[omct at iprolink.ch] OBSERVATORY - TUR 002 / 9709 / OBS 013

Mon Sep 29 12:57:57 BST 1997

From: omct at iprolink.ch
Message-Id: <199709291523.RAA60268 at mail.iprolink.ch>
To: "Turkey"<omct at iprolink.ch>
Date: Mon, 29 Sep 1997 15:58:29 +0000
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Subject: OBSERVATORY - TUR 002 / 9709 / OBS 013

URGENT ACTION
TUR 002 / 9709 / OBS 013
Risk of Prison / Freedom of Expression
Turkey

26 September 1997

The Observatory for the Protection of Human Rights Defenders, a joint
FIDH and OMCT programme, request your URGENT intervention in the
following situation in Turkey :

Description of events:

The Observatory is gravely concerned for the freedom and security of
Esber Yamugdereli, lawyer and reputed human rights defender who faces
imminent risk of arrest and a 23 years prison sentence.

At the end of the 70s, Esber Yamugdereli, was very active in the legal
defence of workers rights during the  70's. Sometime before the
military take-over of 1980 he was charged and sentenced to 5 years in
prison for  "supporting illegal organisations".

In 1982 the military - still in power .- decided to reopen his case.
Against the most fundamental of rights, his sentence was commuted to
life. Having served 15 years, he was conditionally released. The
authorities refused, however to return his passport.

Esber Yamugdereli, now released, continued his human rights work and
was invited to many demonstrations. During one of these many he
attended, he spoke on the search for a peaceful solution to the
Kurdish issue in the South East of Turkey. For this action he was
sentenced by the Security Court on charges relating to separatist
propaganda -.based on article 8 of the anti terrorist law - and
sentenced to 10 months in prison. The appeal against this sentence was
rejected in May 1997. His final appeal in the Supreme Court was
finally rejected about a week ago.

In addition to the 10 months sentence, Esber Yamugdereli  faces the
life sentence handed down by the Military Court in 1982. Esber
Yamugdereli has left Istanbul as he fears imminent arrest and
detention. 

Esber Yamugdereli is a prominent human rights defender. Up to his
departure he was involved in trying to improve the conditions of
political prisoners. With the writer Yachar Kemal, he intervened to
help end the hunger strike in Turkish prisons which has resulted in
the death of 12 persons in the Summer of 1996. Along with many other
Turkish intellectuals he gathered in less than a month more than a
million signatures in favour of peace in Turkey

Esber Yamugdereli faces a sentence handed down by a special court
during a period of martial law it  runs contrary to international
norms, most notably the European Convention on Human Rights. 

Action Requested
Please write to the Turkish Authorities requesting that they:

i	grant an immediate amnesty for Esber Yamugdereli and all other human
rights defenders condemned for their opinions on the basis of article
8 of the Anti terrorism law.

ii	repeal article 8 of the Anti Terrorist Law 

iii	effectively guarantee the freedom of opinion and expression of
human rights defenders and give greatere respect to their freedom of
action

Addresses : 

Monsieur le Pr=E9sident Demirel, Pr=E9sident de la R=E9publique, Pr=E9side=
nce,
Cumhur Baskanligi, 06 100 Ankara, Fax : 90 312 427 13 30

Monsieur Yilmaz, Premier Ministre, Basbakanlik, 06 573 Ankara, Fax :
90 312 417 04 76 

Monsieur Olatan Sungurlu, Ministre de la Justice, Fax : 90 312 417 39
17

Monsieur Basegioglu, Ministre de l'Int=E9rieur, Fax 90 312 419 16 64

Geneva - Paris, 26 September 1997
Kindly inform us of any action undertaken quoting the code number of
this appeal in your reply.

Ben Schonveld 
Projects Manager
Case Postale 119
37-39 Rue de Vermont
CH1211 Geneva 20 CIC
OMCT-SOS-Torture
Fax 4122 733 1051
Ph  4122 733 3140
OMCT is: l'Organisation Mondiale contre la Torture
         The World Organisation Against Torture

OMCT at IPROLINK.CH
http://www.omct.org/

OMCT - The World Organisation Against Torture is the Worlds largest 
network of human rights organisations fighting against all forms of 
torture, cruel inhuman or degrading treatment, forced disappearances 
summary execution or other more subtle forms of violent repression.

OMCT has consultative status with the UN, The ILO and the 
African Commission on Human and Peoples Rights.

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