13.06.2008 - Source: European Roma Rights Center

Sulukule / Istanbul: Roma population faces eviction and expropriation; Roma suffer from sub-standard housing conditions in new homes and face economic and cultural discrimination ("The Sulukule Affair: Roma against Expropriation") [ID 23643]

Document(s): Open document

04.01.2008 - Source: EurasiaNet

Roma community Sulukule under threat of displacement due to reconstruction plans; municipality offered them new housings but 450 families who cannot afford them will be dislocated to outskirts North of Istanbul ("Plight of Istanbul Roma focuses attention on flawed urban renewal plans") [ID 21926]

Document(s): Open document

26.11.2007 - Source: European Roma Rights Center

Short report on the perception and status of Gypsies in society ("The Perception of Gypsies in Turkish Society") [ID 21928]

Document(s): Open document

06.11.2007 - Source: European Commission

Discrimination against Roma ("Turkey 2007 Progress Report [SEC(2007) 1436]") [ID 22427]

"No steps have been taken to amend the Law on foreigners residing and travelling in Turkey which contains discriminatory provisions on Roma, particularly as regards extradition. Turkey does not participate in the 2005-2015 Decade of Roma Inclusion.

Further to an April 2006 decision by the Council of Ministers, an urban renewal programme targeting "wrecked urban areas" is being implemented. In this context Roma neighbourhoods have been demolished in several provinces, in particular in Istanbul. Istanbul municipalities have taken no steps to provide shelter, basic sanitary facilities or other social and economic services for Roma people after the demolitions. Inhabitants of the Sulukule district in Istanbul and civil society organisations have applied to the Administrative Court of Istanbul to suspend the expropriations and evacuation of the district."

Document(s): Open document

15.11.2006 - Source: European Roma Rights Center

Istanbul: Roma families living in Nesislah and Hatice Sultan Romani neighbourhoods of Fatih District reportedly face forced evictions in September 2006 due to urban development plans ("Turkish Authorities Destroy Romani Neighbourhoods for Urban Development") [ID 18398]

Document(s): Open document

15.11.2006 - Source: European Roma Rights Center

Istanbul: Romani residents of Dolapdere neighbourhood reportedly attacked by approximately 200 young supporters of the PKK ("Romani Residents Attacked in Istanbul’s Dolapdere Neighbourhood") [ID 18399]

Document(s): Open document

15.11.2006 - Source: European Roma Rights Center

Hundreds of non-Roma attacked Romani family and burned several Romani homes in the East ("Racist Pogrom in Turkey") [ID 18400]

Document(s): Open document

08.11.2006 - Source: European Commission

Roma (amendments to the Law on Settlement; Roma population; Roma organisations) ("Turkey 2006 Progress Report") [ID 19714]

"As concerns the Roma, amendments to the Law on Settlement adopted in September 2006 repealed discriminatory provisions against the Roma.

However, discriminatory provisions remain in the Law on Movements and residence of aliens.

Recent research by the Bilgi University suggests the Roma population in Turkey is around two million. Roma experience discriminatory treatment in access to adequate housing, education, health and employment. There are frequent forced evictions. Urban regeneration projects of historical districts have led to displacing Roma population residing in those districts (i.e. Ankara-Çinçin, Zonguldak-Ere, Istanbul-Sulukule).

During the reporting period more Roma-led advocacy organisations and two Roma Federations were established. Several NGO projects were carried out aimed at capacity building of Roma organisations and establishing a clearer picture of the problems they encounter."

Document(s): Open document

10.10.2006 - Source: International Helsinki Federation for Human Rights

Non-recognized minority: Roma (history of Roma; over 500,000 Roma in the country) ("A Minority Policy of Systematic Negation") [ID 18255]

"It was in 1475 that Roma were registered for the first time on Ottoman territories. They were registered primarily for taxation purposes. The civil status of the Roma in the Ottoman Empire was rather complicated as they were differentiated not on religious, like the rest of the population, but rather on ethnic criteria. Nonetheless, it seemed that the status of the Roma in the Ottoman Empire was overall superior to the one of the Roma in Western Europe in the same time period.

