Sinan TANRIKULU Lawyer, member of IHD

Vedat CENTIN Editor, Human Rights Association Bulletin

Pirozhan DOGRUL Member of the Board of IHD

Ozlem CETIN Member of the Board of IHD

Nehabat AKKOC Member of the Executive Branch, IHD

Haydar KILICOGLU President of the Education Union, Diyarbakir Branch

On 22 May, the offices of the Human Rights Association of Turkey (Diyarbakir Branch) were raided by police and members of Anti-Terror teams, documents and files in the office were seized, and a number of the members from the Board of the Human Rights Association were taken into custody.

Earlier the same day, between 9.30 amd 10.00am Advocate Sinan TANRIKULU was taken into custody while attending cases in the Diyarbakir State Courts (DGM). A short time later, around 11.00am Mahmut SAKAR was taken into custody also inthe State Security Court Building.

Later on inthe morning, at about 11.30an Nehabat AKKOC was taken from her home, in what has been described as a forceful manner, by members of the security forces.

Further reports state that the Education Union, Diuarbakir Branch, was also the subject of the raid and Haydar KILICOGLU was taken into custody.

The information states that the IHD office was searched and magazines, books, reports, and correspondence with other branches and other human rights organisations were seized by the security forces which comprised of members of the anti-terror teams. The homes of the members of the Board of Management were also searched.

The information received states that all of those taken into custody are being held in Diyarbakir Security Directorate, Anti-Terror Branch. There were no explanations given for the arrests.

The Human Rights Association (IHD) Diyarbakir had been raided in the past and some members of the Board of Management of the Human Rights Association were charged in 1994, for publishing reports of human rights violations. However, there had been no attacks on the offices on recent times.

The Kurdish Human Rights Project (KHRP) is concerned for the safety of those detained due the fact that, on previous occasins when lawyers and member of the IHD were detained, they were subjected to ill-treatment and torture. We requsted that you write/fax the Chief Prosecutor of the State Security Courts in Diyarbakir and the Ministry for Justice on their behalf, stating your concern.