COUNTRY OF ORIGIN INFORMATION REPORT TURKEY 20 OCTOBER 2009 UK Border Agency COUNTRY OF ORIGIN INFORMATION SERVICE TURKEY 20 OCTOBER 2009 Contents Preface Latest news EVENTS IN TURKEY FROM 2 AUGUST TO 19 OCTOBER 2009 REPORTS ON TURKEY PUBLISHED OR ACCESSED BETWEEN 2 AUGUST AND 19 OCTOBER 2009 Paragraphs Background information 1. GEOGRAPHY ........................................................................................1.01 Population .....................................................................................1.07 Map.................................................................................................1.08 2. ECONOMY ............................................................................................2.01 3. HISTORY ..............................................................................................3.01 Recent history...............................................................................3.01 4. RECENT DEVELOPMENTS 4.01 European Union accession negotiations 2008-09 .....................4.06 Elections........................................................................................4.07 Pace of reforms.............................................................................4.08 Kurdish issue ................................................................................4.10 Terrorism in 2008-2009.................................................................4.11 5. CONSTITUTION .....................................................................................5.01 6. POLITICAL SYSTEM...............................................................................6.01 Turkish Grand National Assembly (TGNA).................................6.01 National Security Council (MGK) or (NSC) .................................6.04 Local government.........................................................................6.07 Human Rights 7. INTRODUCTION .....................................................................................7.01 8. SECURITY FORCES ...............................................................................8.01 Police .............................................................................................8.02 National Police………………………………………………………8.02 Jandarma / Gendarmerie ...........................................................8.04 Arbitary arrest and detention..................................................8.08 Torture........................................................................................8.14 Extra-judicial killings...................................................................8.20 Turkish Armed Forces..................................................................8.23 Arrest and detention...................................................................8.26 Extra-judicial killings...................................................................8.27 Discrimination in Armed forces ..................................................8.29 Other government forces.............................................................8.32 Village guard ..............................................................................8.32 Abuses .......................................................................................8.36 AVENUES OF COMPLAINT ..................................................................8.38 The main text of this COI Report contains the most up to date publicly available information as at 1 August 2009. ii Further brief information on recent events and reports has been provided in the Latest News section to 19 October 2009. 20 OCTOBER 2009 TURKEY 9. MILITARY SERVICE ...............................................................................9.01 Deferring military service.............................................................9.05 Evasion of military service and punishment..............................9.08 Conscientious objectors (vicdani retci)......................................9.11 Subsequent postings............................ 9.16 10. JUDICIARY ..........................................................................................10.01 Organisation..................................................................................10.01 Civil courts ....................................................................................10.04 Civil Courts of the Peace............................................................10.04 Civil Courts of First Instance ......................................................10.05 Commercial Courts ....................................................................10.06 The Court of Cassation ..............................................................10.08 Penal courts .................................................................................. Penal Courts of the Peace.........................................................10.11 Penal Courts of First Instance ...................................................10.12 Central Criminal Courts..............................................................10.13 State Security Courts .................................................................10.14 Other Courts..................................................................................10.15 Execution Investigation Authority...............................................10.15 Other Lower Courts ......................................................................10.16 Intermediate Courts of Appeal ...................................................10.17 Administrative courts...................................................................10.18 The Council of State...................................................................10.18 Subordinate Administrative Courts.............................................10.19 Supreme Military Administrative Court.......................................10.20 Military courts ...............................................................................10.21 Military Criminal Courts (Askeri Ceza Mahkernesi)....................10.21 Military Criminal Court of Cassation (Askeri Yargitay) ...............10.23 The Constitutional Court (Anayasa Mahkemesi) .......................10.24 Independence................................................................................10.26 Fair trial..........................................................................................10.31 Penal code.....................................................................................10.39 11. ARREST AND DETENTION – LEGAL RIGHTS ...........................................11.01 Warrants and court documents...................................................11.04 Length of pre-trial detention........................................................11.08 Right to legal advice.....................................................................11.10 Mistreatment in detention ............................................................11.17 Legislative framework to prevent mistreatment in prisons and detention............................................................................11.21 Relevant Provisions in Law .........................................................11.24 Government and other initiatives to prevent mistreatment in prisons and detention .........................................................11.25 12. PRISON CONDITIONS ...........................................................................12.01 E Type prison ...............................................................................12.08 F-TYPE PRISONS ..............................................................................12.12 Monitoring of prison conditions..................................................12.18 13. DEATH PENALTY .................................................................................13.01 14. POLITICAL AFFILIATION .......................................................................14.01 Freedom of political expression..................................................14.01 Freedom of association and assembly.......................................14.04 15. FREEDOM OF SPEECH AND MEDIA ........................................................15.01 iii The main text of this COI Report contains the most up to date publicly available information as at 1 August 2009. Further brief information on recent events and reports has been provided in the Latest News section to 19 October 2009. TURKEY 20 OCTOBER 2009 Journalists.....................................................................................15.07 Print Media ....................................................................................15.13 The High Board of Radio and Television (RTÜK) ......................15.15 Internet...........................................................................................15.19 16. HUMAN RIGHTS INSTITUTIONS, ORGANISATIONS AND ACTIVISTS ...........16.01 Human Rights Advisory Board (IHDK) / Human Rights Presidency and Human Rights boards / councils.................16.05 Reform monitoring group ............................................................16.11 Parliamentary Human Rights commission / Parliamentary Human Rights investigation committee.................................16.12 Ministry of Interior’s Investigation Office...................................16.15 Prison inspection committees / Prison Monitoring Board........16.17 The Gendarmes Investigation and Evaluation Centre for Human Rights Abuse Issues (JIHIDEM).................................16.19 European Court of Human Rights (ECTHR)