Research and statistics about the Roma in Turkey are still limited. According to official records, there are over 500,000 Roma people living throughout Turkey. Most are sedentary and found in settlements in larger cities and towns but some are still nomads who follow pre-established itineraries across the country. The Roma in Turkey speak Romani that is strongly influenced by Turkish, Kurdish, and Greek words and expressions. The Roma in Turkey are either Muslims or Christians."

Document(s): Report
Press Release

10.10.2006 - Source: International Helsinki Federation for Human Rights

Discrimination against Roma by national legislation ("A Minority Policy of Systematic Negation") [ID 18452]

"[...] existing provisions in Turkish legislation do discriminate against Roma. The Settlement Act No. 2510 of 1934 deals with the right of foreign nations to settle in Turkey. Article 4 forbids settlement in Turkey to persons who have no ties with Turkish culture, anarchists, spies, Roma (“itinerant gypsies”) and persons deported from Turkey. Moreover, other Turkish legislation stipulates that nomads and Roma are to be settled in sites designated by the Ministry of Health and Social Assistance. This legislation that explicitly prevents Roma from entering Turkey as immigrants is an unambiguous form of discrimination on the part of the authorities."

Document(s): Report
Press Release

10.10.2006 - Source: International Helsinki Federation for Human Rights

Roma cannot legally claim they are targeted on the basis of their ethnicity ("A Minority Policy of Systematic Negation") [ID 18453]

"The fate of the Roma in Turkey is first and foremost jeopardized by the fact that the Roma are not formally recognized as a minority by Turkish authorities. This means that any of their attempts to organize culturally can be interpreted as acts against the Turkish state and punished accordingly. Similarly, this means that a Roma cannot legally claim they have been targeted on the basis of their ethnicity, meaning that “discrimination” can, in legal terms, not exist in Turkey with regard to Roma."

Document(s): Report
Press Release

10.10.2006 - Source: International Helsinki Federation for Human Rights

Social exclusion of Roma (Roma not welcome in public places; miserable housing conditions; violations of economic, social and cultural rights) ("A Minority Policy of Systematic Negation") [ID 18454]

"[...] Roma are subject to other forms of discrimination by both authorities and the public. While non-Roma typically do not outwardly display hostile discriminatory attitudes towards Roma, the European Roma Rights Center (ERRC) notes that “there is a definite divide between Roma and non-Roma” and many Turks regard Roma as second-class citizens. Thus, in some locations Roma are not welcome in public places, can often not find employment, have problems renting or buying accommodation, and have restricted access to medical care.

The miserable housing conditions in which many Romani communities live further illustrate the degree of social exclusion of Roma people in Turkey. Roma live in both registered and unregistered housing, the latter being in dramatically worse condition than the former. In many Roma communities across Turkey, the conditions are far from adequate: windows and doors are missing, hardly any homes have running water, indoor sanitary facilities and electricity, trash is littering the area, and makeshift shafts often replace real houses.

[...] Further instances of acute social exclusion, which amount to a variety of violations of economic, social and cultural rights of the Roma, include having difficulties accessing personal documents, which subsequently affects their ability to access social welfare, to medical care, and to legal marriage."

Document(s): Report
Press Release

10.10.2006 - Source: International Helsinki Federation for Human Rights

Roma and forced evictions ("A Minority Policy of Systematic Negation") [ID 18455]

"[...] Romani inhabitants of informal settlements are repeatedly being forcibly evicted by local authorities and by the police without adequate legal proceedings and without being provided alternative accommodations. According to the ERRC, some families have been evicted four or five times every year with a few days notice, meaning that they have to move every one or two months.

It is not unusual for these forced evictions to be accompanied by physical abuse by officials. The local authorities and the police are known to curse and to beat inhabitants of the housing blocks they are evacuating.

[...] On 9 February 2006, police undertook raids targeting Roma who were subsisting on scarp-iron collection in Kemikçiler quarter of the city of Edirne, northwest of Istanbul. The raids reportedly occurred after residents of Kıyık quarter in Edirne lodged a complaint about the Roma of Kemikçiler quarter, claiming that they were involved in burglary. Under the instruction of Security Director Hanefi Avcı, police raided the Kemikçiler quarter and also stopped two carriages leading towards the quarter. Police fired shots after Roma in the carriage ran away out of fear, killing one horse and heavily wounding the other as well as shooting someone on the foot. Police forces later surrounded the Kemikçiler quarter in anti-riot vehicles, firing shots in the air. During the raid, six Roma men, who allegedly took scrap-iron from Trakya University, were taken into custody and referred to the Edirne Public Prosecutor’s Office, questioned and arrested by court order for allegations of “qualified extortion, resistance to police authorities, and damaging state property.” Subsequently, six scrap-iron shops operating without a license were closed down by some thirty police officers.

