A report headlined "İHD(Human Rights Association of Turkey) 'alleged to have received money' from Greece" was published in daily Hürriyet's edition of January 20, 2001. The same report was also broadcast by NTV and CNN Turk TV stations in their news bulletins and by Anatolia News Agency. The report was based on a written statement issued by Greek Foreign Minister Yeoryios Papandreu in response to a question put to him.
Since its foundation the Human Rights Association (İHD) has adhered to its principles established during its struggle in the field of human rights over the past 14 years. The İHD is a voluntary non-governmental organization and it refuses in principle to receive not only financial "assistance", but any other forms of assistance from any government or a government agency. The İHD is an independent human rights organization.
The claim that the İHD has received "money" from Greece, which is alleged to have been made by Greek Foreign Minister Yeoryios Papandreu, is totally unfounded, because the İHD is neither maintaining any kind of relations with the organization named International Development Cooperation Agency, formed within the Greek Foreign Ministry, nor it has received funds from this organization.
During an investigation conducted by our head office, we were told that the report in question was received by the Anatolia News Agency from the ANA, the Greek News Agency (as claimed by Hurriyet). Our head office later contacted the ANA's headquarters in Athens in order to find out whether it had actually put such a news item in its wire service. According to information given by the ANA's representative in Athens, the written statement issued by the Greek Foreign Minister noted that the government agency in question provided financial assistance only available to Greek non-governmental organizations to fund their operations mainly related to Kosova, Yugoslavia and Turkey. Neither the ANA's report nor the Minister's statement includes a phrase mentioning that the Human Rights Association has received any assistance from Greece. Furthermore, such an allegation would be totally unfounded. The full text of the news item in Greece, drawn up by the Greek ANA news agency, is attached. We will also issue a translation of this text when we obtain it through official channels.
Therefore, we consider this as a report drawn up without proper investigation and also as a plot which is contrary to the ethics of journalism and made by groups who are disturbed by the İHD's activities and the struggle it is maintaining in the field of human rights in Turkey. Before this report was published no newspapers or TV station or the news agency, which put it into service, consulted our head office in order to get first-hand information. In other words, every party which has broadcast this news item has contributed to an offence committed through the media.
If these certain groups think that the Human Rights Organization would be the number one candidate to benefit from the financial assistance allocated to a Greek non-governmental organization with a view to strengthen democracy and human rights in Turkey as referred to in the report, this would be a tragicomic approach on the part of these groups. From our stand point, it would show that we have institutionalised our struggle in the field of human rights and democracy and that we have built a reputation in this domain.
We would like to reiterate once again that our association, which meticulously maintains its financial independence and makes no concessions in this regard, has not received "funds" from any government.
Feray Salman
Vice Secretary General