The cases involve allegations of:
Two 'disappearances', death in custody, the destruction of homes and livestock.

Eshat AKTAS v. Turkey (Application Number 24351/94) 18th November 1990

Yakup AKTAS arrested in Derik - held in interrogation centre-doctors certificate of good health on 18th November- 7 days later, 25th Nov. - uncle notified of the death of Yahup Aktas - tight security at funeral - the autopsy has stated that it was not possible to ascertain the certain cause of death.

Koceri KURT v.Turkey (Application Number 24276/94)

Nov.1993 - village of Agilli, Diyarbakir Province, raid by the security forces - houses where the Uzeyir KURT, son of the applicant was staying was surrounded - he was taken into the custody of the soldiers Statement of the mother of the applicant states, (the next day) "...my son Uzeyir was in the yard. Eight or nine soldiers were keeping guard on him.....I saw swelling around my son's eyes, they had tortured him. He was also shivering from the cold...The soldiers drove me away ...saying "Go away from here before the Commander comes". I have not seen my son since that day".

Mehmet TIMURTAS V.; Turkey (Application Number 23531/94)

August 1993 - Abdulvahap Timurtas, son of applicant, taken into custody -arrest witnessed by villagers - severa petitions to authorities for information on whereabouts of son - authorities denied all knowledge of the applicant's son. Abdulvahap is stll missing.

Ramazan BEYAZ v. Turkey (Application Number 23530/94)

August 1993 - PKK village raid, Cumar, LICE District - vengeance attack by security forces - armoured cars, jeeps, tanks, armoured personnel carriers used - whole village of 60 houses destroyed -livestock killed.

Abdullah ALTUN v.Turkey (Application Number 24561/94)

Jan. 1994 - village raid, Akdoruk, Diyarbakir Province - 6 houses burned down by security forces - livestock killed and crops destoryed - some days later security forces return to village and the rest of the houses burned down.

It is argued that there is an administrative practice of non-respect for the rule of law in the State of Turkey and that these incidents are representative of this policy of repression against the Kurds by the State of Turkey.

The policy of repression continues.

The Working Group on Disappearances, Report 1994 stated that 74 new cases have been transmitted to the Government of Turkey, which represented a significant increase - almost half of all cases brought against Turkey - since 1990. (E/CN.4/1995.p74)

There are varying reports on the total number of villages evacuated and destroyed in the South-East of Turkey. The Minister of the Interior stated in December 1994 that since 1992 (under the present government) a total of 2,215 villages had been evacuated.. This figure is deemed low as it is estimated that over 3 million people have been internally displaced due to theGovernmental policy in place to combat 'terrorism'. For example, in the Autumn of 1994 - in a two month period - about a third of the villages in the province of TUNCELI were evacuated under severe military pressure and many of them were burned down and destroyed by the army. Thousands of families lost their homes.

The individual applicants were helped to take their grievances to Strasbourg by the Human Rights Association of Turkey and the Kurdish Human Rights Project in London. The Kurdish Human Rights Project has assisted over 300 individual applicants to bring complaints before the Commission involving allegations of arbitrary executions, indiscrimate killings, torture, rape, disappearances, attacks on freedom of expression by persecution and prosecution of lawyers, parliamentarians and jounalists.

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