CHILDREN WHOSE PARENTS ARE ARRESTED ARE SENT TO PRISONS!
IMPLEMENTATIONS OF CHANGES WITHIN THE ARTICLES 11 AND 41 OF THE NEW CONSTITUTION DO NOT KEEP ON THE RIGHT SIDE OF THE LAW!
As the new constitution came into force on 12th of September 2010 by the referendum, additional paragraph to the Article 11 brings necessary measures to implement positive discrimination over children and the additional paragraph to the Article 41 brings to the children the right to have and maintain personal and direct relation with her/his parents and right to protection and be nursed if it is not contrary to her/his high benefit.
Recently, in the operation called KCK made by Şanlıurfa Security General Directorate, many people were taken into custody and 9 people were arrested. One of them is Aynur Şahin. Aynur Şahin is the wife of Ethem Şahin who was arrested under the KCK operation made in Diyarbakır on 29th of December 2009. Şahin Family has a three-years-old son called A. . Now, A. stays in the prison with her mother.
In the investigation made by Siirt Security General Directorate on 18th of March 2010, our members Ferit Epözdemir (Head of Siirt Branch of the Tüm-Bel-Sen) and her wife, Belkısa Beştaş Epözdemir, were arrested along withour head of Siirt Branch Vetha Aydın. Epözdemir Family has three children. The youngest child called R. mostly stays in the prison with her mother. Moreover, we should not forget about 9-years-old R. and 13-years-old R, too.
Such examples can be expanded. Now, it is needed to ask if it is necessary to arrest such people who have no escaping tendency, clear address information, have no chances for obscuring the evidences against them and are both civil servants (Aynur Şahin is a nurse working in university hospital, Belkısa Beştaş Epözdemir is alderman in Siirt Municipality). What is the intentional meaning of arresting the spouses while the other spouse is also arrested? Does it aim to punish their children, too? The changes made in the Articles 10 and 41 of the Constitution will not implement over the Kurds? Will there be no investigation against those public prosecutors who demanded such false imprisonments and the judges who gave such decisions? We ask for explanations of these questions from particularly the Minister of Justice and the Supreme Council of Judges and Public Prosecutors (HSYK).
We are calling out to the Turkish Grand National Assembly! Who is in the political power if such changes that you made in the Constitution will not be implemented? Please, answer these questions! Let’s not play game of democracy! If you do not want innocent Kurdish children to stay in prisons, release their mothers!
Human Rights Association (IHD)
Headquarters