Download - August 2011 TURKRAN Newsletter

8/6/2019 August 2011 TURKRAN Newsletter

1/3

1

Turkey Regional Action NetworkAugust 2011

(1)Turkey Blog Articles

a) In Istanbul, Forced Evictions ofCitys Most Vulnerable

http://blog.amnestyusa.org/iar/in-istanbul-forced-evictions-of-citys-most-vulnerable/

This article highlights stories of familiesliving in the neighborhood of Tarlaba inthe district of Beyolu, Istanbul. They havebeen affected by forced evictions in the

hands of Beyolu authorities. Thepopulation that is threatened with eviction

is some of Turkeys most vulnerablepopulations, including Roma, Kurds andtransgender women.

b) Justice for Hrant Dink: More Workto be Done

http://blog.amnestyusa.org/europe/justice-for-hrant-dink-more-work-to-be-done/

The murder of Hrant Dink, a TurkeysArmenian journalist who was shot to deathin January 2007, was sentenced to more

than twenty years in prison. Nevertheless, afull investigation of the conspiracy that led

to Dinks murder must be conducted.

c) Turkeys Disappeared: The Pain ofthe Past and New Dangers

http://blog.amnestyusa.org/waronterror/tur

keys-disappeared-the-pain-of-the-past-and-new-dangers/

As the International Day of the Disappeared(August 30) approaches, TURKRAN would

like to shed light on thousands of forgottenenforced disappearance cases in Turkey. In

recent years, thousands of bodies wereexcavated in mass graves. However, the

Turkish authorities have intentionally beendestroying these mass gravesites without

honoring the dead or properly investigatingthe incidences.

Stay informed by following us on ourFacebook page:

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Amnesty-

International-USA-Turkey-Regional-Action-

Network/134561963283302

tvwtvwtvwtvw

(2) URGENT ACTION:

FAMILIES FACING FORCED EVICTIONIN TURKEY

According to the recent AI document,families of Istanbuls Beyolu district havebeen forcefully evicted under statesponsored projects to build high value

housing. Those affected by this forced

eviction are already marginalizedpopulations. These include transgender

women who have lived in the area for many


2/3

2

years, Roma people, as well as the Kurdswho settled in the district after being

forcefully displaced from their villages in the

southeast Turkey during the 90s.

Under international law and human rights

treaties, such as the International Covenanton Economic, Social and Cultural Rights

(ICESCR), to which Turkey is a signatory,evictions may be carried out only as a lastresort before all feasible alternatives are

consulted with the affected communities.Nevertheless, those affected populations in

the Beyoglu municipality were neither

consulted on the process nor offered anyalternative housing and compensation forlosses.

Amnesty International needs your help witha petition writing campaign to call on theTurkish authorities to stop immediately

forcefully evicting the residents of theBeyoglu municipality and fulfill Turkeys

human rights obligations in line with

international standards.

The full document can be downloaded at:

http://www.amnesty.org/en/library/info/EU

R44/007/2011/en

PLEASE WRITE IMMEDIATELYin Turkish

or your own language!

To ensure that the Beyolu authorities liveup to their obligations under international

law, please join us to write the followingofficials, asking them to suspend all forcedevictions immediately and not to proceed

until safeguards consistent with

international human rights standards are inplace, including a genuine consultation withthe residents facing eviction, and that no

evictions are carried out without adequate

notice and remedies.

Please send a letter to:Mayor of Beyolu

Ahmet Misbah DemircanBeyolu Belediyesiihane MeydanBeyolu

Istanbul TurkeyFax: +90 212 252 1100Email: [email protected]

Salutation: Dear Mr Demircan

Minister of Interior

dris Naim ahinT.C. ileri Bakanl,Bakanlklar

Ankara Turkey

Fax: +90 312 418 1795

Email: [email protected]: Dear Minister

tvwtvwtvwtvw

3) Turkey urged to pursue furtherprosecutions in Hrant Dink

murder case

Following the conviction of Ogun Samast for

the murder of Hrant Dink on 19 January2007, AI issued a statement.

AI welcomes the sentencing of Ogun

Samast. However, as Andrew Gardner,Amnesty Internationals Turkey expert,points out, Samast is just one of the

people responsible for Hrant Dinksmurder.His murder was apparentlycommitted with the tacit agreement of

elements within the Turkish law

enforcement agencies. Nevertheless, thecase was never fully investigated.

Hrant Dink, a Turkish citizen of Armenian

origin, was known for being critical of theTurkish government over issues of

Armenian identity and Turkeys stance onthe massacres of Armenians in 1915. He


3/3

3

was the editor of the Agos newspaper andcontributor to Zaman newspaper. He was

repeatedly prosecuted for expressing his

opinions.

Hrant Dink was shot and killed on January

19, 2007 right outside the Agos office inIstanbul.

In September 2010, the European Court ofHuman Rights (ECtHR) ruled that the

Turkish authorities had failed to act oninformation they received that could have

prevented Hrant Dink's murder and had

failed to investigate the role of state officialsin his death.

Hrant Dinks colleagues at the Agosnewspaper received death threats in 2011.Nevertheless, the Turkish authorities stillneglected to investigate such incidences.

As our previous blog articles repeatedly

reported, Turkey has more journalists in jail

than any other country in the world. Inaddition, any dissenting voices are stillsilenced by death threats and actual

physical violence.

As with previous Amnestys reports onTurkey, AI continues to call on the Turkishauthorities to respect and protect the rights

of freedom of expression and association

for all without discrimination.

The full statement can be found at:

http://www.amnesty.org/en/news-and-updates/turkey-urged-pursue-further-

prosecutions-hrant-dink-murder-case-2011-

07-26