Fact Finding Mission Harassed

An IHD (The Human Rights Organisation of Turkey ) fact finding mission to Southeast Turkey is reported to have faced harassment during their visit to the region. In an urgent appeal yesterday the IHD calls for intervention for the release of detained local Rasim Acar.

Rasim Acar, Detained by Gendarmery at the Entry Point to Sirnak on 8 August 2001

The Human Rights Organisation of Turkey organised a mission to Beytusebap, Sirnak, on reports of tortured villagers, the eviction of villages and food embargo on some other villages on 8 August 2001. Participants to mission were executives of the HRA, including the HRA Vice General Chairman Osman Baydemir and the HRA Secretary General Feray Salman, as well as representatives of the Turkish Union of Chambers of Achitects and Engineers (TMMOB), Human Rights Foundation of Turkey (HRFT), Association for Human Rights and Solidarity with Oppressed People (Mazlum-Der), Confederation of Public Sector Unions (KESK) and Diyarbakir Democracy Platform. The mission was accompanied by Dogan and Ihlas News Agencies.

While the mission was able to conduct its work in Beytusebap, documenting the allegations on the basis of interviews and pictures, they were stopped at the entry gendarmery station to Sirnak, attached to a large gendarmery base, at about 9 pm. The gendarmery collected cameras and notes of the mission and the press, and banned the mission from using their phones until about 12.00 o'clock. The cases of lawyers in the mission were searched and the mission members were treated roughly, being threatened to obey the orders.

The gendarmery detained a young person, named Rasim Acar (18 year-old) who, after giving a witness statement to the mission, appealed to the mission to join them to go back to his home in Mersin, saying that he was threatened for giving a statement to them. Although the mission warned him that it may be a risk for him to travel with the mission, he insisted and

the mission agreed.

The gendarmery confiscated 20 video tapes, 19 music tapes and some handwritten notes, and released the 14 members of the mission, keeping the young person under detention. The video tapes contain his statement, putting him under risk.