Systematic oppressions and prohibitions against the Human rights Association were added a new one. Akın Birdal, president of our association, was sentenced to I year in prison on July 2, 1996 by the State Security Court in Konya due to his speech he delivered in meeting in Mersin during the World Week for Peace.
Akın Bırdal has stressed upon, in his speech, the relationship between peace and human rights and democracy, and emphasized the importance of the democratic and peaceful solution to the Kurdish problem as well.
It is stated in the decision that “as the details will be pointed out in the motivated decision; Akin Birdal was sentenced to 1 year in prison for the crime provoking people to hatred and hostility by making discrimination based on raci regional differences which corresponds Article 312-2 of the Turkish Penal Coe he was sentenced, taking into consideration the law numbered 3506, to a fine of 300,000 TL.”
The penalty was neither reduced (Article 59) nor adjourned or commuted into a fine (Articles 4 and 6 of the Law on Execution of Penalty, numbered 647). The writer Yasar Kemal and the journalist Ahmet Altan were also punished under Article 312 of the Turkish Penal code and, as known, the sentences were adjourned later on. The decision about Akin Birdal was appealed to the Supreme Court.
This situation, which may result in the arrest of our president after the approval of the supreme court, means a direct oppression against human rights activists and the freedom of thought. This decision is incompatible with the decisions of the UN and the European Council, and also with the Vienna Declaration and Budapest and Moscow Documents under which Turkey carries responsibilities for facilitating the works of Human Rights Organizations