Activist Urge for a Turkey Without Landmines

Members of the Initiative for a Turkey Without Mines, Amnesty International Turkey branch, Turkish Association of Disabled Persons, Istanbul Medical Chamber, Turkish Human Rights Association, Association of Human Rights and Solidarity for Oppressed People and Social Democracy Foundation had gathered at Istanbul's Taksim Square to mark the International Day for Mine Awareness.

The meeting was organized as a part of the International Campaign to Ban Landmines. International Day for Mine Awareness is observed on April 4^th each year.

Participants carried placards which read "Mines don't ask for ID", "Don't forget, don't let them forget", "More than 6 thousand dead and wounded in 26 years".

Spokesperson for the Initiative, Muteber Öğreten asked everyone to act in order to express solidarity with victims of landmines and to increase the awareness of the government.

"As the mine ban treaty enters its 13^th year, there's substantial progress on destroying stockpiles, clearing mined land and reducing the number of victims. But this is not enough. There are still 37 countries that has not signed the treaty and 12 countries are producing landmines. Each day 12 people are dead or wounded by landmines.

"We call on those governments to sign the treaty and stop deploying andmines".

The Ottawa Treaty aims at eliminating anti-personnel landmines around the world. As of September 2011, there were 159 states party to the treaty. Two states have signed but not ratified while 35 UN states are non-signatories, making a total of 37 United Nations states not party.

The International Campaign to Ban Landmines (ICBL) is a global network in over 90 countries that works for a world free of antipersonnel landmines and cluster munitions, where landmine and cluster munitions survivors can lead fulfilling lives.

The Campaign was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in recognition of its efforts to bring about the 1997 Mine Ban Treaty.

Turkey signed the Ottawa Treaty in 2003.

"Buradan mayın üreten kullanan devletlere ve devlet dışı aktörlere sesleniyoruz. Mayın Yasaklama Anlaşması'na katılın, mayın kullanımına son verin.

"Artık yeter. Duyarsızlık günleri sona ermiştir. Herkesi 4 Nisan Uluslararası Mayın Bilinci Geliştirme Günü'nde mayınsız bir Türkiye ve dünya için mağdurlarla dayanışma göstermek ve hükümeti uyarmak için pantolonlarının bir paçasını sıvamaya bacağını ödünç vermeye çağırıyoruz" dedi. (IC/EÜ)