‘At least 3 thousand 291 people’s right to life violated in Turkey in 2020’

Click to read the article in Turkish / Kurdish

"2020 was a year which was marked by serious violations of right to life and other rights due to the violence-oriented policies pursued in the regional policies, especially in addressing the Kurdish Question."

The Human Rights Foundation of Turkey (TİHV) has released its annual report on the violations of rights committed in Turkey in 2020.

The 356-page report, prepared by Eylem Yıldızer, Cihan Deniz Zarakolu and Coşkun Üsterci, has listed the violations of rights that happened in the country last year. According to the report, the right to life of at least 3 thousand 291 people was violated in Turkey in 2020.

68 children died in occupational homicides

The TİHV report has indicated that at least 2 thousand 427 people, including 68 children, lost their lives in occupational homicides last year. Among the deceased workers were also at least 101 people who were in the status of a refugee, asylum seeker or migrant in Turkey.

'Violations stem from impunity'

The report of the Foundation has stressed that "the most important cause of these violations is the failure to carry out an effective investigation and prosecution and that most of the cases end in impunity."

The Human Rights Foundation of Turkey (TİHV) has emphasized that "when the sentences given in the trials are considered, it is seen that the related sentences are disproportionate to the nature and consequences of the violation and they are far from being deterrent."

Deaths, injuries, executions

Some of the violations listed in the report are as follows:

• In the operations and air operations carried out by security forces in Turkey, Iraqi Kurdistan Regional Government and Syria and in the attacks that occured in these regions in 2020, at least 129 soldiers, 11 police officers, 4 village guards, 37 civilians, 311 militants died; 146 soldiers, 3 police officers, 3 village guards, 37 civilians were wounded.
• It has been detected that in 23 separate incidents that occured throughout 2020,15 people, including 3 children, died and 13 people, including 3 children, were injured as a result of extrajudicial executions, stop warnings, random shootings, being driven to suicide as a result of sexual assault and police raids.
• In four separate incidents, 1 child died and 3 people, including 2 children, were injured due to land mines and unclaimed explosives.
• In two separate incidents identified to be caused by the vehicles of police or gendarmerie in 2020, 2 children lost their lives and 1 child was wounded. Both incidents happened in operation zones.
• The number of people who lost their lives in a suspicious manner after being detained was 1. 1 person was wounded in the same incident. (In Van's Çatak, soldiers threw Osman Şiban and Servet Turgut from a helicopter on September 11, 2020. Servet Turgut lost his life at the hospital where he was being treated.)
• In 2020, at least 23 people suspiciously died and at least 25 people were wounded while doing their mandatory military service.
• It has been detected that 5 people were executed by illegal organizations in 3 separate incidents.

Torture and other forms of ill treatment

• In at least 140 incidents, at least 404 people were subjected to torture and other forms of ill treatment and at least 86 people were injured. 22 of the 139 incidents happened during house raids, 86 happened in open spaces and 31 occurred in official detention centers.
• In 1 incident, 1 person doing his mandatory military service was subjected to torture and other ill treatment. In 109 of the 140 cases, the perpetrators or torture and other ill treatment were police officers. While soldiers were the perpetrators in 13 incidents, neighborhood wardens were the perpetrators in 10 incidents, municipal police/ private security guards in 7 incidents and the village guard was the perpetrator in one of these incidents of torture and other ill treatment.
• In at least 19 incidents, people were subjected to the pressure and threats of the people who introduced themselves as police/ intelligence officers and forced them to become agents.
• As the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic was addressed as a security problem, rather than a public health problem, several people were subjected to the violence, torture and other ill treatment of the law enforcement on the street on a series of grounds such as the failure to abide by the curfews declared as part of the outbreak measures, to wear masks, to keep their social distance.

Trustees to municipalities

• The Co-Mayors of 16 municipalities of the Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP) were replaced with trustees by the Ministry of Interior; while 4 of these municipalities were provincial municipalities (Batman, Siirt, Iğdır, Kars), 8 were district and 4 were town municipalities.
• Mayors from the Republican People's Party (CHP) were removed from office by the Ministry of Interior in 1 province (Yalova) and 2 districts (Erdek and Menemen). The certificate of election of a mayor in 1 district (Ceyhan) was cancelled by the Supreme Election Council (YSK) becayse there was a final prison sentence against him or her.
• NOTE: From March 31, 2019, when the last local elections were held in Turkey, to December 31, 2020, trustees were appointed to 47 HDP municipalities (3 metropolitan municipalities, 5 provincial, 32 district, 7 town municipalities) and to 1 CHP municipality.
• In 1 province and 2 districts, mayors from the CHP were removed from office but no trustees were appointed in their place.
• 34 of the mayors/ co-mayors elected on March 31 were arrested; 14 mayors/ co-mayors are still arrested. Moreover, 7 municipal council members in 3 provinces and 9 provincial municipal council members in 2 provinces were removed from office.

Freedom of assembly, expression

• In 2020, 2,104 people were arrested with physical violence in protests and demonstrations; at least 65 people were wounded, 9 people, including 1 child, were arrested.
• 100 people were released on probation, 77 people were released with an international travel ban. At least 335 people were fined at least 790,490 TRY for "not abiding by the COVID-19 measures" during the meetings and demonstrations that they attended.
• At least 616 people were detained due to their social media posts; 11 people were arrested, 16 people were released on probation, 1 person was released with an international travel ban.
• Investigations were launched against at least 147 people due to their social media posts. In the 12 court cases filed over social media posts, 5 people were sentenced to 20 years, 4 days in prison in total and 3 people were acquitted of the offenses charged.
• In 2020, at least 24 people were taken into custody on charge of "insulting the President"; 2 people were arrested on this charge.

(RT/SD)