Unfortunately, almost no cases of violence are been reported to authorities by Roma due to the fear of victims of reprisals for reporting such cases."

Document(s): Report
Press Release

10.2005 - Source: UK Home Office

Situation of the Roma ("Country Report - October 2005") [#40563],  [ID 13787]

"6.295 As recorded in the EC 2005 report the Roma population is estimated between 500,000 and 2,000,000.

“Legislation preventing Roma from entering Turkey as immigrants is still in force. Roma reportedly experience difficulties in accessing adequate housing, education, health and employment. During the past two years Roma-led advocacy organisations have been established in five Turkish cities. In cooperation with these organisations Istanbul’s Bilgi University has begun to conduct research aimed at mapping the exact number and location of Roma in Turkey and at establishing a clearer picture of the problems that they encounter.” [71e] (p37)"

Document(s): Open document

19.05.2005 - Source: International Helsinki Federation for Human Rights

Positive steps with regard to the situation of Roma ("Human Rights in the OSCE Region: Europe, Central Asia and North America, Report 2005 (Events of 2004)") [#32120],  [ID 13793]

"However, the government took positive steps with regard to the situation of Roma in 2004 by eliminating pejorative references to the members of this group in school text-books and state publications.

According to the Law on the Movement and Residence of Aliens, the Ministry of Interior is authorized to expel stateless and nonTurkish Roma as well as aliens “not bound by Turkish culture” (article 21). A regulation by the Ministry of Interior in October 2003 required the authorities to investigate whether an applicant for Turkish citizenship had any connection with “beggars or Gypsies”."

Document(s): Open document

15.02.2005 - Source: Council of Europe - European Commission against Racism and Intolerance

Roma communities in Turkey experience major difficulties due to social exclusion ("Third report on Turkey: Adopted on 25 June 2004 and made public on 15 February 2005 [CRI(2005) 5]") [#30573],  [ID 13795]

"83. ECRI is concerned to learn that the situation of the Roma in Turkey remains largely unchanged. The authorities have not, it appears, carried out any research to determine the actual situation of the Roma in Turkey and official information on this subject is lacking. According to the European Roma Rights Center, however, the Roma communities in Turkey experience major difficulties due to social exclusion. They encounter discrimination in employment, housing and access to public places. They live in difficult conditions in camps from which they are often forcibly evicted without being offered alternative accommodation. There is inequality of opportunity in terms of access to health care, employment and also education, in that parents often cannot afford to send their children to school.

84. The Settlement Act No. 2510 of 1934 deals with the right of foreign nationals to settle in Turkey. Article 4 forbids settlement in Turkey to persons who have no ties with Turkish culture, anarchists, spies, Roma (“itinerant gypsies”) and persons deported from Turkey. The law also stipulates that nomads and Roma are to be settled in sites designated by the Ministry of Health and Social Assistance.

85. ECRI notes, however, some encouraging signs such as the decision to drop a pejorative definition of the term “cingene” (Gypsy) from a dictionary published by the Turkish Ministry of Education. The above-mentioned law on settlement is apparently being revised to delete the reference to “itinerant gypsies”. The authorities have further informed ECRI that they are looking into the situation with regard to the Roma but they are unable as yet to give details of any measures that might have been taken."

Document(s): Open document

25.02.2004 - Source: US Department of State

Edirne: 14-year-old Roma boy tortured with electric shocks ("Country Reports on Human Rights Practices - 2003") [#19741],  [ID 13799]

"Because the arresting officer was responsible for interrogating a suspect, officers sometimes resorted to torture to obtain a confession that would justify the arrest. In one example, the European Roma Rights Center reported that, in February, police in Edirne beat and tortured with electric shocks a 14-year-old Romani boy suspected of stealing a wallet (see Section 5)."

Document(s): Open document