Executives of İstanbul Branch of Human Rights Association have taken under custody today.
They wanted to ask a question about İlkay Tasdemir who was reported death by the Gayrettepe(İstanbul) Security Department officials on 6 August 2002. It was alleged that Tasdemir threw himself from the 5th flor of the Security Department while he was handcuffed. Human rights defenders found this death suspicious. They wanted to ask a question. The question was as follows. "What happened to İlkay Tasdemir?"
The respond given by the police to human rights defenders was to take them under custody.
We call on authorities to release human rights defenders immediately.
There has been another development today. HRA President and Secretary General were invited by Ankara Public Prosecutor to give testimony on a letter of 11 January 2002 addressed to Minister of Interior Rustu Kazim Yucelen about a torture allegations in Bingöl. In the application, by mentioning applications to Bingol Branch of the HRA by torture victims under custody, the HRA demanded the Ministry to take immediate initiatives to prevent torture practices. However, this letter was turned to be a material to launch criminal investigation against the President and Secretary General of the Human Rights Association.
Asqing question is our right.
Fighting against torture is our task.
It is the duty of public officers to protect human rights and treat citizens in accordance with human dignity.
Reminding these duties, identifying infringing treatments, requesting to take measures to prevent mistreatments and torture are both tasks and right of the Human Rights Association.
Hüsnü Öndül
President