11.03.2008 - Source: US Department of State

13 Hak-Par administrators sentenced ("Country Report on Human Rights Practices 2007") [ID 22971]

"On February 14, an Ankara court sentenced 13 Hak-Par administrators to imprisonment terms from six months to one year for distributing Kurdish-language invitations to a 2005 convention and speaking Kurdish during that convention. The court later converted nine of the sentences into monetary fines. The remaining four defendants received one year sentences. The defendants maintained that speaking in Kurdish is legal under the constitution and the European Convention on Human Rights."

Document(s): Open document

06.11.2007 - Source: European Commission

In February and April 2007 several members and executives of the Rights and Freedoms Party (Hak-par) were sentenced in two separate Court cases for having spoken Kurdish at party's general congresses. A Court case for the closure of Hak-par is pending. ("Turkey 2007 Progress Report [SEC(2007) 1436]") [ID 22426]

Document(s): Open document

07.2007 - Source: Human Rights Watch

Harassment and Prosecution of Kurdish Political Party Officials ("Human Rights Concerns in the Lead up to July Parliamentary Elections") [ID 24594]

"Kurdish political party leaders have been a particular target of prosecution for speech-related offenses, as well as of police raids and other harassment, in the lead up to the 2007 election period.

Turkish law requires that all political parties obtain at least 10 percent of the national vote in order to enter the parliament. In previous elections this threshold has resulted in the exclusion of a number of parties, including most notably Kurdish parties. On several occasions Kurdish parties have received a majority of votes in provinces in the mainly Kurdish-populated southeast and east of the country; in the 2002 elections, the Kurdish party DEHAP won the majority of votes in 13 provinces. However, their national vote has not been sufficient to pass the threshold and secure seats in parliament. In an effort to overcome this obstacle, in 2007 for the first time the pro-Kurdish Democratic Society Party (DTP) decided to bypass the 10 percent threshold by running independent candidates—in some areas in cooperation with other parties—in the general election.

During the past year, in the build-up to the general election, DTP officials in cities throughout Turkey, but especially in the southeast, have been repeatedly prosecuted for speech-related crimes such as “making propaganda for an illegal organization” (article 7/1 of the Law to Fight Terrorism and article 220/8 of the Turkish Penal Code) or “publicly praising a crime or criminal” (article 215 of the TPC). Such prosecutions were typically brought for public statements that mentioned the PKK and referred to its imprisoned leader Abdullah Öcalan with the formal and respectful title of “Mr” (sayýn).

Prosecutions of officials from the DTP, as well as another Kurdish party, the Rights and Freedoms Party (HAK-PAR), were also brought repeatedly under the Law on Political Parties for infringements of the prohibition on using languages other than Turkish in material published by the party, on banners, at political meetings, or to address public gatherings, or for using letters such as “w,” “q,” or “x” to indicate a Kurdish spelling and that do not exist in the Turkish alphabet. The following cases are typical:
• On February 14 the Ankara Court of First Instance No. 3 sentenced four former and current HAK-PAR executives to one year’s imprisonment for sending invitation letters and making speeches in Kurdish during a party congress, in violation of the Law on Political Parties (articles 81/c and 117), and eight others to six-month sentences commuted to fines. Former party chair Abdülmelik Fýrat had his one-year prison sentence commuted to a 29,200 Turkish Lira (TL) (US$22,600) fine for reasons of his advanced age. The case is currently under appeal.
• On February 26 the Ankara Heavy Penal Court No. 9 sentenced Ahmet Türk and Ayþe Tuðluk, respectively president and vice-president of the DTP, to 18- month prison sentences for the offense of using Kurdish in a leaflet prepared by the DTP Women’s Wing on March 8, International Women’s Day. They were also punished for “publicly praising a crime or criminal” for statements in the leaflet relating to Abdullah Öcalan. On March 6 Ahmet Türk was again sentenced to a six-month suspended sentence for “publicly praising a crime or criminal” for referring to “Mr” Abdullah Öcalan. The cases are currently under appeal. Both Türk and Tuðluk also face numerous other ongoing prosecutions for similar offenses.

Police raids on the offices of some local branches of the DTP have only added to the pressure on the party. From late February to early March 2007 several DTP premises in a number of provinces were raided by the security forces. Documents and computers were seized, party members and executives were arbitrarily detained, and some were later charged with speech- and language-related offenses such as those mentioned above."

