Thu, 09 Aug 2001 
ihd@ihd.org.tr>
       
URGENT APPEAL

Rasim Acar, Detained by Gendarmery at the Entry Point to Sirnak on 8 August 2001

The Human Rights Organisation of Turkey organised a mission to Beytusebap, Sirnak, on
reports of tortured villagers, the eviction ov villages and food embargo on some other
villages on 8 August 2001. Participants to mission were executives of the HRA, including
the HRA Vice General Chairman Osman Baydemir and the HRA Secretary General Feray
Salman, as well as representatives of the Turkish Union of Chambers of Achitects and
Engineers (TMMOB), Human Rights Foundation of  Turkey (HRFT), Association for
Human Rights and Solidarity with Oppressed People (Mazlum-Der), Confederation of
Public Sector Unions (KESK) and Diyarbakir Democracy Platform. The mission was
accompanied by Dogan and Ihlas News Agencies.

While the mission was able to conduct its work in Beytusebap, documenting the allegations
on the basis of interviews and pictures, they were stopped at the entry gendarmery station to
Sirnak, attached to a large gendarmery base, at about 9 pm. The gendarmery collected 
cameras and notes of the mission and the press, and banned the mission from using their
phones until about 12.00 o'clock. The cases of lawyers in the mission were searched and the
mission members were treated roughly, being threatened to obey the orders. 

The gendarmery detained a young person, named  Rasim Acar (18 year-old) who, after
giving a witness statement to the mission, appealed to the mission to join them to go back to
his  home in Mersin, saying that he was threatened for giving a statement to them. Although
the mission warned him that it may be a risk for him to travel with the mission, he 
insisted and the mission agreed.

The gendarmery confiscated 20 video tapes, 19 music  tapes and some handwritten notes,
and released the 14 members of the  mission, keeping the young person under detention. The
video tapes contain  his statement, putting him under risk.
 

Sueleyman Yildirim
Nahost-Referat
Gesellschaft fuer bedrohte Voelker
Near East Desk
Society for Threatened Peoples
PO-Box 2024
37010 Goettingen
Duestere Strasse 20a
37073 Goettingen
Tel. +49/(0)551/4 99 06-15
Fax. +49/(0)551/5 80 28
nahost@gfbv.de
http://www.gfbv.de
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