Act Now, Cease Trying Children With Terror Charges

Rights activists in Istanbul, Adana, Ankara, Cizre and Diyarbakır sent letters to authorities today, demanding the immediate release of children who are tried with terror charges and that the principles of the juvenile justice system are put on to practice.

PM Ufuk Uras, women's rights activist Pınar Selek and conscientious objector Mehmet Tarhan were among the 20 people who gathered in front of the Taksim post-office in Istanbul.

Reading the press statement on behalf of the Justice For Children Initiative, performance artist Zeynep Tanbay urged the government to make sure all children are tried in special courts designed in this respect, rather than in criminal courts. "Counter Terrorism Law and the Penal Code should be amended in order to guarantee international standards in juvenile justice."

Around 40 NGOs support the initiative. In Diyarbakır, mayo Osman Baydemir and MP Gültan Kışanak supported the event.

The letters including the demands of the activists were sent to these people:

President Abdullah Gül, PM Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, Parliament's chair Köksal Toptan, Parliamentary Committee on Monitoring Children's Rights chair Cevdet Erdöl, Parliamentary Commission on Human Rights chair Zafer Üskül, Minister on Human Rights Cemil Çiçek, Minister of Justice Mehmet Ali Şahin, social services department general manager İsmail Barış.

During a recent visit to the parliament by rights activists, ruling Justice and Development Party officials as well as main opposition Republican People's Party officials promised to bring those demand to agenda. Responding a motion by DTP MP Selahattin Demirtas, Minister of Justice Mehmet Ali Sahin revealed that 724 children have been accused by terror charges in 2006 and 2007, as defined at the Counter Terrorism Law.   

319 among those were tried in Diyarbakır courts, focus of Kurdish unrest in Southeastern Turkey.

Another 422 children were tried with the Article 220 of the Penal Code during the same period, which penalizes "organizing to commit crime." Yet another 413 children were accused of "membership to armed organizations", as defined in Article 314 of the Penal Code.

In 2006, the government had introduced a change in the Counter Terror Law, which enabled courts to try children aged between 15 and 18 as adults. In the same year, the Court of Cassation made a leading ruling, deeming participation in an protest as legal proof for "membership to the organization" calling for the protest. As a result, hundreds of children are tried with membership to the PKK, while activists condemn the situation as being against international standards.(EÜ/AGÜ)

List of involved NGOs are as follows:

Aileler, Ankara Barosu, Amargi Kadın Akademisi, Başak Kültür ve Sanat Vakfı, Berfin Yoksullukla Mücadele Derneği, Çağdaş Hukukçular Derneği Van Şubesi, Cizre Esnaf ve Sanatkarlar Odası, Cizre Şoförler Odası, Cizre Üniversiteliler Derneği (CÜDER), Çocuklar Aynı Çatı Altında Derneği (ÇAÇA), Çocuk Çalışmaları Birimi (ÇOCA), Dives Cizre Temsilciliği, Diyarbakır Barosu, Diyarbakır Büyükşehir Belediyesi Çocuk Müdürlüğü, Diyarbakır Göç-Der, Diyarbakır Sarmaşık Yoksullukla Mücadele ve Sürdürülebilir Kalkınma Derneği, Eğitim Sen Genel Merkezi, Eğitim-Sen Cizre Şubesi, Gündem Çocuk: Çocuk Haklarını Tanıtma, Yaygınlaştırma, Uygulama ve Uygulamaları İzleme Derneği, Irkçılığa ve Milliyetçiliğe Dur De Girişimi, İnsan Hakları Derneği, İnsan Hakları Gündemi Derneği, İstanbul Çocuk Hakları Aktivistleri Grubu, İzmir Çağdaş Hukukçular Derneği, KESK Şırnak Şubesi, MEM U ZİN Kültür Merkezi, Mazlum-Der, Mazlum-Der İstanbul Şubesi, Mazlum-Der Van Şubesi, Özgürlüğünden Yoksun Gençlerle Dayanışma Derneği (Öz-Ge Der), Sendika.Org, Sosyal Hizmet Uzmanları Derneği Genel Merkezi ve Tüm Şubeleri, Şırnak Barosu, Şırnak Kadın Derneği (Şar-Der), Şırnak Gençlik Çalışma Grubu (Genç-der), Şırnak Tabipler Odası, Travma Çalışmaları Enstitüsü, Tutuklu ve Hükümlü Aileler Demokratik Dayanışma Derneği (TUHAD-DER), Türkiye İnsan Hakları Vakfı (TİHV), Türkiye Barış Meclisi, Türkiye Çocuklara Yeniden Özgürlük Vakfı Ankara Şubesi, Türkiye Gençlik Federasyonu, Türk Tabipleri Birliği Merkez Konseyi (TTB), Vakit Geldi Girişimi, Van Barosu.