Two new attacks, threatening social peace and democracy in the country, have occurred on Sept. 6, 2005. Workers that were gathering hazelnut in a bid to make their living out of it in northern Anatolian city of Düzce were attacked due to their ethnic identity. One of the workers was dead as a result of the attack. On the other hand, a photo exhibition sponsored by the History Foundation and some other nongovernmental organizations was raided by organized political groups. Moreover, one person was killed during the incidents occurred in southeastern Anatolian city of Siirt.
The government’s attitude and political discourse along with the partial practice of public workers, which are tasked with ensuring the security in the country and prosecuting criminals, have been brought the society to the edge of an internal conflict. The authorities’ and responsible officials’ qualifying the attacks and lynching attempts as the “reaction of citizens provoked by demonstrators,” has been encouraging assailants and makes the number of those “provoked citizens” (!) increase every day. Organized political groups, which are acting as if they were authorized to try and punish people on behalf of security forces and judiciary, are provoking citizens and threatening all kinds of freedoms, especially the right to life, in the name of establishing public order in the country.
Even the justice minister, who is in charge of implementing the principle of rule of law, could have evaluated the attacks and the lynching attempts as the “reaction of citizens provoked by demonstrators.” Besides encouraging assailants, the wording of justice minister is also an intervention to the authority of judiciary and other organs of prosecution.
It is the raison d’etre of government to ensure the security of its citizens (including those who were assumed to have committed crimes) and to grant exercise of rights and freedoms. Unfortunately, both the right to life and exercise of other rights and freedoms are under severe threats in our country. Organized ultra nationalist groups could become incited (!) at any time they prefer, attack who ever they want and could obstruct exercise of any democratic activity. The groups who were “provoked” by the photo exhibition marking the 50th anniversary of the events of Sept. 6-7, 1955 could also be provoked by the ethnic identity of workers in Düzce and could kill people.
We are calling on all institutions in charge of ensuring the security of people and public order in the country, especially Parliament and the government, to fulfill their job for preventing the incidents and in implementing the rule of law.
HUMAN RIGHTS ASSOCIATION (İHD)