Posted on 09/25/2005 11:45:54 AM PDT by longtermmemmory
Turk government ordered to pay damages over ill-treatment of pro-Kurdish activists STRASBOURG (AP) - The European Court of Human Rights yesterday ruled that Turkey had breached an international rights treaty in 10 separate cases concerning pro-Kurdish activists and ordered the Turkish government to pay damages.
Turkey, which is seeking membership of the EU, is a member of the Council of Europe, the continent’s leading human rights organization, and is bound to uphold the European Convention on Human Rights.
The Strasbourg court said several articles of the convention were breached in the 10 cases, all dating back to the mid- and late 1990s.
The court awarded 20,000 euros ($24,330) in damages and 8,000 euros ($9,730) in expenses to Ahmet Dizman, who was driven to a deserted field and punched and kicked by police after he had attended the funeral of two members of a pro-Kurdish political party in 1994 in the southern city of Adana.
Dizman’s jaw was broken in the attack, and the fracture prevented him from working for 25 days, the court ruled, adding that Turkish authorities failed to properly investigate the incident.
In another case, the court granted 15,000 euros ($18,250) in damages and 3,500 euros ($4,260) in expenses to Baki Karayigit, who was accused by the Turkish police of membership in the outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ Party, or PKK.
Karayigit was arrested in February, 1999 and interrogated for seven days. During the interrogation, he was suspended by his elbows, which were tied behind his back, and was administered electric shocks, the court said, adding that there was no proper investigation into the incident.
Most of the other cases also concerned people charged with membership of the PKK.
More than 10,000 cases against Turkey are pending with the human rights court.
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Hìåñïìçíßá : 21-09-05
Interesting considering the upcomming talks for Turkey's admission into the EU.
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