A delegation from the IHD, led by Co-Chairperson Öztürk Türkdoğan, was received by the Minister of Justice Abdülhamit Gül in his office on 10 January 2019. During the meeting that lasted for about an hour the parties exchanged views on Turkey’s current problems.
IHD primarily called attention to the on-going indefinite and non-alternate hunger strikes in prisons and offered its recommendations as to what could be done. The delegation also had the opportunity to offer its views on the other pressing issues in prisons, particularly, the conditions of sick prisoners.
IHD presented its recent reports “Recommendations for the Elimination of Injustice in Penal Legislation,”[1] “Increased Pressures on Human Rights Defenders, the Human Rights Association and Its Executives,”[2] and “Lawyers under Judiciary Pressure”[3] to the Minister. The delegation requested that urgent measures be taken regarding the problems faced in these fields.
The problems brought about by the legislation and judicial practices that restricted and punished freedom of expression were underlined during the meeting as well. The delegation also voiced concern about the bans imposed on Saturday and Peace Mothers’ peaceful vigils infringing the right to peaceful assembly and protest requesting that all obstacles before Saturday and Peace Mothers’ right to peaceful assembly be removed. Lastly the delegation stressed the fact that more effective and essential solutions should be materialized in order to remedy the problems and unjust practices brought about by the state of emergency and emergency decree laws.
[1] http://ihd.org.tr/en/index.php/2018/09/26/ihd-report-and-recommendations-for-the-elimination-of-injustice-in-penal-legislation/
[2] http://ihd.org.tr/en/index.php/2018/06/20/report-on-increased-pressures-on-human-rights-defenders-human-rights-association-and-its-executives/
[3] http://ihd.org.tr/en/index.php/2018/07/25/lawyers-under-judiciary-pressure/