TIP IN TURKEY: MEDIA ATTENTION, SEPTEMBER 15-30,

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 09 ANKARA 005708 SIPDIS DEPARTMENT FOR G/TIP, G, INL, DRL, EUR/PGI, EUR/SE E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PREL KCRM PHUM KWMN SMIG KFRD PREF TU TIP IN TURKEY SUBJECT: TIP IN TURKEY: MEDIA ATTENTION, SEPTEMBER 15-30, 2004 ¶1. (U) In response to G/TIP inquiries about anti-TIP public information campaigns, post provides as examples the following TIP press reports. Text of articles originally published in Turkish is provided through unofficial local FSN translation. ¶2. (U) Published September 27, 2004 by the Anatolian News Agency: TITLE: Turkish Parliament Passes Major Reform Sought By EU BEGIN TEXT: ANKARA - Turkish lawmakers adopted a far- reaching penal code reform, clearing a major obstacle to the country's bid to start accession talks with the European Union. Parliament speaker Bulent Arinc said the bill was adopted after a show of hands, at the end of an emergency debate called by the government just days before the European Commission issues a crucial report on Turkey`s democratization progress on October 6. The law, which amends Turkey`s 78-year-old penal code, is widely seen as the last legal reform required to align Turkish legislation with basic EU political norms, set as a condition for the opening of membership talks with candidate nations. Lawmakers were recalled from summer recess for Sunday`s session after Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan agreed to drop plans to criminalize adultery in talks with EU officials in Brussels on Thursday, ending a week of crisis with the EU. The government had shelved the bill last week amid a row with Brussels on whether adultery should be made a jailable offence. The new penal code expands freedom of expression, grants greater individual freedoms and increases penalties for rights abusers and torturers. In another major step, it introduces life terms for perpetrators of "honor killings," the feudal practice of killing women perceived as unvirtous, which still persists mainly in the rural southeast. Other amendments bring jail terms for the sexual molestation of children, the trafficking of human organs and the pollution of the environment. Even though the legislation has generallly been welcomed as a step forward towards gender equality, women`s groups have slammed several amendments on grounds that they are still discriminatory. Critics say the draft fails to totally ban virginity tests, maintains an article that could be used to reduce the sentences of perpetrators of "honor killings" and punishes consensual sex between minors. The president now has to ratify the law. It will take effect on April 1, 2005, barring a few provisions, which will come into force earlier or later. The lawmakers also adopted two other bills related to the penal code. ¶3. (U) Published September 26, 2004 by the Turkish language Anatolian News Agency: TITLE: Turkish parliament votes for new penal code BEGIN TEXT: ANKARA - Turkey's parliament has approved legal reforms that could strengthen Ankara's case for joining the European Union. The passing of a new penal code brings to a close two years of criminal and civil law reform. The package includes sweeping reforms to improve women1s rights, tougher penalties for torture, as well as greater minority and religious rights. Turkey's human rights record has been a major stumbling block to its EU aspirations. Some of the most heated debates over this reform package centered on a proposal to make adultery a crime; there's no such law in any of the 25 EU member countries. The controversial plan was dropped following intense pressure from Europe. The European Commission had advised the UE not to renew membership talks with Turkey until it overhauls its 78- year-old penal code. The commission is due to present a report on Oct. 6 on whether Turkey has met the criteria set by the EU. Reforms to the mostly Muslim country's penal code include: - Clauses on genocide, crimes against humanity and people-trafficking. - Stronger laws against rape and so-called "honour" crimes against women deemed to have disgraced their families. - More severe punishments for rapists, pedophiles, human traffickers and women who kill children born out of wedlock. - It also recognises rape in marriage and sexual harassment as crimes. EU leaders are expected to make a final decision at a summit in December on whether to start membership