98 people including relatives of arrested and sentenced people, lawyers, journalists, doctors, architects and engineers, authors and academics have founded Human Rights Association (IHD) to protect, accomplish and improve human rights and freedoms in our country on the 17th July 1986.
Human Rights Association, which has 22 years past, 29 branches and 3 representative office and 10.000 members in all over the country, is the oldest and biggest human rights organization in Turkey. IHD is a human rights organization which is not a body of any governments and political organizations. Those, who are in the administrative organs, work voluntarily.
Human Rights Association has held press conferences, training activities, panels, symposiums, meetings, protesting demonstrations, statements and applied to legal procedures regarding the abovementioned issues. IHD has monitored violations, collected data about them and documented these violations, analysed them and announced to the public and authorized institutions. Human Rights Association has conducted investigation, research and observation in places where violations exist and then prepared reports about them. IHD was and still is against prohibitions on languages, village evacuations, extra judicial executions and death penalties.
Human Rights Association defends that the main problem in Turkey is the issues of human rights and democracy. IHD determines that Kurdish question is the most important component of the human rights and democracy issues in Turkey. IHD defends its determination in everywhere… IHD defends that the question can be solved, within the framework of country integrity, via peaceful methods depending on human rights and democratic principles. IHD is against war and violence. IHD defends peace in the country and the world. IHD grounds its peace mentality with human rights and freedoms.
IHD considers human rights as the integrity of civil and political rights, economic, social and cultural rights and rights of solidarity. IHD accepts the principle, which states human rights are universal, whole and related with each other and none of them can be replaced with the other one and acts in a perspective that is appropriate to it. IHD has established Human Rights Foundation of Turkey against torture. IHD has decided to establish a Human Rights Academy. Human Rights Association has conducted training activities for its members and society. IHD has made important contributions for introducing human rights concept in the society.
There are about 1000 investigations against IHD during the 22 years period. Our 22 of administrators and members were killed. Most of administrators and members were detained and arrested. One of the former presidents (Mr. Akin Birdal) was attempted to be killed in the Headquarters. Declaration on the Right and Responsibility of Individuals, Groups and Organs of Society to Promote and Protect Universally Recognized Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms has been adopted and declared on 9 December 1998. The first article states that “Everyone has the right, individually and in association with others, to promote and to strive for the protection and realization of human rights and fundamental freedoms at the national and international levels.”
As Human Rights Association, we express our appreciation to the founders of the association once again. We commemorate those, who passed away, with respect. We thank to everyone who were in the administrative organs of the Headquarters or branches, control board or honour boards and worked for the association since its foundation.
On the occasion of the anniversary;
As IHD, we invite everyone to protect human rights.
We invite everyone to work for human rights and freedoms.
We invite state organs take legal, administrative, judicial, educational and other steps for protection and accomplishment of human rights.
Sincerely,
HUMAN RIGHTS ASSOCIATION