Annual Report 94 1 ■ HRFT ■ Human Rights Foundation of Turkey 1994 ■ Human Rights Report ■ Annual Report 94 2 ■ Human Rights Foundation of Turkey Publications (10) ■ Cover Picture: Abidin Dino Cover Design: Ferhat Babacan Printing & Binding: Pelin Ofset Ltd. Şti., Ankara HUMAN RIGHTS FOUNDATION OF TURKEY Menekşe 2 Sokak 16/6-7 Kızılay, 06440 - ANKARA/TÜRKIYE Tel: (90-312) 417 71 80 Fax: (90-312) 425 45 52 ISBN 975-7217-04-2 The Human Rights Foundation of Turkey was founded under the Turkish Law. It is a non-governmental and independent foundation. Its statute entered into force by promulgation in ■ the Official Gazette No. 20741 on 30 December 1990. ■ Annual Report 94 3 ■ ■ HRFT Human Rights Foundation of Turkey 1994 TURKEY HUMAN RIGHTS REPORT ■ Ankara, September 1995 ■ Annual Report 94 4 ■ This report was prepared and printed with the ■ financial support of the European Union. Annual Report 94 5 CONTENTS Preface 7 As for foreword 9 SAMPLE CASES OF HUMAN RIGHTS ABUSES Introduction 19 The Kurdish problem 35 The Newroz festival .................................................................................. 37 Local elections ........................................................................................ ... 41 Clashes, operations and attacks ................................................................ 50 Attacks against settlements........................................................................ 61 Those who migrated .................................................................................. 74 Attacks against civilians ............................................................................ 80 Executions by organizations ..................................................................... 95 Education and teachers ............................................................................. 100 Health problems and health personnel ..................................................... 104 Village guards ............................................................................................ 106 Other developments .................................................................................. 108 Murders by unknown assailants 115 Sample cases of murders by unknown assailants .................................... 121 Those killed in murders by unknown assailants ...................................... 130 Extra-judicial executions 139 Deaths in house and workshop raids ........................................................ 144 Fire opened on demonstrating groups ...................................................... 147 Deaths in fire opened because of disobeying stop warnings, etc. ........... 147 Deaths in the explosions of mines and unclaimed bombs ....................... 161 Capital punishment 165 Annual Report 94 6 Torture 175 CMUK ....................................................................................................... 177 Trials and investigations ........................................................................... 179 Deaths in detention and prisons ................................................................ 187 Disappearances .......................................................................................... 197 Determined torture cases .......................................................................... 207 Prisons ........................................................................................................ 229 Freedom of thought, press and belief 237 Those who were killed or disappeared ...................................................... 247 Attacks against the press ............................................................................ 253 Prisoners of thought ................................................................................... 278 Sentences given, and those prosecuted ...................................................... 300 Confiscated and closed publications .......................................................... 309 Compulsory military service ..................................................................... 313 Kurdish ....................................................................................................... 317 Freedom of religion and religious pressure ............................................... 318 Freedom of organization 321 Pressure on the İHD ................................................................................... 321 Prosecution of the leaders of the İHD and HRFT ..................................... 333 Closed associations, barred activities ........................................................ 337 Pressure on political parties ....................................................................... 342 Labour issues and trade unions .................................................................. 356 Sivas incidents 360 Balance sheet of 1994 363 Reply to the periodical Aydınlık 365 ABBREVIATIONS ANAP Motherland Party HEP People’s Labour Party CHP Republican People’s Party İHD Human Rights Association CMUK Code of Criminal Procedures MHP National Movement Party DEP Democracy Party RP Welfare Party SSC State Security Court SHP Social Democratic Populist Party DİSK Confederation of Progressive Workers’ HRFT Human Rights Foundation Trade Unions TTB Turkish Medical Association DYP True Path Party Türk İş Confederation of Workers’ HADEP People’s Democracy Party Trade Unions of Turkey Annual Report 94 7 PREFACE One more annual human rights report by the Human Rights Foundation of Turkey is being made public. This report, dealing with the human rights abuses observed in 1994 (*), was prepared by the Documentation Center of the HRFT. With the aim of informing and warning the public at home and abroad, as well as authorities, about human rights abuses, and enabling them to reach their own conclusions, we produced this report. For this report, we assessed the news received from our own sources, newspapers, jour- nals and other publications, evaluated HRFT’s daily reports, the information given by the Human Rights Association Headquarters and branches, and other human rights activists, as well as official statements and speeches of authorities at every level. Since we are an indepen-dent non- governmental organization defending human rights, the abuses originating from the structure and the characteristics of the regime that are caused by anti-democratic provisions of the Constitution and laws, or by the political power or public officers, are given priority. Never-theless, taking into consideration the dimensions and extent of the violence in Turkey and its present situation, the acts and attacks carried out by certain armed groups, particularly by the PKK, were also assessed and included in the report. While preparing the report, we were extremely careful about the accuracy of informa-tion and the trustworthiness of the sources, and we tried to present the events objectively. Many reports which were obtained from just a single source, but could not be confirmed or were not reliable and deemed to be exaggerated, were not included in the report. During the preliminary studies, we behaved objectively and without any prejudice, in most cases we applied to many sources and examined some cases in depth, causing a delay in the preparation of the report. We hope that any individual, organization, authoritative body or any circle that will read out our report will assess it without any prejudice and be objective in a similar way. This human rights report includes 8 main sections, namely, “Introduction”, “The Kurdish Problem”, “Murders by Unknown Assailants”, “Extra-judicial Executions”, “Capital Punishment”, “Torture”, “Freedom of Thought, Press and Belief” and “Freedom of Organiza- tion”. These sections were divided into sub-sections, which include many samples. However, the examples do not cover all of the developments and abuses observed during the year; they only (*) “Turkey Human Rights Report-1994” is available in return for US $ 10 or its TL equivalent from “TIHV Menekşe 2 Sok. No: 16/6 Kızılay - Ankara (06440)” Annual Report 94 8 reflect a small portion of them. Therefore, one should take into account that there were many more human rights violations in 1994 than figures and examples show. HRFT President Yavuz Önen’s article entitled “As for Foreword” which evaluates the human rights situation and present human rights problems and enumerates the measures that should immediately be taken on this issue is also included in the report. In his evaluation, Yavuz Önen touches on the approach of the Foundation towards certain important subjects in Turkey and in the world in 1994 and gives information about the works of the Foundation, and pressure and difficulties it faced. The Documentation Center formed within the HRFT started its work as of March 1990 when the Foundation began functioning. The Center has been preparing daily human rights reports (except on Sundays and Saturdays) since 2 April 1990. At the Documentation Center, newspapers and journals have been evaluated, press clippings have been classified and filed according to their subjects. In addition, a computer supported data-bank, and archives of docu-ments and video cassettes have been formed. Through documents and information it has, the Documentation Center helps the individuals and organizations interested in human rights, and supports the human rights struggle in this way. During the 5-year period, the Documentation Center has prepared various reports along with its daily work, made these reports