‘Allegations of Abduction/Disappearance Left Unanswered’

* It is alleged that people are abducted with VW Transporters

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We have talked to Osman İşçi and Sebla Arcan from the Human Rights Association (İHD) about the "allegations of abduction/ disappearance" made in a number of provinces, particularly in Ankara.

Secretary General of the İHD Osman İşçi, who registers the applications made by the families himself, has stated that in order to eliminate these allegations, "the state authorities should conduct a transparent investigation, regardless of whether it is an application by the İHD or not, should announce the result of the investigation and, if there is a negligence, it should launch a legal and administrative investigation and conduct an effective investigation."

Families applied to İHD and Prosecutor's Office

The families of Yasin Ugan and Özgür Kaya, who were allegedly kidnapped in the capital city of Ankara, and family of Salim Zeybek, who disappeared in Edirne, have both applied to the Prosecutor's Office and the İHD.

Referring to the three cases, Osman İşçi has stated that they made their applications to the Human Rights Commission of the Parliament as well as the United Nation (UN) Committee on Enforced Disappearances; however, they have not obtained any results yet.

Two people found in detention in Ankara

Sebla Arcan from the İHD İstanbul Branch's Commission Against Disappearance in Custody has also stated that two separate applications were made to the association, adding that they have found two people who also allegedly disappeared in Ankara:

"Two people were taken into custody, it was denied for 15 days that they had been detained. Two families appealed to us, one of the families made a statement for the press, the other family wanted to remain anonymous.

"Around 15 days later, we learnt that they were being held in a sports complex in Ankara and we informed the families."

What was the answer to the applications?

Speaking about the applications made to the Human Rights Commission of the Parliament and the UN Committee on Enforced Disappearances, Secretary General İşçi has said,

"Unfortunately, we can either receive no answers [to our applications] or a single-sentence answer of 'Examination has been conducted'. In other words, we have received no satisfying response.

"In fact, the state authorities have a double obligation in this context: One of them is non-violation and the other one is the prevention of violation.

"The trueness of the allegations aside, it is very concerning that in 2019, families are still worried that their loved ones can be disappeared, they think that someone is indeed disappeared and such allegations do exist."

"It is not a return to 90s, but violations on increase"

In response to our question regarding whether these allegations have any similarities with the enforced disappearances in the 1990s, İşçi has said,

"Even though there is not a return to the 90s, violations are still on the increase. Considering that there are other violations of freedom of expression and freedom of assembly and demonstration, it would not be surprising in the existing climate that the right to life might also be violated."

(AS/SD)