Press Release: For Immediate Release - Tuesday 30 March 2006
Kurdish Human Rights Project
Contact Rochelle Harris on +44 (0)20 7405 3835
Four killed as tensions rise in Turkey
Four civilians have been killed and an estimated 500 wounded or detained, as violence spirals between Turkish authorities and civilians in Diyarbakir, Siirt and other Kurdish cities.
The situation in Diyarbakir is most volatile, having now been completely occupied by gendarme and police officers, who called in reinforcements from paramilitary and special commando forces. However, the violence has already spread to most other Kurdish provinces.
Four civilians are known to have been shot dead as Turkish security forces opened fire and used tear gas and truncheons on protestors. These included Abdullah Duran (9-years-old), Tarik Akkaya (20-years-old), Mehmet Isik (20-years-old) and Tarik Atakkaya (23-years-old), all believed to be of Kurdish origin. The shooting of a fifth civilian, Muhlis Ete (16-years-old), left him in critical condition in hospital yesterday.
An unknown number of civilians were taken into detention by police officers following early morning raids on their family homes today. There is grave concern for their welfare, including Nurettin Demirtas and Cihan Deniz, and another 250 detained at protests yesterday. Reports of the use of torture or ill-treatment in custody in fact increased during 2005 compared with previous years. There is also concern for human rights defenders in the region. Osman Baydemir, a well-known defender of Kurdish human rights and Mayor of Diyarbakir, has experienced harassment, during which his driver and car were attacked.
The funerals of four pro-Kurdish guerrilla fighters, which attracted thousands of mourners in Diyarbakir and Siirt, proved to be a flashpoint for the unrest; however tension has increased continuously since 2004.
Kurdish Human Rights Project is concerned at the escalating violence and has requested the international community’s urgent intervention. It is a chilling reminder of the violence which marred the region during the 1980s and 1990s.
Contact
Rochelle Harris, PR Officer, Tel: +44 (0)207 7405 3835
Kurdish Human Rights Project (KHRP)
11 Guilford Street
London WC1N 1DH
Tel: +44 (0)207 405-3835
Fax: +44 (0)207 404-9088
www.khrp.org rharris@khrp.org
Kurdish Human Rights Project is an independent, non-political human rights organization dedicated to the promotion and protection of the human rights of all people in the Kurdish regions. It is a registered charity, founded and based in London
To subscribe email rharris@khrp.org with 'Subscribe' in the subject line
To unsubscribe email rharris@khrp.org with 'Unsubscribe' in the subject line
 Top |
||
|
||
|
Kurdish Human Rights Project 11 Guilford Street London WC1N 1DH United Kingdom |
Photos: Diyarbakir Trial Ed Kashi Hasankeyf - Dean Bialek Web Design: © Manuella Martin 2002 |
Tel: 00 44 20 7405-3835
Fax: 00 44 20 7404-9088 khrp@khrp.org Registered Company No: 2922108 Registered Charity No: 1037236 |
