Torture Cases Decreasing
Torture and mistreatment topped the list of rights violations when the Prime Ministry Human Rights Department began in January 2004 to release monthly reports on the number of complaints filed. In just five months torture and mistreatment fell to tenth place.
Turkish civil society organizations such as MAZLUM-DER and Human Rights Organization evaluated the results as pleasing and stressed that complaints to their organizations dropped as well.
The Parliament sped up its studies within the context of adaptation to the European Union (EU), making arrangements one after the other about human rights. However, critics argued that the implementation of the legal changes was not being reflected on daily life. The Parliament and Parliamentary Human Rights Commission, as well as the other state institutions, have taken positive steps in the subject.
In the end, Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan made clear his determination to crackdown on torture. "Zero tolerance will be shown to torture," he had declared. This statement, in addition to legal arrangements, has begun to bear fruit.
Of 139 complaints filed with the Prime Ministry Human Rights Department over the past six months, only seven of the cases dealt with torture, causing it to fall from first to tenth on the list. In the four previous Prime Ministry reports torture had topped the list.
Meanwhile, data from civil society organizations corroborates the results released by the Prime Ministry. Human Rights Organization leader Husnu Ondul said yesterday that the civil society groups are pleased with the outcome and while there were 392 torture applications made to the groups in the first quarter of 2003, this figure dropped to 336 in 2004.
The Human Rights Department conducts studies on the subject of how and how likely the reforms are to be implemented and where drawbacks occur in the implementation. The Department has a total 14,000 personnel to monitor the implementation nationwide. (ED/YE)