TO PUBLIC AND PRESS
In order to observe social incidents, which occurred during/after the funerals of 14 armed militants (who killed in an army operation) especially in Diyarbakır and other provinces of Turkey, and its results in scenes; as the executives of the Headquarters Human Rights Association (IHD) and its branches’ chairpersons, the President of Human Rights Foundation of Turkey (TİHV) and its executives of Headquarters and Representative Offices and Organization for Human Rights&Solidarity for Oppressed People’s (Mazlum-Der) executives of the Headquarters and branches we carried out investigations and interview with people in Diyarbakır during 2 days. Consequently; we think that sharing our following opinions (which we got via the investigations-interviews) with public will be useful.
- First of all; we state that we are worry and anxious for incidents and deaths of our citizens, because; there are 11 death citizens (including the one, whose situation is called as brain death) just only in Diyarbakır.
- We determined that security forces used excess and disproportionate violence against to demonstrators. Moreover; security forces members violated life rights of demonstrators because the members shot at demonstrators as a result; 7 citizens were killed. We demand that an investigation should be opened against state officers, who used violence arbitrary-disproportionate-excess manner so caused deaths-wounds, without delay and perpetrators should undergo a trial.
- Many citizens were taken into custody arbitrarily and most of them were arrested without considering any difference between children and adults. Actually, there are serious allegations and fact-findings about; citizens, who were detained, were subjected to excessive-systematic torture and ill treatments. We ask for the Government, which has arguments on “Zero” tolerance to torture, to inspect these allegations in an effective way.
- During the incidents local administrators, human rights organizations and other NGO’s were ignored and the public officers avoided from building dialogue with these organizations. Moreover; sometimes target language was used against these NGO’s and local administrators. We consider that detention of 3 executive members of syndicates is also related with this concept. We condemn the detention of the 3 executive members of syndicates. Should public administrators avoid such implementations/attitudes and improve cooperation opportunities with NGOs, it will make easier to calm social incidents down.
- The social incidents caused for occurring a serious tension and increasing uneasiness among regional people and general Turkey. There are responsibilities for each person and part of the society to build a right-minded manner, calm tension-uneasiness down. All people should diligently avoid provocative, escalator statements, attitudes and implementations.
- As it is seen, usage of violence caused for just increasing problems, deadlock and new sufferings. Usage of violence should be avoided in both expressing democratic reactions or demands and solutions of country problems particularly Kurdish issue. The first task, in this responsibility, belongs to particularly the Government and other public institutions. On the other hand; citizens also should avoid from violence. Actually; citizens should express their democratic reactions in a manner that does not turn into attack against private-public shops and harm other citizens-environment. Indeed, everybody should be careful about not to allow children, who subjected to serious social-psychological traumas, to join such social incidents.
- As human rights organizations, we will inform all competent/responsible authorities particularly the Government about our impression that we got through our inspections and interviews with Diyarbakır Governor, the Mayor of Diyarbakır Metropolitan Municipality and representatives of Extended Democracy Platform (Genişletilmiş Demokrasi Platformu). We will inform these institutions also about our results and opinions on what should be done for this social incident. We will inform authorities about the reports, which prepared by our Diyarbakır Branches, on this social incident. We will be persecutors of the subject.