AI: Turkey bulletin

[kurdeng at aps.nl]

T25679; Wed, 08 Nov 1995 19:14:18 -0800

------------ Forwarded from : Ray Mitchell <rmitchellai at gn.apc.org> ------------

+------------------------------------------------------+
+     AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL URGENT ACTION BULLETIN     +
+     Electronic distribution authorised               +
+     This bulletin expires: 18 December 1995.         +
+------------------------------------------------------+

EXTERNAL                                            AI Index: EUR 44/123/95

EXTRA 133/95      Fear of "disappearance" / Fear of torture 6 November 1995

TURKEY                  Nevin Yakut (f)
                        Fatma Ayyildiz (f), aunt of Nevin Yakut
                        Fahri Azbay
                        Fatma Kili=E7 (f)
                        Melek ..... (f) family name not known


Amnesty International is seriously concerned for the safety of the five
people named above who are believed to be in incommunicado police custody
in Diyarbakir.

The five have not been seen since leaving the HADEP building in the Ofis
district of Diyarbakir on 5 November 1995 (HADEP - People's Democracy Party
- is a legal political party with a predominantly Kurdish membership).
Nevin Yakut works in the office of the Diyarbakir branch of the Turkish
Human Rights Association (HRA), but is not a member of the HRA.  The others
are not HRA members either, but members of the local HADEP youth committee.

Appeals on their behalf have been made to the Minister for Human Rights.
Reportedly he was told by an officer at Diyarbakir Police Headquarters that
the five were not in police custody.

BACKGROUND INFORMATION

Officials and members of HADEP continue to face grave risks. More than 100
officials and members of HADEP and its two predecessor parties HEP and DEP
(both closed by the Constitutional Court for "separatism") have been killed
and numerous others are in prison on charges of membership, or support, of
PKK. Many party offices in the southeast have been closed down.

----------------------------- End forwarded message --------------------------