then punched and kicked her when she said >she did not know where her daughter was. After attempting to >strangle her, K.O was blindfolded and raped with a truncheon. She >was later found unconscious and bleeding by her son. > >Nine days later, policemen came to K.O's house and threatened to >kill her and her children if she made a complaint about what had >happened. Nonetheless, on 7 December she lodged an official >complaint against the police officers and in February 2000 spoke >publicly about what had occurred. Police officers have raided her >house several times since then, beaten her and threatened her >with death. Adana State Prosecutor has issued a decision not to >prosecute anyone over her complaint. K.O.'s lawyers appealed on >12 June against that decision. The lawyers are waiting for the >court to make its decision on the appeal. > >A group of men wearing snow masks allegedly came to K.O's house >on 24 June 2000 and tried to force her to sign a statement >alleging that the person/s responsible for the rape were from the >PKK. When K.O. refused, they beat her and forced their guns >against her neck. > >A woman reporter with the now closed daily newspaper Ozgur Bakis, >who wrote an article about what had happened to K.O., was also >detained in Adana on 18 February 2000. She was threatened and >insulted before being released. A representative of Amnesty >International visited K.O. with others at her home in April and >reported that police followed them to K.O.'s home. There was also >a heavy and intimidating police presence in the neighbourhood. > >BACKGROUND INFORMATION In recent years, Amnesty International has >documented several cases of rape and sexual assault committed by >security force members in Turkey. During incommunicado detention >in police or gendarmerie custody both women and men are routinely >stripped naked. Torture methods include electro-shocks and >beating directed at genitals and women's breasts, sexual abuse, >rape or rape threats. In the summer of 1997, a legal aid project >in Istanbul was set up to help women who had been raped or who >had experienced other forms of sexual torture by officials, by >attempting to bring the perpetrators to justice. Some 100 women, >more then 80 of them Kurds, have sought the support of the >project. Nearly 40 of them reported rape, 65 sexual abuse. The >suspected perpetrators are mostly police officers; others are >gendarmes, soldiers, village guards or repentants (former members >of armed opposition groups who have become informers). They are >rarely held accountable for their alleged crimes. Amnesty >International has documented a general climate of impunity for >torturers. Additionally, medical findings can only rarely prove >beyond doubt that rape has occurred and medical reports can be >difficult to obtain, especially if time has elapsed since the >incident. The Turkish legal authorities have been reluctant to >accept psychiatric reports as evidence. > >+-----------------------------------------------------------+ >+ Supporters of Amnesty International around the world are + >+ writing urgent appeals in response to the concerns + >+ described above. If you would like to join with them in + >+ this action or have any queries about the Urgent Action + >+ network or Amnesty International in general, please + >+ contact one of the following: + >+ + >+ Ray Mitchell, [EMAIL PROTECTED] (UK) + >+ Scott Harrison, [EMAIL PROTECTED] (USA) + >+ Guido Gabriel, [EMAIL PROTECTED] (Germany) + >+ Marilyn McKim, [EMAIL PROTECTED] (Canada) + >+ [EMAIL PROTECTED] (Belgium) + >+ Anne Nolan, [EMAIL PROTECTED] (Ireland) + >+-----------------------------------------------------------+ > >------- End of forwarded message ------- __________________________________ KOMINFORM P.O. Box 66 00841 Helsinki - Finland +358-40-7177941, fax +358-9-7591081 e-mail [EMAIL PROTECTED] http://www.kominf.pp.fi ___________________________________ [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subscribe/unsubscribe messages mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] ___________________________________
