31 January 2002

1. "Turkey to respect European detention norms in Kurdish southeast ", Turkey said Wednesday it would be bound by European norms on the rights of detained persons in its mainly Kurdish southeast, where civil liberties had been severely restricted amid fighting between Kurdish rebels and government troops.

2. "Turkish prison strike may be nearing end: rights group", a Turkish human rights group on Wednesday backed proposals for easing the isolation of prisoners in new high security jails as a way to end a 15-month-long inmate hunger strike that has claimed dozens of lives.

3. "Amnesty asks Turkish court for permission to reopen office", Amnesty International has asked a court in Turkey to grant it permission to reopen an office there after a 22-year absence, officials from the human rights organisation said Wednesday.

4. "Turkey claims progress on rights", Turkey's human rights record is under close scrutiny.

5. "Turkish premier rules out education in Kurdish", Premier Bulent Ecevit said Wednesday that Turkey would not give in to demands for Kurdish language education in the nation's schools, underlining his hard-line stance on the divisive issue. Hundreds of people have been detained in recent weeks for submitting petitions supporting optional Kurdish language courses in schools and universities.

6. "EU to monitor the political struggle for two more months", President Sezer seen to be the best Western ally by the EU Swedish Deputy Prime Minister Lena Hjelm-Wallen expresses concerns regarding the way that Turkey handled the issue of petitions for Kurdish education

7. "ANAP leader Yilmaz: Education in Kurdish out of the question", Deputy Prime Minister and leader of the junior coalition Motherland Party (ANAP) Mesut Yilmaz said on Wednesday that education in Kurdish was not possible.

8. "Don't fall for this trap", columnist Gungor Mengi writes on the petition drive for education in Kurdish.

1. - AFP - "Turkey to respect European detention norms in Kurdish southeast ":

ANKARA

Turkey said Wednesday it would be bound by European norms on the rights of detained persons in its mainly Kurdish southeast, where civil liberties had been severely restricted amid fighting between Kurdish rebels and government troops.

Ankara has withdrawn a 1990 notice to the Council of Europe, in which it said it was suspending the implementation of Article 5 of the European Convention of Human Rights, which regulates detention rights, in southeastern provinces under emergency rule, a foreign ministry statement said.

"The withdrawal of our derogation is indicative of the progress achieved in the democratization of our country and promotion of human rights," it said. The move followed Turkey's adoption in October of a package of constitutional reforms aiming at catching up with European Union democracy standards in a bid to strengthen its candidacy for EU membership.

Among other amendments, the package cut the times during which detainees can be held without being brought before a judge from 15 to four days. "Thereby, full compliance of the Turkish legislation with the jurisprudence of the European Court of Human Rights has been achieved, and the legal grounds for the derogation have ceased to exist," the statement said.

Turkey's drive to improve its troubled human rights record coincides with a notable decline in fighting in the southeast since December 1999, when the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) said it was abandoning its armed campaign to seek a peaceful solution to the Kurdish issue. The conflict has claimed some 36,500 lives since 1984, when the PKK took up arms for self-rule in the region.

2. - AFP - "Turkish prison strike may be nearing end: rights group":

ANKARA

A Turkish human rights group on Wednesday backed proposals for easing the isolation of prisoners in new high security jails as a way to end a 15-month-long inmate hunger strike that has claimed dozens of lives.

The Turkish Human Rights Association (IHD) said it supported a proposal put forward by the Istanbul bar association to permit limited movement of prisoners between the one-to-three person cells that make up the new jails. The proposal calls for prisoners to be able to move around within units of three cells. "Opening the locks on the three doors is the only way out of this crisis," said the head of the IHD, Selahattin Esmer.

"It is imperative that the authorities accept this plan so that the prisoners can conserve their dignity in the F-type penitentiaries," Esmer said. "The state is not meant to take revenge upon its citizens," he added. Some 45 prisoners and supporters have died after launching a hunger strike in October 2000 to protest the new high security jails.

