From: Press Agency Ozgurluk <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Subject: [Ozgurluk] OMCT: Turkey: Press Release: Mission report concerning hunger strikes held in+protest against F-type prisons in Turkey For immediate Release: October 19th, 2001 World Organisation Against Torture (OMCT) Press Release One year after the beginning of hunger strikes held in protest against F-type prisons in Turkey, the World Organisation Against Torture strongly condemns the lack of effective political solutions applied by the Turkish authorities and the ongoing impunity enjoyed by perpetrators of torture and ill-treatment of prisoners during the events in December 2000. In the early hours of 19 December 2000, over 10,000 members of the Turkish security forces launched simultaneous raids in twenty prisons across Turkey. The aim of "Operation Return to Life", as this planned military intervention was called, was the forced transferral of over a thousand prisoners to Turkey's newly-constructed "F-type" prisons and the halting of the widespread hunger strikes and "death fasts" by political prisoners protesting against the introduction of F-type prisons since October 2000. By the time this operation was over, the bodies of 30 prisoners lay dead alongside those of two prison officers. Given the increasing numbers of deaths and the severe and potentially permanent physical and mental damage being wreaked on those undergoing death fasts and hunger strikes, the World Organisation Against Torture, together with the Kurdish Human Rights Project and the Euro-Mediterranean Human Rights Network, sent an observer mission to Ankara and Istanbul in May 2001, to investigate the extent of the crisis and explore ways in which this crisis could be effectively mediated and resolved as quickly as possible. Despite pleas from concerned human rights groups and medical associations around the world as well as from international monitoring bodies, including the UN Special Rapporteur on Torture and the Council of Europe's Committee for the Prevention of Torture (CPT), it appears that a solution to the growing death toll in this crisis is still remote. However, OMCT notes that recent events and the climate prevailing in Turkish prisons since last December attest to the urgency of the implementation without delay of reforms needed to improve the prison and judicial systems. In January 2001, the European Parliament stated that prison reform was an indispensable requirement for consideration of Turkey's candidature for membership of the European Union. Perpetrators of torture and ill-treatment in Turkey continue to enjoy impunity. The current situation and the failure of the international community to hold Turkey accountable for its human rights violations poses a serious threat to the whole human rights system. As a priority, OMCT urges Turkey to conduct prompt, impartial and effective investigations of all allegations of torture, in accordance with the Istanbul Rules annexed to CHR resolution 2000/43, as reflected in the ``Guidelines to EU policy towards third countries on Torture and other cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment or punishment''. Many prisoners that were encountered during the observer mission in Ankara, have filed formal claims against the excessive and disproportionate use of force and the ill treatment they have been subjected to in the course of the prison intervention and their transfer to F-type establishments. The Turkish authorities indicated that they would provide an update on the investigations being carried out by public prosecutors in relation to the prison interventions of December 2000. As far as the prisoners know, an investigation has been initiated against the prisoners themselves, but not against those in charge of the security forces implicated in these events. In this perspective, the repeated excessive and disproportionate use of force by the Turkish authorities against prisoners since 1995, also calls for a firm reaction on the part of all international and European organisations, but first and foremost by the European Union which is in a position to persuade Turkey to take the necessary measures to put a stop to this impunity. Moreover, Turkish detention centres are at present ``dangerously'' closed to the outside world. Torture will continue unless the Turkish law is changed to ensure that those doors are opened to legal counsel for all detainees. To be efficient and transparent, supervision by the local governor and prosecutors, as well as monitoring by independent bodies unconnected with the state, is required. In this respect, OMCT recalls that Turkey failed to submit its third periodic report to the UN Committee Against Torture, in full compliance with the CAT provisions - this report has been overdue since August 31st 1997. In their report, OMCT, KHRP and EMHRN provide a detailed list of the observer mission's urgent recommendations in the F-type prison crisis - a crisis which has already claimed so many young lives, and looks set on a course to claim many more in the months ahead, unless the Government agrees to sit down and negotiate with protesting prisoners. OMCT strongly urges the European Union to clearly monitor necessary penal and prison reforms in compliance with international standards, in particular the United Nations Convention against Torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment, and the United Nations Standard Minimum Rules for the Treatment of Prisoners. ment in particular, will give serious consideration to the regular information and recommendations published by our organisation concerning the events of December 2000. For further information, please contact: Elsa Le Pennec and Roberta Cecchetti World Organisation Against Torture Tel�: +41.22.809.49.39 Fax�: +41.22.809.49.29 Email�: [EMAIL PROTECTED] OMCT publications and Urgent Appeals on Turkey since October 20th 2000 (can be consulted on OMCT's website: www.omct.org) Publications "�F-Type prisons crisis and the repression of human rights defenders in Turkey, Report from a Fact-Finding mission to Istanbul and Ankara on 5-11 May 2001 with Updates'', OMCT, KHRP and EMHRN Observer mission, October 2001 Turkey: Amended Article 16 of Turkish Anti-Terror Law - CINAT's position (Position Statements, 2/7/2001) Turkey, repression against political prisoners and human rights defenders (Background / Miscellaneous, 20/3/2001) OMCT Position Paper for the 2001 Commission on Human Rights (Position Statements, 21/12/2000) Urgent Appeals Turkey: Police raid against the Human Rights Foundation of Turkey (Observatory Appeals, 12/9/2001) Turkey: Detention, harassment and equipment confiscation during a human rights mission (Observatory Appeals, 10/8/2001) Turkey: New information on judicial proceedings against 16 intellectuals (Observatory Appeals, 29/6/2001) Turkey: Judicial proceedings against 16 intellectuals (Observatory Appeals, 1/6/2001) Turkey: no progress during new hearing (Observatory Appeals, 28/3/2001) Turkey: legal proceedings and defamatory campaigns against the HRA (Observatory Appeals, 23/3/2001) Turkey: increased harassment of human rights defender (Observatory Appeals, 16/3/2001) Turkey: disappearance of 2 HADEP members (OMCT Appeals, 15/2/2001) Turkey: judicial persecutions (Observatory Appeals, 8/2/2001) Turkey: Arrest / Detention / Release (Observatory Appeals, 24/1/2001) Turkey: grave situation in Turkish prisons (OMCT Appeals, 19/12/2000) Turkey: release (Observatory Appeals, 27/9/2000) Press Releases Euro-Mediterranean observer mission reports on the F-type prison crisis in Turkey and the repression of human rights defenders (Press Releases, 1/6/2001) Press Release: OMCT asks Turkey to proclaim an unconditional right to communal activities in prisons (Press Releases, 7/5/2001) -- Press Agency Ozgurluk Uncencored news about the liberation struggle in Turkey http://www.ozgurluk.org _________________________________________________ KOMINFORM P.O. 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