talks with Turkey. END TEXT. ¶4. (U) Published September 23, 2004 by Swissinfo, Francoise Gehring: TITLE: Europol accord sparks data protection fears BEGIN TEXT: The Swiss government is hailing this Friday's signing of a cooperation agreement with Europol as an important step forward in the fight against organised crime. But concerns have been raised in Switzerland over the effectiveness of the body and its ability to ensure data protection. Under its European Union mandate, Europol assists member states in preventing and fighting serious crimes including human trafficking, drug trafficking, terrorism and money laundering. Its tasks are to facilitate the exchange of information between countries, to perform operational and strategic analyses, and to provide expertise and technical support for investigations. The Europol Computer System, based in The Hague in the Netherlands, is vast. A centralised information system stores data on persons already convicted of a crime or thought likely to commit crimes in the future, while a second system processes data. There is a third system for exchanging Europol information with police forces in non-EU countries, such as Canada, Switzerland and Turkey. According to Jean-Philippe Walter, the federal officer responsible for data protection, the Europol Convention covers provisions regulating the processing of information and data protection. "Europol is regulated by a convention which contains a whole series of measures to ensure data protection," he told swissinfo. "Having myself had the opportunity to meet top Europol officials, I can state that the data protection requirements often go beyond those enshrined in Swiss law." Not convinced But Heinrich Busch, a political scientist and expert on policing issues, is far from convinced. "I have no doubt about it: where data protection is concerned, Europol is a real danger," he told swissinfo. "Europol's record-keeping capacity is impressive, but in my opinion it openly contradicts the principle of people's fundamental right to privacy," he added. "And faced with this information factory, the citizen is virtually defenceless. On paper, for instance, Europol guarantees a right of consultation, but in reality this is an impossibility." A person wanting to consult his or her personal file must first approach the police in their country of origin, which in turn has to ask all the other Europol police forces for authorisation to access the information they hold. Busch says the sheer size of the Europol's information gathering operation is also a problem. "The number of persons on whom it keeps records is so high that effective investigation seems unlikely," he said. No FBI Aside from fears over data protection, there are also concerns that Europol could become a kind of European FBI. The agency denies this, insisting it is a "support service" rather than a front-line crime-fighting unit. "From what I know of the matter, talk of a European FBI is an exaggeration," said Walter. "It is true that Europol has certain ambitions, but the structures are not comparable. "First of all, the FBI is an organisation belonging to a single country, while Europol is a multilateral body, in which each member state jealously safeguards its own prerogatives. This is why Europol has fewer powers than was originally envisaged." Schengen Europol is not, however, the only EU information system. The Schengen agreement on cross-border crime also plays a monitoring role which is of interest to Switzerland. However, the agreement governing Swiss participation, though already signed, still has to be ratified by parliament. The rightwing Swiss People's Party has threatened a referendum over Schengen, fearing the loss of Swiss independence and seeing it as another step towards EU membership. "The Swiss People's Party has nothing against Switzerland signing the Europol agreement," explained spokesman Roman J gi. "It is an agreement between European police forces which, in our opinion, is bound to help improve security in Switzerland and in Europe generally. "Schengen, though, is quite a different matter." Swissinfo / Neue Zrcher Zeitung END TEXT. ¶5. (U) Published September 23, 2004 by the Turkish language Sabah News: BEGIN TEXT: Fourteen out of 18 "slave villagers" who were mostly minors and were subject to forced labor in Arslanli village of Kozan town of Adana, were handed over to their families. Four farmers who were placed in a "house for elders" wanted compensation