The jails replaced dormitories housing dozens of prisoners with "F-type" cells housing up to three people -- a design which strikers and rights groups say leaves inmates isolated and more vulnerable to abuse. Esmer's statements came one week after 17 inmates ended their protest following the introduction of eased jailed conditions that authorized inmates to meet and socialize under certain conditions.

The IHD said 140 prisoners continue to starve themselves as part of a protest that has claimed almost 100 lives. In addition to the 45 people who have starved to death, four people died after setting themselves on fire in a show of solidarity with the strikers.

Four more died when police raided a house holding hunger strikers. And 30 prisoners were killed in December 2000 when police raided 20 prisons across Turkey in an effort to quell the protest.

3. - AFP - "Amnesty asks Turkish court for permission to reopen office":

ISTANBUL

Amnesty International has asked a court in Turkey to grant it permission to reopen an office there after a 22-year absence, officials from the human rights organisation said Wednesday.

Since last May, the international human rights organisation has been seeking permission for local representation and has now taken its case to the Council of State, the highest administrative tribunal.

"Three ministers have apparently refused to sign a declaration authorising the activities of our organisation, which has held up the process," Amnesty

International spokesman Levant Korkut told AFP.

In November, after a long administrative process, the request to open the office was rejected, prompting Amnesty officials to seek legal action. Amnesty International spokeswoman, Ozlem Dalkiran, said the organisation remained "optimistic but realistic" about its chances, adding there was still hope for a political resolution.

Amnesty International was forced to close its office in Turkey after a parliamentary coup in 1980. Since then, the organisation has accused Turkish authorities of systematically abusing and torturing people during detention. It claimed as recently as last November that detainees were regularly blindfolded during interrogation to prevent identification of their torturers.

As well, Amnesty has criticised Turkey for its treatment of its Kurdish population. But with Turkey now a candidate for membership of the European Union, Amnesty International believes the time is right for it to reopen an office.

4. - BBC - "Turkey claims progress on rights":

Turkey's human rights record is under close scrutiny

Turkey has pledged to respect European norms of detention in its mainly Kurdish southeast and may allow Amnesty International to operate in the country again.

Ankara says that in southeastern provinces under emergency rule it will now adhere to Article Five of the European Convention on Human Rights, which regulates detention rights. The article had been suspended in the provinces since 1990.

The Turkish foreign ministry said its latest move was "indicative of the progress achieved in the democratisation of our country and promotion of human rights".

Civil liberties have been severely restricted in the mainly Kurdish areas, where rebels have been pushing for autonomy from Ankara.

But fighting has subsided in the region since December 1999, when the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) said it would halt its armed campaign for Kurdish rights.

Turkey has moved to bring its laws into line with European standards in an effort to improve its chances of joining the European Union.

Turkey's Minister for Human Rights, Necat Arseven, has said Amnesty International will be allowed to set up a branch in Turkey again. But the BBC's Jonny Dymond in Istanbul says it may not be a formality, as any minister in the Turkish cabinet can veto the application.

Rights abuses condemned

Amnesty is now seeking formal permission to reopen an office in Turkey after a 22-year absence. In its report for 2001, Amnesty sharply criticised Turkey for its human rights record, saying torture was widespread.

It said there were numerous reports of torture and ill-treatment. Many of the victims were political activists, including supporters of leftist, pro-Kurdish and Islamist groups.

"The most frequently reported methods included severe beatings, prolonged blindfolding, suspension by the arms or wrists, electric shocks, sexual abuse and food and sleep deprivation," Amnesty said.

More than 40 Turkish prisoners have died in a hunger strike by leftist inmates pushing for better prison conditions.

They are protesting at the government's policy of moving inmates from large dormitories housing up to 100 people to small cells for up to three people. They say the cells make them isolated and vulnerable to abuse by guards. But the government says that the large halls were virtual training camps for militants and a breeding ground of riots.

