DECLARATION ON THE OPERATION ON HUNGER STRIKERS

The assessment and demands of the Human Rights Association of Turkey on
the operations on hunger strikers in prisons is as follows:

1. HRA qualifies these operations as a planned mass murder. As a result
of the operation, at least 20 hunger strikers and 2 gendarme officers
have been killed, and hundreds of prisoners have been injured. The
Interior Ministry stated that the operation was planned a year ago.
2. HRA firmly declares that the conditions surrounding the operation,
the way that the operation is carried out, and the attacks on the NGOs
and the relatives of the prisoners suggest state terrorism.
3. HRA holds strongly the opinion that the costs of the government’s
insistence on F-Type prisons stems not from the position of the hunger
strikers but from the National Security Council’s and the government’s
approach to the law enforcement system, who argue that the problem in
prisons is to establish the “state’s authority in prisons”. However,
what they call “the state authority” cannot be established under
conditions of gross human rights violations and totalitarian measures.
4. We also accuse the government for disinformation both internally and
internationally on many accounts. For instance, the government claims
that the F-Type prisons were supported by international NGOs and by the
CPT to suggest that there could be no changes in the construction; and
that the prisoners and national NGOs opposing the isolation policies in
fact want to keep the prison system as it is to prevent any constructive
dialogue.
5. HRA cannot endorse the claim that the prisoners blocked the
negotiations as the point where the dialogue stopped was when the
prisoners wanted assurance against isolation. At that point, no NGO or
professional organisation could give assurance as the government has not
kept its promises on any subject related to human rights. More
specificly, whereas the 1996 death fast ended on the basis of assurances
on the demands of the prisons including most importantly proper medical
treatment of hunger strikers and trial of the officers perpetrating the
murders in previous operations in prisons, these promises were not kept,
and those responsible for further murders in operations in prisons have
not yet appeared before the courts.
6. HRA qualifies the F-type prisons as isolation prisons and as utterly
contradictory to human rights standards, and made various negotiations
with the authorities for revisions. However, the authorities reject any
revision, arguing that the National Security Council was vehemently
supporting this type of prisons.
7. At the moment, the prisoners have been transferred to the F-type
prisons, thereby breaking the promise given by the Justice Minister on
December 9 and forcing more prisoners into hunger strike. Furthermore,
there is no way for the families, lawyers and human rights activists to
verify the situation of the prisoners from stormed prisons, and to visit
the prisoners at hospitals. The lawyers and families are not allowed to
monitor the autopsy procedures.
8. At this point, the HRA declares that they cannot have any hopes on
positive steps on human rights by the government, that they have no
thrust in the government, that thus they cannot continue their
communication with the government on any point anymore.
9. We call on the intergovernmental bodies, most importantly the CPT, to
conduct a visit to Turkey immediately.
10. We call on the UN Commission on Human Rights to take human rights
problems in Turkish prisons in its agenda, and make a resolution on the
issue.
11. We call on the UN Rapporteurs on Torture and on Extrajudicial
Executions to communicate with the Turkish government with a view to
hold a mission on prison operations.
12. We call on the international human rights NGOs, including the
Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch and the FIDH, to form a
mission to collect information on spot and to mediate between the
government and the civil society to stop more killings, to assure the
families of their real situation, and to remind the government to
implement their obligation to allow lawyers to see their clients and to
monitor the autopsy procedures.
We will submit the translation of our report of findings and
observations on hunger strikes and operations soon.

arch/ive/ief (2000 - 2005)