Interview Osman Baydemir

 

Lawyer and President of the IHD in Diyarbakir

 

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September 2000

 

How is the general situation of Human’s Rights in Turkey and especially in the Kurdish regions, since the cease fired ?

 

In general, there are still many problems in Turkey considering the Human’s Rights, and the associations for their defence face to numerous difficulties in their actions.

As for the Kurdish regions, we should know that all the villages have been destroyed. They have been burnt with fields, and a lot of Kurds are presently without resources and homeless. The main problems are provoked by the State policy about the Kurdish question. The cease fired had slightly improved the situation, but there is no positive step concerning the Human’s Rights.

Then, if we watch the practice of torture, nothing is better and we could even think that at the contrary, things are worse. As for the closing of associations, as it happened recently to the IHD office here, it shows the State position about this question. The President of IHD, Akin Birdal, is now imprisonned (NDLR: he has been released since).

The State system prevents any democratic steps, with all the juridical set that aimed to repress newspapers, especially newspapers of political parties, parties themselves, strikes... Speeches, opinions, and informations are too banned by laws.

 

 

What kind of relations you have with other European associations ? Do you work together ? And in general, which help do you wish from Europa ?

 

I tell you at first that the Human’s Rights question is an international problem and not only national. Then, the question of Human’s Rights in Turkey is not only a Turkish problem but an international one. It is something that we should replace in all the relations that have been developped by Turkey with European states, with strategic, military and economical aspects. Consequently, the Human’s Rights question and the democratic process in Turkey should become a European problem.

The claim of the Turkish Human’s Rights associations is that this country should be conformed to European standards. In Turkey, criterions are very low, because our system and the State. We would like now organize here a Human’s Rights defence with an international support. We have already some contacts with many associations in Europa, but indeed, my opinion is that this collaboration could be strenghen and should be strenghened. The Human’s Rights problem is international and could be resolved only with international pressures. It could be possible if we work together.

Hoowever we hope a better future for the Kurds and the Turks, last or soon. We prefer of course it happen sooner than later and fir that we need help from a lot of associations and from Europa. The entry of Turkey in the European Union is a main step.

Turkish republic must conform itself to democratical standards. It should respect the Copenhague criterions, and the only way to reach that aim is to enter in European Union. European citizens should too make pressure at first against their own leaders, for they care of the respect of the Union criterions by Turkey.

 

 

What do yout hink about the question of capital punishment in Turkey ?

 

The capital punishment, for being applied, should be accepted by the Parliament. Presently, 58 persons are condemned in Turkey (NDLR : since 1984, no capital punishment had been really applied). Of course we are for this reform, but fascist groups are against this evolution and use the Öcalan case for breaking it. A campaign had been started in Europaby Amnesty International and other associations for asking to Turkey the suppression of capital punishment and we thank them.

 

 

What action is presently the most important for you ?

 

The very bad situation of political prisonners, who are about 50 000. They are very frequently tortured and their conditions of life are inhuman. Today, we start a campaign asking especially they could be cured.For a lot of them can not go to the hospital and can not be even cured. But hundreds of prisoners suffer of serious diseases, cancers at a final stage, for example, and die without cure. 

We has made a list of people whose the case is serious and who need medical treatment. We want to work with many towns, like Antalya, Istanbul, Adana, for examining the most serious cases and obtaining they could be released. We want too that prisonners can go to the hospital or that physicians visit them, and we would like that European associations work with us to that aim, and support these prisonners and this campaign.

For the district of Diyarbakir, there is a meeting each month with different representatives and associations about violations of Human’s Rights. Reach month, we publish a reaport, unfortunately in Turkish and we could give it to the associations that would be interested.

 

Summary