Turkey Regional Action Network

August 2011

(1) Turkey Blog Articles

a) In Istanbul, Forced Evictions of Citys Most Vulnerable http://blog.amnestyusa.org/iar/in-istanbulforced-evictions-of-citys-most-vulnerable/

This article highlights stories of families living in the neighborhood of Tarlaba in the district of Beyolu, Istanbul. They have been affected by forced evictions in the hands of Beyolu authorities. The population that is threatened with eviction is some of Turkeys most vulnerable populations, including Roma, Kurds and transgender women.

As the International Day of the Disappeared (August 30) approaches, TURKRAN would like to shed light on thousands of forgotten enforced disappearance cases in Turkey. In recent years, thousands of bodies were excavated in mass graves. However, the Turkish authorities have intentionally been destroying these mass gravesites without honoring the dead or properly investigating the incidences. Stay informed by following us on our Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/pages/AmnestyInternational-USA-Turkey-Regional-ActionNetwork/134561963283302

b) Justice for Hrant Dink: More Work to be Done http://blog.amnestyusa.org/europe/justicefor-hrant-dink-more-work-to-be-done/

The murder of Hrant Dink, a Turkeys Armenian journalist who was shot to death in January 2007, was sentenced to more than twenty years in prison. Nevertheless, a full investigation of the conspiracy that led to Dinks murder must be conducted.

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(2) URGENT ACTION: FAMILIES FACING FORCED EVICTION IN TURKEY According to the recent AI document, families of Istanbuls Beyolu district have been forcefully evicted under state sponsored projects to build high value housing. Those affected by this forced eviction are already marginalized populations. These include transgender women who have lived in the area for many

c) Turkeys Disappeared: The Pain of the Past and New Dangers http://blog.amnestyusa.org/waronterror/tur keys-disappeared-the-pain-of-the-past-andnew-dangers/

years, Roma people, as well as the Kurds who 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 Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (ICESCR), to which Turkey is a signatory, evictions may be carried out only as a last resort 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 any alternative housing and compensation for losses. Amnesty International needs your help with a petition writing campaign to call on the Turkish authorities to stop immediately forcefully evicting the residents of the Beyoglu 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 IMMEDIATELY in Turkish or your own language!

Please send a letter to: Mayor of Beyolu Ahmet Misbah Demircan Beyolu Belediyesi ihane Meydan Beyolu Istanbul Turkey Fax: +90 212 252 1100 Email: baskan@beyoglu.bel.tr Salutation: Dear Mr Demircan Minister of Interior dris Naim ahin T.C. ileri Bakanl, Bakanlklar Ankara Turkey Fax: +90 312 418 1795 Email: ozelkalem@icisleri.gov.tr Salutation: Dear Minister

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3) Turkey urged to pursue further prosecutions in Hrant Dink murder case Following the conviction of Ogun Samast for the murder of Hrant Dink on 19 January 2007, 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 Dinks murder. His murder was apparently committed with the tacit agreement of elements within the Turkish law enforcement agencies. Nevertheless, the case was never fully investigated. Hrant Dink, a Turkish citizen of Armenian origin, was known for being critical of the Turkish government over issues of Armenian identity and Turkeys stance on the massacres of Armenians in 1915. He

To ensure that the Beyolu authorities live up to their obligations under international law, please join us to write the following officials, asking them to suspend all forced evictions immediately and not to proceed until safeguards consistent with international human rights standards are in place, including a genuine consultation with the residents facing eviction, and that no evictions are carried out without adequate notice and remedies.

was the editor of the Agos newspaper and contributor 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 in Istanbul. In September 2010, the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) ruled that the Turkish authorities had failed to act on information they received that could have prevented Hrant Dink's murder and had failed to investigate the role of state officials in his death. Hrant Dinks colleagues at the Agos newspaper received death threats in 2011. Nevertheless, the Turkish authorities still neglected to investigate such incidences. As our previous blog articles repeatedly reported, Turkey has more journalists in jail than any other country in the world. In addition, any dissenting voices are still silenced by death threats and actual physical violence. As with previous Amnestys reports on Turkey, AI continues to call on the Turkish authorities 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-andupdates/turkey-urged-pursue-furtherprosecutions-hrant-dink-murder-case-201107-26