The Human Rights Association (HRA) was founded by 98 human rights defenders on 17 July 1986. The Human Rights Association is known as the oldest and the biggest human rights organization and makes an effort to protect and develop human rights with its 34 branch offices and about 14 thousands members.
The HRA has been the pioneer organization which has had an important role to introduce and make known human rights and human rights concept, to raise awareness of public on human rights issue, to highlight violence events, to prevent violations of human rights and to improve measures that can prevent such violations.
The HRA has organized two campaigns for the abolishment of the death penalty for 17 years. It has organized 5 campaigns on freedom of expression, 4 campaigns on peace matter, 2 campaigns on prevention of enforced disappearances in custody, a campaign on civil servants who discharged under the Martial Law (No.1402), 2 campaigns on refugees, 2 campaigns on general amnesty, 2 campaigns towards the closure of State Security Courts. The HRA has brought up the situation of human rights in Turkey by preparing and publishing monthly and annual reports on human rights violations.
The Association has struggled against torture and it has tried to provide better prison conditions that are appropriate for human dignity.
This struggle against torture has led to the establishment of the TiHV, an organization that provides rehabilitation for torture victims and is accepted as an authority throughout the world.
As a national human rights organization, the HRA has defended universality and indivisible nature of human rights. It has defended the idea that civil and political rights and economic, social and cultural rights are undivided. It has opposed to violations irrespective of where they have occurred. It has opposed to torture and death penalty irrespectively of which country or system where it has happened and who has made use of them.
As a national human rights organization, the HRA has strived to provide existence of human rights and freedoms in Turkey. It determined that the essential matter of Turkey is human rights and democracy problem. It has stated that the most important part of this basic problem has been the Kurdish question. It has objected to violence and wars that are extended form of violence both in the world and Turkey. It has worked to establish peace. It has insisted that the way to provide social peace or internal peace is and should remain human rights standards and democracy. It has defended freedom of religion and conscience, principle of secularism with its real mean and cultural rights. It has insisted that the ethnic, linguistic, religious and cultural pluralistic structure of Turkey is the wonderful wealth for our country.
The HRA has protected its characteristic which is its independency from governments and political organizations. It has not followed the attitude of political powers, in its relation with power. It has evaluated the situations objectively. The HRA has criticized state’s political opinion related to human rights and human rights organizations. Its 14 members, including executive members, were killed during their works. Many activities of the HRA were banned and obstructed. Its president was wanted to kill at its Headquarters.
In the last three years, the oppression against the association has transformed harassment. The number of cases that related the Human Rights Association has reached beyond 450. In spite of being a national human rights organization, the HRA is known all over the world and it has taken a respected place among the human rights platforms.
As indicated by the Liberal Opinion Society’s research (3 December 2002), the HRA is at the top of list which reflects to be known by public and having positive opinion about its works by people.
In our 17th anniversary we remember our 14 killed executives and members, and our executives and members who passed away. We would like to extend our gratitude to our members who have struggled to prevent and provide human rights while suffering pains, producing their works voluntarily and self sacrifice, to people who has supported our works and the association, and to human rights organizations in the world that have always extended their international solidarity to us.
Hüsnü Öndül
The President of Human Rights Association