Human Rights Association (IHD) released the Report on Human Rights Violations in Turkey for 2014 in the Turkish capital Ankara. The report says 335 women lost their lives as a result of suicide, violence and rape in 2014 during which also 68 children were deprived of their right to life, 1,237 people were arrested, 3,401 others were subjected to torture and ill treatment.
The report also put emphasis on the ongoing right violations in Turkish prisons.
The report by IHD also reveals that 103 people were executed without due process and 263 others were wounded by soldiers, police, village guards and special units of security. 45 people lost their lives in prison, while 5 people, including a child, died under custody, and 20 people, including 2 children, were killed in unidentified murders.
Women and children were murdered and committed suicide
The report highlighted the following figures regarding the consequences of violence against women and right violations against children; “A total of 335 women lost their lives as a result of suicide, violence and rape, 776 women suffered physical and psychological injuries, 289 women were forced to prostitution and 6 women lost their lives in hate murders.
24 children committed suicide while 44 others lost their lives as a result of violence, both in the family and in public. A total of 68 children were deprived of their right to life and 228 children suffered physical and psychological injuries.
1,273 arrested, over 3,000 suffered torture and ill-treatment
IHD report also reveals that 1,021 people, including 64 children, were subjected to torture and ill-treatment under custody, and 213 people, including 23 children, outside detention.
1,539 people, including 112 children, suffered violence and injury as a result of attacks by security forces on mass demonstrations. A total of 11,262 people were taken into custody. 1,273 people were remanded in custody while 3,401 suffered torture and ill-treatment during the year.
Prisons
The report stated that 117 prisoners applied to IHD Prisons’ Commission last year, denouncing that they had been forced to receive treatment in handcuffs, denied report and access to hospital. Among these, 120 prisoners were deprived of the right to communication, 320 others received arbitrary disciplinary punishment, and 260 others were subjected to forced referral/exile to other prisons.
The report underlined that there are currently 578 ill prisoners, including 228 in critical condition, waiting to be released.
Police attacked 646 mass demonstrations
Within the framework of violations against the right to meetings and demonstrations, Turkish police and military forces attacked 646 demos.
2,983 people, including 33 children, were sued, while 917 people, including 31 children, were sentenced to a total of 334 years, 6 months and 15 days in prison, and 318,241 TL pecuniary fine in accordance with the law of misdemeanor.
1,886 workers lost their lives during the year.
‘Increasing authoritarianism leading to further violations of rights’
IHD General President Öztürk Türkdoğan said in an evaluation of the report that “Right violations in Turkey have recorded an increase in parallel with the government’s increasing tendency of authoritarianism for the last several years. He pointed out that a number of executions were perpetrated especially in border regions, and that no effective investigation nor prosecution was pursued against these cases.
‘Non-initiation of negotiations caused inconveniences’
Pointing to the ‘internal security package, Türkdoğan said the AKP government’s tendency of authoritarianism grew more and more every day with an aim to turn Turkey into a police state.
IHD President stressed that non-initiation of negotiations within the ongoing process of dialogue between government/state officials and Abdullah Öcalan for the resolution of the Kurdish question has led up to evident inconveniences. Türkdoğan added the most recent declaration of a joint declaration of intention by government/state officials and HDP delegation has been of historic importance, and the most significant development proving that the process of negotiations for the resolution of the Kurdish question will begin.
