Distinguished members,
We came together today to celebrate the 17th anniversary of the establishment of Human Rights Association.
You are all welcome
In order to protect and develop human rights, the existence of human rights organisations and their works need to be facilitated. That is very well-known issue.
We have had experienced several difficulties in the process of establishment of the Human Rights Association. At the very first beginning, we were left no choice but to change articles in relation to the aim of the Association twice. As a legal entity, it is not enough to be existed only. Existing needs to be thought together with agabeylity to function. At this point, there is a need to ask the critical question: how the state of functioning is being realised? Whether functioning is blocked or facilitated? When we look at from this angle, the process that the Human Rights Association faced can only be compared with treatments faced by human rights defenders and organizations living in authoritarian and totalitarian regimes. 14 executives and members of the Human Rights Association were killed, its general president was attempted to be murdered, its several activities were banned, and it was subjected to written, verbal and physical attacks by paramilitary groups. Some media agents tried to disturb the Association on the basis of secret official statements.
While the first 14 years, about 300 court-cases were launched against executives of the Human Rights Association, in the last three years this number increased to 450 court-cases. New branches and their executives are subject to an intensive judicial pressure as soon as they start functioning. For example, 47 court-cases have been launched against Ridvan Kizgin, Head of HRA Bingol Branch which was established two and half years ago. There are 5 investigations are underway against him. There are 5 separate court-cases and investigations launched against Hakkari Branch which was opened seven months ago. Siirt branch has the same situation. The type of pressure in recants years turned to be significantly a judicial pressure. As a result of police raids in the last three years, our 17-years old archive, our future plans and programmers were confiscated by the state organs. We are not a public institution. Why should our archive and our future thinking’s be in the hands of the State organs? Which law does give the possibility to hand over our undisclosed thinking’s, plans and dreams?
Distinguished guests,
It is known that the Human Rights Association systematically monitors both implementation and legal arrangements in the field of human rights and basic freedoms. Several times, we have stranded next to victims of human rights violations in streets, courts, and press meetings. Ethnic origins, languages, religion and sex of victims of human rights violations are not important factors for us to take a position. We have never made any discrimination. Since December 1999, we have observed monitored and evaluated legal amendments and implementations in the context of the EU accession process. Originally, the Human Rights Association disclosed its complete analysis about the legal system on 13 July 2000 before the prep ration of the Accession Partnership of the European Commission. We would like to remind that, the date for the disclosure of the Accession partnership is November 2000, and the date for National programmed of Turkey is 19 March 2001. Rulers of Turkey considers the human rights in the framework of the foreign political needs instead of making comprehensive, rapid and qualitative amendments demanded by the society of Turkey. Although there are very positive legislative changes up to now, there is no change has been made in the authoritarian nature of the system. Moreover, in the field of primacy of the law, no legal changes apart from the Law on Advocates were made until now. The primacy of law is very essential to protect human rights. Human rights are under effective protection of the law. When the protection of the law is concerned, the judicial protection becomes the most effective and powerful means. Presidents of the Supreme Court and the State of Council have always kept saying openly that there are structural problems in the independency of the judiciary and the security of judges.
The Human Rights Association demands human rights and freedoms. We want the democratic standards should take place in Turkey. The Human Rights Association is insistent on this. It cannot be accepted that the boundaries of rights and freedoms to be formed according to the inter-state relations. Human Rights Association argues that the main problem of Turkey is human rights and democracy and that the Kurdish question constitutes the most important chain of this problem. In this framework, in spite of carrying out the important legal amendments, particularly on cultural rights, the authorities behave as the amendments have not been made, and their implementations are neglected. There has been no positive development on the issue of evicted 3688 villages. According to the statement which was made on 30 November 2002 by then-Super Governor only 51,000 villagers were able to return their villages. When the official figures about forcibly displaced people, ones who have returned constitute only 10% of the total figure. There has been no change on the village guard system. In spite of the abolishment of the State of Emergency, de facto practices are parallel to the practices of the State of Emergency. Poverty has increased in the region. While per capita income in Turkey is about 3000 US dollars as an average, this rate is only 600-700 US Dollars. The existing uneven distribution of income in Turkey, in comparison to the South Eastern Region and the other regions, indicates a big gap. This clearly means that the region has economic and social problems. The last six monthly data concerning human rights situation in the region shows as if we are living back again in 1990s. The end of armed conflict had made the people of region pleased and relieved. People had been in positive expectations. There is a need to comprehend the importance of these expectations and desires. Authorities should not cause a disappointment on people of the region. As other parts of the society of Turkey, people living in the South Eastern Region, so as to say Kurds, want to have a democracy with high standards based on human rights and basic freedoms as honorable citizens of Turkey. We, human rights defenders, also see the ethnic, linguistic, religious and cultural patterns as an extraordinary richness of Turkey. We want the legal and constitutional framework of the State should embarrass this pluralistic pattern.
Distinguished guests,
The Human rights association had initiated its biggest campaign in 1987. This campaign was originated from 12 September trauma. We wanted to heal wounds of 12 September military period, to establish social peace and a general amnesty for a new start. We had presented 150,000 signed petitions to the then-President of the Grand National Assembly Yildirim Akbulut. The Campaign was named as Petition for General Amnesty and to stop capital punishment”. Because of this campaign, our executives are trialed and our association was demanded of closure on the grounds that the HRA was functioning beyond its aims.
After fifteen years, the death penalty was removed from the agenda At least, it abolished in the peace time. However, in these fifteen years 35-40 thousand people died in armed conflicts, ten thousand people were tried at State Security Courts. Today, we should ensure internal peace and its continuity. We also should make internal peace deeper. The developments that threaten internal peace should be prevented democratically. Turkish Society sets up equation correctly: Peace equals democracy; democracy equals human rights and freedoms.
Dear Guests,
I would like to commemorate with respect our founders, previous executives and members for the efforts they made.
Both for the HRA and our activists who make efforts for human rights and freedoms brought us to the 21 the century. They have assisted to develop rights and freedoms in all the world, starting from Turkey.
I would like to thank you all to participate in our 17h anniversary.
Hüsnü Öndül
President of the Human Rights Association