11.03.2008 - Source: US Department of State

Case of 11 corpses discovered in the city of Kulp in 2004 still not opened ("Country Report on Human Rights Practices 2007") [ID 22802]

"At year's end the military had not opened a case in the matter of 11 corpses discovered near the town of Kulp, Diyarbakir Province, in late 2004. In February 2006 the Forensic Medicine Institute used DNA matching to confirm that the corpses belonged to villagers who disappeared after detention in 1993."

Document(s): Open document

06.03.2007 - Source: US Department of State

No reports of politically motivated disappearances in 2006 ("Country Report on Human Rights Practices 2006") [ID 19024]

Document(s): Open document

25.02.2004 - Source: US Department of State

Government continues investigation of reported disappearences ("Country Reports on Human Rights Practices - 2003") [#19741],  [ID 14501]

"There were no reports of politically motivated disappearances.

There were no developments in the 2002 disappearance of Coskun Dogan or the 2001 disappearance of HADEP officials Serdar Tanis and Ebubekir Deniz.

The Government continued to make efforts to investigate and explain some reported disappearances. The Ministry of Interior operated the Bureau for the Investigation of Missing Persons, which was open 24 hours a day. According to the Government, eight persons were reported missing during the year due to suspected terrorist activities. Four missing persons were located during the year; three were found alive, and one dead."

Document(s): Open document

21.06.2003 - Source: Schweizerische Flüchtlingshilfe

Generelle Verbesserung; Fall Siddik Kaya ("Zur aktuellen Situation - Juni 2003 ") [#14557],  [ID 14502]

"In diesem Bereich ist es im Vergleich zu Vergangenheit zu einer klaren Verbesserung der Situation gekommen. Zu erwähnen ist der oben genannte Fall von Siddik Kaya, welcher seit dem Monat November 2002 als vermisst galt. Er erhielt damals einen Telefonanruf von ei-nem Angehörigen der Gendarmeriestation von Varto und traf sich mit diesem bei einer Brü-cke. Bis zum Moment, in dem sein Leichnam gefunden worden ist, konnte sein Aufenthalts-ort trotz zahlreicher Interventionen nicht herausgefunden werden."

Document(s): Open document

25.11.2002 - Source: Amnesty International

Amnesty International - Urgent Action: ("Turkey - UA 340/02") [#9689],  [ID 14503]

Document(s): Open document

26.09.2002 - Source: Amnesty International

Amnesty International - Urgent Action: ("Turkey - UA 291/02") [#8701],  [ID 14504]

Document(s): Open document

15.04.2002 - Source: Council of the European Union

Netherlands delegation to CIREA: On cases of disappearance ("Note from the Netherlands delegation to CIREA: Official general report on Turkey, January 2002" Rf. 7838/02") [#7991],  [ID 14505]

"According to the IHD, there were two disappearances in the first nine months of 2001. The two
people in question were Serdar Taniş and Ebubekir Deniz, two local HADEP officials in Silopi on
the Iraqi frontier. On 25 January 2001 the two officials were summoned to the local jandarma on
25 January 2001 and have not been seen since. Following initial denials by the authorities that both
of them had actually reported to the jandarma station, it was later announced that they had been
there but had left after just half an hour. The HADEP leadership holds the jandarma responsible.
The case has now been brought before the European Court in Strasbourg and has also come to the
attention of the UN Special Rapporteur for Disappearances and Extra-Judicial Killings, who
happened to be visiting Turkey when the incident was in the news. Up until December 2001, there
had been no new developments with regard to these disappearances. In June 2001 the local office in
Şanliurfa of the Turkish human rights NGO, Mazlum-Der, reported that there had been another
disappearance.
In the first eight months of 2000, the Turkish human rights organisation IHD recorded 7
disappearances. In the same period in 1999 there had been 19. In previous (full) years there had
been 29 (in 1998) and 66 (in 1997). The UN Special Rapporteur on Disappearances and Extra-
Judicial Executions, Ms Asma Jihangir, visited Turkey in February 2001. It was the first time in ten
years that Turkey had allowed a UN Rapporteur with that portfolio to visit the country. One of her
preliminary conclusions was that there had been a considerable improvement in the area but that
vigilance was still required. The final report on her visit is due to be published in summer 2001.
Most disappearances have occurred in south-eastern Turkey. They are often linked to the jandarma
or MIT intelligence agency. The fact the next of kin were often not notified of their relative's arrest
plays a role. The fundamentalist Hizbullah also has some disappearances on its hands. Some
Hizbullah victims who had gone missing were found brutally murdered a few months later.
In November 1996 the Turkish Ministry of the Interior set up a special missing persons bureau. The
office, which is open 24 hours a day, makes monthly reports on cases of disappearances and has
made serious efforts to investigate such cases. In most of the disappearances investigated the office
found explanations which did not involve government authorities. Since 1996 the Turkish
government has investigated 425 missing persons cases. Of these, 88 were found alive, 18 were in
prison, 46 had died and 273 were still missing in early 2001.
Most families of persons who have disappeared hold the Turkish authorities responsible for the
disappearances and consequently do not contact them. Although members of the security forces are
in many cases allegedly responsible for disappearances, they are seldom or never prosecuted. The
human rights organisation IHD supports families of missing persons and reports on disappearances
to the Ministry of the Interior."

Document(s): Open document

27.03.2002 - Source: Amnesty International

Amnesty International - Urgent Action: ("Turkey - UA 92/02") [#6228],  [ID 14507]

Document(s): Open document

11.03.2002 - Source: Amnesty International

Amnesty International: ("Turkey - UA 71/02") [#5956],  [ID 14506]

Document(s): Open document