In October, Turkey adopted a package of constitutional reforms aimed at conforming with European Union democracy standards. Amnesty has urged the EU to monitor the state of Turkish human rights.

5. - AP - "Turkish premier rules out education in Kurdish":

ANKARA

Premier Bulent Ecevit said Wednesday that Turkey would not give in to demands for Kurdish language education in the nation's schools, underlining his hard-line stance on the divisive issue. Hundreds of people have been detained in recent weeks for submitting petitions supporting optional Kurdish language courses in schools and universities.

"No concessions are possible on education," Ecevit said in response to a question about demands for Kurdish classes. "We've made this clear at every opportunity."

The National Security Council on Tuesday characterized the Kurdish language campaign as "separatist activities . . . directed by a terrorist organization."

Ecevit's government has accused Kurdish rebels from the Kurdistan Workers Party, or PKK, of orchestrating the campaign. PKK guerrillas killed more than 100 teachers in the early 1990s to prevent Kurdish children from learning Turkish in southeastern Turkey, where the rebels seek autonomy. Turkey does not recognize its estimated 12 million Kurds -- about 20 percent of the population -- as a minority and contends that Kurdish education could divide the country along ethnic lines.

The government also says that allowing Kurdish education would be giving in to the demands of the Kurdish rebels, whose 15-year war for autonomy resulted in some 37,000 deaths.

The European Union has urged Turkey to grant greater cultural freedom to Kurds, including the right to education in their own language. Turkey is seeking membership in the 15-nation bloc.

The Foreign Ministry said Wednesday that Turkey was ready to reapply an international human rights charter protecting the rights of people detained under emergency rule in four provinces of the largely Kurdish southeast.

Turkey announced in 1990 that Article Five of the European Convention on Human Rights, which guarantees detainees the right to immediate information about the charges and a swift trial, didn't apply in the conflict region.

Ministry spokesman Huseyin Dirioz said amendments to Turkey's constitution last year reduced police detention of suspects to four days. The changes brought Turkish law in line with European standards and removed the need to exempt the southeast from the rights convention, he said.

6. - Turkish Daily News - "EU to monitor the political struggle for two more months":

President Sezer seen to be the best Western ally by the EU Swedish Deputy Prime Minister Lena Hjelm-Wallen expresses concerns regarding the way that Turkey handled the issue of petitions for Kurdish education

SAADET ORUC

Puzzled by the difficulties related to the mini reform package, the representatives of the EU member states in Ankara have decided to wait and see for two months for the end of the political struggle in the Turkish capital.

In the midst of the political struggle, President Ahmet Necdet Sezer is seen to be the best ally of the West in Ankara by EU circles in regard to the improvement of democracy in the country.

Defining the ongoing debate within the government and the Turkish society as "a necessary and a healthy one," an EU ambassador said that it was a normal democratic process.

Steps planned to be taken for the progress of human rights and democracy in Turkey are faced with the barriers put up by the Nationalist Movement Party (MHP).

Reminding that there were two more months until the time is up for the fulfillment of the political criteria, the ambassador stated that they would wait for the end of the debate in Parliament, when they think that a modification on the package will be possible.

The attitude of the Turkish authorities against the petitions given for educating in the Kurdish language is, on the other hand, commented by the same diplomat, to be a clear sign that the EU's understanding of laws is different from Turkey's.

Another EU official, in addition, says that they have been very much looking forward to Turkey fulfilling the political criteria by March 19, when the time limit for the completion of the short term criteria will be over.

Emphasizing the need for less publicity, most of the EU officials say that the final decision of Parliament is important.

The EU has asked Turkey to make the necessary amendments for the improvement of the freedom of thought and expression, particularly to change Articles 312 and 159 of the Turkish Penal Code (TCK) and Articles 7 and 8 of the Anti-terrorism Law.