Document(s): Open document

06.11.2003 - Source: Schweizerische Flüchtlingshilfe

Groups at risk (e.g. members of opposition parties, human rights activists, certain groups of women); inadequate implementation of political reforms (German) ("Asylsuchende aus der Türkei - Position der SFH") [#17802],  [ID 14337]

"Einer asylrelevanten Verfolgung können insbesondere Personen unterliegen, für die es aufgrund der mangelnden Umsetzung der Reformen im Menschenrechtsbereich, vor allem aber aufgrund des landesweiten Einflusses der unabhängig von der Reformpolitik agierenden Sicherheitsdienste samt deren informellen Netzwerken keine sichere interne Fluchtalternative gibt. [...]

1.2.1 Mitglieder der HAK-PAR

Führende und besonders aktive Mitglieder der HAK-PAR (Partei für Grundrechte und Freiheiten) müssen trotz legalem Parteistatus mit Repressionen bis hin zu Haftstrafen und Misshandlungen rechnen. [...]

1.5 ExilaktivistInnen

ExilaktivistInnen, die im Ausland von der türkischen Regierung überwacht werden und in die Türkei einreisen, müssen mit Verhaftungen rechnen. Zu prüfen ist, ob ausschliesslich subjektive Nachfluchtgründe vorliegen."

Document(s): Open document

21.06.2003 - Source: Schweizerische Flüchtlingshilfe

HAK-PAR (Partei für Grundrechte und Freiheiten, eine pro-kurdische Partei, die der PSK nahesteht) im Vorfeld der Wahlen mit der Schliessung bedroht, mehrere Mitglieder verhaftet und von der Polizei bedroht ("Zur aktuellen Situation - Juni 2003 ") [#14557],  [ID 14339]

"Wie die HADEP wurde auch die HAK-PAR (Partei für Grundrechte und Freiheiten, eine pro-kurdische Partei, die der PSK nahesteht) im Vorfeld der Wahlen mit der Schliessung bedroht, mehrere Mitglieder wurden verhaftet und von der Polizei bedroht.
Vorsitzender der HAK-PAR, die am 11. Februar 2002 gegründet wurde, ist der bekannte kurdische Politiker und ehemalige Abgeordnete Abdulmelik Firat. Er wurde schon zweimal verhaftet und der Staatsanwalt des Staatssicherheitsgerichts Diyarbakir stellte ihm in Aus-sicht, dass er wegen separatistischer Propaganda angeklagt werde.
Am 24. Dezember 2002 wurden Bayram Bozyel, der stellvertretende Vorsitzende der HAK-PAR in Diyarbakir, das Vorstandsmitglied Mehmet Eren und zwei weitere Mitglieder von der Anklage der Unterstützung der Sozialistischen Partei von Kurdistan (PSK) freigesprochen. Die Angeklagten sind am 12. Juni 2002 in Diyarbakir festgenommen und vier Tage lang un-ter Folter verhört worden. Alle ausser Mehmet Eren, welcher auch Vertreter der Zeitung "Dema Nu" ist, wurden am 17. Juni 2002 freigelassen. Mehmet Eren wurde erst am 24. Juni 2002 freigelassen.
Der stellvertretende Vorsitzende der HAK-PAR wurde vom Staatssicherheitsgericht Adana zu einem Jahr Gefängnis verurteilt, weil er bei einem Pressegespräch am 22. Januar 2002 in Mersin über die Rechtlosigkeit der KurdInnen und zu Gunsten einer demokratischen und friedlichen Lösung des Konflikts gesprochen hat."

Document(s): Open document

31.03.2003 - Source: US Department of State

HAK-PAR: charges that its program contained elements contrary to the "indivisible unity of the State and nation." ("Country Reports on Human Rights Practices - 2002") [#11861],  [ID 14338]

"The Rights and Freedoms Party (HAK-PAR), founded in February, faced closure on charges that its program contained elements contrary to the "indivisible unity of the State and nation." The case was pending at year's end."

Document(s): Open document

09.10.2002 - Source: European Commission

European Commission: HAK-PAR is facing a closure case ("2002 Regular Report on Turkey's Process Towards Accession") [#10217],  [ID 14340]

"The Rights and Freedoms Party (HAK-PAR),
which was founded in February 2002, is also facing a closure case on charges that its
statute and programme contain elements contrary to the “indivisible unity of the State and
the nation”."

Document(s): Open document