Human Rights Association (Turkey)

The Human Rights Association (Turkish: İnsan Hakları Derneği, İHD) is an NGO for advancing Human rights in Turkey, founded in 1986 and headquartered in Ankara.

History

The İHD was founded on 17 July 1986, by 98 people, comprising lawyers, journalists, intellectuals, but mainly relatives of political prisoners. The organization works on all kind of human rights, but is mainly focused on abuses in Turkey. In 1992, the statute was changed to cover humanitarian aspects as laid out in the Geneva Conventions.[1] Since then the İHD has also criticized human violations of armed groups.

Structure and campaigns

Official figures of the İHD claim 10,000 members, in 29 branches in 81 provinces of Turkey.[2] The 24 board members are elected for terms of two years on the association's general assembly. The headquarters in Ankara as well as many branches (in particular the branches in Istanbul and Diyarbakir) are running commissions according to the need. The commission cover subjects such as the Kurdish question, women, children, prisons and torture.[2]

Some of the large number of campaigns of the İHD were: freedom of expression (2001), general amnesty for prisoners (1999), abolition of the death penalty (abolished in 2002–2004), abolition of the state security courts (1997). In 2004 a project called "Don't remain silent against torture" (İşkenceye Sessiz Kalma) was started.[3]

The İHD has also recognized the Armenian Genocide and has called for the Turkish government to end its denial.[4]

Persecution

Since its foundation the İHD has been facing state intervention into its work, but also direct violence of individuals or nationalist groups. İHD website claims 400 court cases against executives of the association; the governors of some provinces ordered the closure of branches 30 times; the chairman of the branch in Diyarbakir that stayed close between 1997 and 2000, Osman Baydemir, had to face 60 investigative or penal cases against him in one year; in 2000 the branch in Izmir had the same number of cases initiated against it; because of speeches in 1995 and 1996 the then president of the İHD, Akın Birdal, was sentenced to 20 months' imprisonment, of which he served 14 months.[5]

Furthermore, the İHD lists 14 members who were killed. On 12 May 1998, Akın Birdal barely survived an assassination attempt, when two assailants fired 13 shots at him in the office of the association. On 25 November 1999 a group of 30 to 35 persons close to the Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) stormed into the office and beat the new President Hüsnü Öndül.[5] Repeatedly Amnesty International issued urgent actions to draw attention and prevent threats against human rights activists of the İHD, e.g. for Eren Keskin, chairman of the branch in Istanbul.[6]

In July 2005 one of the founders, Adalet Ağaoğlu, left the association due to its connection with the PKK which is classified as a terrorist organization. She also accused the association of having a Kurdish racist-nationalist[7] attitude and further for not being able of criticizing the PKK.[7][8]

Publications

Special Reports (Books)

Awards

The Association awards the Ayşe Zarakolu Freedom of Thought prize in honour of Ayşe Nur Zarakolu.

See also

References

  1. ↑ See Article of Hüsnü Öndül former chair of the İHD, entitled, Entry to Humanitarian Law (Turkish); accessed on 26 August 2009
  2. 1 2 Portal for Civil Society, Turkish, accessed on 26 August 2009
  3. ↑ Further information on these campaigns can be found on the İHD's website; Turkish, accessed on 29 August 2009
  4. ↑ "Turkish Rights Group Calls on Turkey to Recognize Genocide". Asbarez. 23 April 2014.
  5. 1 2 Details can be found on the website of the Human Rights Agenda Association in a report called Defend Human Rights Defenders with a direct link to download the report as a word-file; accessed 26 August 2009
  6. ↑ "Turkey: Eren Keskin – prosecuted for her activities as a human rights defender". Amnesty International. 2002-09-05. Retrieved 2008-08-15.
  7. 1 2 Türkische Literatin meldet sich zurück, die tageszeitung (taz) (in German), 01.08.2005
  8. ↑ İHD, PKK'cı artık istifa ediyorum (in Turkish), Hürriyet, 30.07.2005
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