Swedish Minister expresses concerns

Swedish deputy prime minister Lena Hjelm-Wallen, who paid a visit to Ankara, expressed concerns regarding the way that Turkey had handled the issue of the petitions for Kurdish education.

Diplomatic sources say that the EU found the Turkish attitude against the petitioners to be astonishing and disappointing.

The Swedish deputy prime minister, who met with Deputy Prime Minister Mesut Yilmaz on Tuesday, met with Kamran Inan, the head of the parliamentary commission on foreign affairs on Wednesday.

Inan told the Swedish official that Turkey was doing its best to reach the EU standards of human rights. Inan also referred to the years of struggle by Turkey against terrorism.

The visiting deputy prime minister met with the representatives of the human rights associations at a lunch and asked the details of the trial opened against the pro-Kurdish People's Democracy Party (HADEP).

Yusuf Alatas, the attorney of the imprisoned Democracy Party (DEP) deputies and a member of the Human Rights Association (IHD), told her that probably on March 1, the party would be closed.

The Swedish deputy prime minister left Ankara late in the afternoon on Wednesday.

7. - Turkish Daily News - "ANAP leader Yilmaz: Education in Kurdish out of the question":

Deputy Prime Minister and leader of the junior coalition Motherland Party (ANAP) Mesut Yilmaz said on Wednesday that education in Kurdish was not possible.

"Turkey's education and official language is Turkish. Education in Kurdish is used as a trap by some circles who are aiming at blocking Turkey's development," Yilmaz said.

The ANAP leader stated that Turkey hadn't pledged Kurdish courses in schools to the European Union. Yilmaz also warned his party members not to join forces with those demanding Kurdish lessons in schools. Yilmaz's harsh reaction to the demands for education in Kurdish came a day after the National Security Council (MGK) meeting.

"In the light of intelligence and security reports, the MGK has reviewed the precautions taken or to be taken against the separatist activities, especially directed by the terrorist organization on education in a language other than Turkish," the MGK has said. Education in Kurdish and petitions demanding elective courses in Kurdish have become a hot issue on the domestic scene. The State alleges that it is a new strategy of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK).

Yilmaz warns his coalition partner, MHP Meanwhile, ANAP leader Yilmaz warned his coalition partner, the Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) about its manner in the mini reform package. Coalition partners are at odds on the issue, causing a delay in passing the adaptation laws.

Yilmaz said that the adaptation laws are vague and cannot fulfill the expectations of the EU during Turkey's membership to the union process. Addressing his partner, Yilmaz said that they had to achieve some improvement in the adaptation laws.

"We have to make the most of our time. We have to find a formula to which our partners would also agree on, and this formula should be close to our goals," Yilmaz added.

8. - Sabah - "Don't fall for this trap":

Columnist Gungor Mengi writes on the petition drive for education in Kurdish. A summary of his column is as follows:

The National Security Council (MGK) has stated that the petition drive for education in Kurdish was directed by the PKK. The petitions asking for education in Kurdish were aimed at universities at first, but later spread to secondary and primary schools. The reaction of the state was to reject the petitions and to take those participating in the dive into custody.

However, it would have been much better to respect the right to circulate but to respond to them with a few sentences saying that what hey were asking for was against the law. The PKK has pushed this cause knowing full well that the state is not ready to grant such a right. In the National Programme presented to

the EU, it was stated that Turkish was the official and educational language but also pointed out that there was no obstacle to use a different language in daily life with the condition that it wouldn't be used for secessionist purposes.

This is a game of chess. The suspicion that the drive is aimed at dividing Turkey up is a correct one. However, we mustn't lose sight of the drive's real goal is not

'Education in Kurdish' but rather luring Turkey into a trap. The PKK will consider itself successful when students and their parents are arrested. Then it will exploit their situation and try to find supporters abroad to apply foreign pressure on the country.

We hope to hear that the MGK has seen through this ploy, and that it has proposed a more moderate, flexible approach to the government. Toughness does not necessarily show determination.