Turkey: Human Rights Watch Researcher Detained in

[Kornelij Glas]

Turkey: Human Rights Watch Researcher Detained in Kurdish Area

(New York, April 12, 2006) � A Human Rights Watch researcher

conducting research in Turkey was detained by police on Wednesday, and

is expected to be deported tomorrow, Human Rights Watch said today. At

the time of his detention, the researcher, who has not been charged with

any crime, was carrying out research in the predominately Kurdish

southeast of the country into abuses allegedly involving the Turkish

gendarmerie and government-armed local defense units called village

guards.

"Turkey should not be arresting and expelling researchers looking into

possible human rights abuses," said Holly Cartner, Europe and Central

Asia director at Human Rights Watch. "The desire to cover up human

rights abuses is evidently still very strong, despite recent moves towards

more accountability in Turkey's bid for membership in the European

Union."

Human Rights Watch called on the Turkish authorities to halt the

deportation and allow the organization to continue its research.

The researcher, Jonathan Sugden, was detained by regular police in the

town of Bingol, in south-eastern Turkey, on the morning of April 12,

2006. He had been documenting abuses in the area allegedly carried out

by Turkish paramilitary police, known as the gendarme, and the village

guard. He was first moved to the town of Malatya and later taken to

Istanbul, where he is expected to spend the night in police custody before

being deported to London on April 13.

Sugden is a U.K. national and fluent Turkish speaker with more than two

decades of experience monitoring human rights in Turkey. The Turkish

authorities have claimed that Sugden did not have valid authorization to

be carrying out human rights work in Turkey. However, Sugden was

present in the country on a tourist visa, which Turkish authorities had

confirmed provides a legitimate basis for him to carry out research in the

country, as it is and has been for any human rights lawyer or delegation

carrying out similar work. In recent years, Sugden has traveled repeatedly

to Turkey on such a visa to perform research, with the knowledge of the

Turkish authorities and without being detained.

"This is not about a visa," said Cartner. "It is about the Turkish

government wanting to prevent investigations of misconduct by its agents.

The human rights situation had been slowly improving, but this is a big

step backwards."

There has been a recent upsurge of violence in southeastern Turkey

between separatist rebels of the Kurdish Workers' Party (PKK) and

Turkish security forces. Hundreds of thousands of Kurdish villagers

remain displaced from the region, and the threat of violence from village

guards against these villagers remains an important obstacle to their

return.

Last week, following the funeral of PKK rebels who had been killed by

Turkish security forces, Kurdish demonstrators clashed with riot police in

the southeastern city of Diyarbakir, as well as in Batman, Kiziltepe,

Nusaybin, Siirt and other towns in the region. Protest became violent,

with protesters throwing Molotov cocktails and stones at law enforcement

officials. In response, law enforcement officials appear to have used

excessive and disproportionate force in responding to the rioters. At least

13 people are believed to have been killed. Many other protesters, as well

as law enforcement officers, were injured during the clashes. Hundreds of

demonstrators were detained, and there have been credible reports that

many detainees were tortured or otherwise ill-treated.

For more of Human Rights Watch's work on Turkey, please visit:

http://hrw.org/doc?t=europe&c=turkey

[groul]

Бла-бла-бла....

Интересно, у какого европейского политика / организации хватит мужества и порядочности, чтобы в открытую сказать, что Турция какой была, такой и осталась, ибо так там заложено...

Надоела тупая политкорректность: "В области демократических перемен чувствуется прогресс, но тем не менее некоторые каннибалы продолжают потреблять в пищу человечину, предварительно избивая до смерти еще живую жертву, поскольку по словам каннибалов это придает особую нежность мясу. В свете скорого вступления Папуа Новой Гвинеи в Евросоюз, власти этого государства обязались в течение года ввести полный запрет на предварительную обработку человечины и взять на вооружение более гуманные методы умерщвле... пардон, обработки скот... пардон, потребляемых в пищу людей..."

[FRD]

опять нервно реагируешь грул

а зачем так? что если Human Rights Watch то значит ненужная организация и только ВВП вам нужен (чтоб мочить в сортирах) и обудсмен Республики Беларусь? (я загнул конечно, но это чтоб показать что чувствуешь когда читаешь строки твои) ...

знаешь по моему, недоверие к подобных темам и НПО можно высказывтать в более спокойной форме

[groul]

FRD, по-моему если кто и нервно тут прореагировал, так это ты. Точнее просто не в кассу. При чем тут НПО, ВВП и другие?

Мало того чушь спорол, еще и строишь на ней какие-то логические выкладки.

[FRD]

я написал что "загнул" и далее написал почему я написал эту чушь и прошу не фамилярничать

[groul]

я написал что "загнул" и далее написал почему я написал эту чушь и прошу не фамилярничать

[FRD]

а что такого в том что я усматрел нервозность в твоем посте?!

игнор так игнор... я переживу