from their enslavers. Saban Sezer, who started working as a teaman in the house for elders, said his enslavers owe him 2 billion Turkish Lira and that he will not go without getting his money. Hasan Tatar, Ali Sag and Omer (last name not known) also said that they would not leave without getting their money. END TEXT. ¶6. (U) Published September 22, 2004 by the Turkish language Anatolian News Agency: Turkish Jandarma reports that in an operation conducted after a tipoff, four villagers in Imamoglu and Kozan near Adana were detained for forcing four minors (two from Arslanli village of Kozan, one from Ayvali and one from Sokutasi villages of Imamoglu town) into labor. Officials said that detainees were interrogated and four other villagers also testified. The officials also noted that after last week's operation in Kozan town of Adana which involved forced labor of 18 people (including 3 minors),they have been receiving information about additional forced labor operations. Investigations are underway. The court arrested eleven people who were detained in the September 16 operation in Kozan. ¶7. (U) Published September 22, 2004 by the Athens Elevtherotipia in Greek: TITLE: Greek Ship-owners Indicted for Engaging in Human Trafficking Ring; [Report by Th. Lambropoulos: "Prosecution of Two Ship-owners Transporting Illegal Immigrants to Italy"] BEGIN FBIS TRANSLATED TEXT: The Pireaivs Attorney General's Offices criminally prosecuted for "illegal transport of illegal immigrants," "formation and participation in a gang," and "repeated forgery" ship- owners Anastasios and Konstandinos Mavromattis and their attorney Anna Gouma, who, according to the Italian judicial authorities, are the "brains" of an illegal ring trafficking illegal immigrants to the neighboring country. The procedure for the immediate intervention of the Greek justice began a few days ago after Genoa Attorney General Francesca Nani issued an arrest warrant for the two Greek ship-owners and their attorney, for "trafficking with their nine commercial ships more than 10,000 illegal immigrants." According to reports in the Italian press, Anastasios Mavrommatis and his son Konstandinos were taking the illegal immigrants from the Turkish shores, receiving _1,200-2,000 and upon the immigrants' disembarkation from the vessels they were supplying them with forged naval documents to avoid customs controls. The illegal immigrants would then take a train to Holland or Germany. Moreover, the Italian authorities claim that possibly other Greek ship-owners participated in the illegal ring, in addition to the two Greeks who appear to be owners of the naval company "Lord Marine" and of a small fleet of vessels. Currently, the Pireaivs Attorney General's office is examining this version of the Italian authorities (they had requested the cooperation of the Port Corps since the beginning of 2004 after the Sentinel vessel was spotted and stopped). The file of proceedings was conveyed to the magistrates who are expected to ask the defendants for interrogation soon. According to information, the Port Security officers have been investigating the files of many cases connected with illegal trafficking, since 2002. END TEXT. ¶8. (U) Published September 20, 2004 by the Anatolian News Agency: Security Forces Arrest 36 Illegal Migrants In Mus MUS - Security forces detained in eastern city of Mus 36 foreigners who had entered Turkey illegally. During a routine check on the Malazgirt-Patnos highway, security forces arrested the migrants of Iraqi, Moroccan and Afghan origin in a van. They were taken into custody for violating Turkish borders and passport law. The migrants will be deported once the legal proceedings are completed. END TEXT. ¶9. (U) Published September 17, 2004 by the Turkish Language Anatolian News Agency: TITLE: Turkish Police Arrest 579 Illegal Migrants In Istanbul BEGIN TEXT: ISTANBUL - Turkish police arrested 579 illegal migrants in Istanbul in the last one week, sources said on Friday. Sources told A.A correspondent that the captured illegal migrants were of Pakistani, Afghan, Indian, Bangladeshi, Iraqi and Palestinian origins who entered Turkey illegally. The same sources said that 379 of the illegal migrants were deported, and work was under way to deport the other 200. END TEXT. ¶10. (U) Published September 17, 2004 by the Turkish language Hurriyet News: BEGIN TEXT: Police found 19 handicapped people working as slaves for landlords in a southern province of