COUNTRY OF ORIGIN INFORMATION REPORT TURKEY 29 AUGUST 2008 UK Border Agency COUNTRY OF ORIGIN INFORMATION SERVICE TURKEY 29 AUGUST 2008 Contents Preface Latest News EVENTS IN TURKEY FROM 25 AUGUST TO 29 AUGUST 2008 REPORTS ON TURKEY PUBLISHED OR ACCESSED SINCE 29 AUGUST 2008 Paragraphs Background Information 1. GEOGRAPHY ........................................................................................1.01 Map.................................................................................................1.07 Population .....................................................................................1.08 2. ECONOMY ............................................................................................2.01 3. HISTORY ..............................................................................................3.01 Recent history...............................................................................3.01 Recent political developments ....................................................3.04 European Union reforms 2007.....................................................3.09 4. RECENT DEVELOPMENTS .....................................................................4.01 Terrorism in 2007-08.....................................................................4.01 5. CONSTITUTION .....................................................................................5.01 6. POLITICAL SYSTEM ..............................................................................6.01 Turkish Grand National Assembly (TGNA).................................6.01 National Security Council (MGK) or (NSC).................................6.03 Local government.........................................................................6.07 Human Rights 7. INTRODUCTION .....................................................................................7.01 8. SECURITY FORCES...............................................................................8.01 Intelligence agency (MIT) .............................................................8.03 Police .............................................................................................8.05 Other government forces.............................................................8.15 Jandarma/Gendarmerie .............................................................8.15 Village guard ..............................................................................8.17 Torture........................................................................................8.25 Turkish Armed Forces..................................................................8.40 Discrimination in armed forces...................................................8.42 Extra-judicial killings...................................................................8.47 9. MILITARY SERVICE ...............................................................................9.01 Deferring military service.............................................................9.06 Evasion of military service and punishment..............................9.09 Conscientious objectors (vicdani retci)......................................9.11 Posting after completion of basic training.................................9.19 10. JUDICIARY ..........................................................................................10.01 Organisation..................................................................................10.01 Independence................................................................................10.05 2 This Country of Origin Information Report contains the most up-to-date publicly available information as at 29 August 2008. Older source material has been included where it contains relevant information not available in more recent documents. 29 AUGUST 2008 TURKEY The Court System .........................................................................10.09 Courts ............................................................................................10.10 Military courts ...............................................................................10.11 Military criminal courts (Askeri Ceza Mahkernesi) .....................10.11 Military criminal court of cassation (Askeri Yargitay)..................10.14 State security courts (DGM) ........................................................10.16 The constitutional court (Anayasa Mahkemesi) ........................10.21 Fair trial..........................................................................................10.27 Penal code.....................................................................................10.32 Code of criminal procedure .........................................................10.36 11. ARREST AND DETENTION.....................................................................11.01 LEGAL RIGHTS ...................................................................................11.01 Warrants and court summonses.................................................11.07 Length of pre trial detention ........................................................11.09 Right to legal advice.....................................................................11.10 Mistreatment in detention ...........................................................11.20 Legislative framework to prevent mistreatment in prisons and detention............................................................................11. 33 Government and other initiatives to prevent mistreatment in prisons and detention .........................................................11.40 12. PRISON CONDITIONS ...........................................................................12.01 E and F-Type prisons ...................................................................12.07 Military prisons .............................................................................12.16 Monitoring of prison conditions..................................................12.19 13. DEATH PENALTY .................................................................................13.01 14. POLITICAL AFFILIATION .......................................................................14.01 Freedom of political expression..................................................14.01 Freedom of association and assembly.......................................14.09 15. FREEDOM OF SPEECH AND MEDIA ........................................................15.01 Journalists.....................................................................................15.06 Media and press............................................................................15.17 The High Board of Radio and Television (RTÜK) ......................15.21 Internet...........................................................................................15.26 16. HUMAN RIGHTS INSTITUTIONS, ORGANISATIONS AND ACTIVISTS............16.01 Human Rights Advisory Board (IHDK)/Human Rights Presidency and Human Rights boards/councils...................16.09 Reform monitoring group ............................................................16.19 Parliamentary human rights commission/Parliamentary human rights investigation committee ..................................16.21 Ministry of interior’s investigation office....................................16.23 Prison inspection committees/Prison monitoring board..........16.25 The gendarmes investigation and evaluation centre for human rights abuse issues (JIHIDEM)...................................16.28 European Court of Human Rights (ECTHR) ...............................16.33 17. CORRUPTION ......................................................................................17.01 18. FREEDOM OF RELIGION .......................................................................18.01 Headscarves..................................................................................18.13 Alevis including Alevi Kurds .......................................................18.20 Beliefs and practices of Alevis ...................................................18.25 Difficulties and problems for Alevis ............................................18.29 Mystical Sufi and other religious social orders and lodges .....18.33 This Country of Origin Information Report contains the most up-to-date publicly available information as at 29 August 2008. 3 Older source material has been included where it contains relevant information not available in more recent documents. TURKEY 29 AUGUST 2008 Non Muslim minorities .................................................................18.35 Christians ......................................................................................18.40 Jews ...............................................................................................18.45 19. ETHNIC GROUPS..................................................................................19.01 Kurds .............................................................................................19.07 Kurdish language .......................................................................19.14 Teaching in Kurdish ...................................................................19.20 Pro Kurdish political parties........................................................19.25 Hadep.........................................................................................19.35 Hadep membership cards .....................................................19.37 Relatives of Hadep ................................................................19.39 Dehap/Democratic