Adana. Each of the handicapped people was taken from the streets and sold to landlords for just $330. END TEXT. ¶11. (U) Published September 16, 2004 by the Turkish language Anatolian News Agency: TITLE: 5TH REGIONAL CONFERENCE ON MIGRATION TO BE HELD IN ISTANBUL BEGIN TEXT: ANKARA (A.A) - The 5th Regional Conference on Migration organized by the Council of Europe (COE) will be held in Istanbul between September 30th and October 1st. Sources said on Wednesday that the venue of the conference would be Conrad Hotel, and gave the following information regarding the participating countries: -10 transition countries: Albania, Bosnia- Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Hungary, Moldova, Poland, Romania, Russian Federation, Slovakia and Ukraine, -Six target countries: Norway, France, Germany, Britain, Greece and Spain, -Nine countries, not members of COE: Afghanistan, Belarus, Bangladesh, China, Libya, India, Pakistan, Egypt and Morocco, -Three countries from which people migrate: Armenia, Azerbaijan and Georgia. Nearly 60 participants from international organizations, universities, nongovernmental organizations and COE Parliamentary Assembly are expected to attend the conference. Turkish Interior Minister Abdulkadir Aksu and COE Deputy Secretary General Maud de Boer-Buquicchio will jointly open the conference. Turkey, which is located in a region with a high flow of migrants, has earlier offered to host the 5th Regional Conference on Migration, sources added. END TEXT. ¶12. (U) Published September 16, 2004 by the Turkish language Anatolian News Agency: TITLE: TURKISH POLICE DETAIN 24 ILLEGAL MIGRANTS IN CALDIRAN BEGIN TEXT: CALDIRAN (A.A) - Turkish police arrested 24 illegal migrants in eastern city of Van, sources said on Thursday. Acting on a tip-off, police launched an operation in Beyazit neighborhood of Caldiran township and detained 24 illegal migrants of Afghan and Pakistani origin who entered Turkey clandestinely. Illegal migrants will be deported after legal procedures. END TEXT. ¶13. (U) Published September 16, 2004 by the Turkish language Anatolian News Agency: TITLE: TURKISH GENDARMERY DETAINS 20 ILLEGAL MIGRANTS IN HATAY BEGIN TEXT: ANTAKYA (A.A) - 15.09.2004 - Turkish gendarmery detained 20 illegal migrants in southern city of Hatay, sources said on Wednesday. Gendarmery launched an operation in Asagi Pulluyazi village of Yayladag township and arrested 20 illegal migrants of Somali, Egyptian and Sudanese origin who entered Turkey clandestinely. Illegal migrants will be deported after legal procedures. END TEXT. ¶14. (U) Published September 16, 2004 by Reuters News Service: TITLE: Turkish women look to EU for better lives. BEGIN TEXT: SANLIURFA, Turkey, Sept 16 (Reuters) - The girls labouring in the cotton fields on the outskirts of the southeast Turkish city of Sanliurfa cannot read a newspaper, but they are pinning their hopes of a better life on Turkey's EU membership drive. Her face weathered by a scorching sun, her hands calloused, 16-year-old Zahide says she is old before her time. She never went to school and had given up dreams of learning a trade. "The European Union would not permit us to work like this. We would study," she says, toiling from sunrise to sunset during the two-month harvest with four of her sisters. EU leaders will decide in December whether to open accession talks with this populous Muslim nation, and diplomats say women's rights will be one issue the European Commission pays attention to in an Oct. 6 report on Turkey's entry bid. "For the EU, gender inequality in Turkey is a concern," one EU diplomat said. "While it's very difficult to change, since it is a question of mentality and tradition ... the government has not taken full responsibility for promoting change." Turkish women do enjoy greater freedoms than those in many other Muslim nations. For decades they have had the right to vote, access to education and the right to divorce. Turks even elected a female prime minister in ¶1993. Some are corporate executives, university rectors and heads of bar associations and many in wealthier western Turkey emulate their European counterparts in dress and choice of profession. Yet the constitution does not enshrine gender equality, and poverty and entrenched values mean equal treatment is elusive. Religious tradition, especially in conservative cities like Sanliurfa, often means girls as young as 12 are married off. Amnesty International says up to half of women face domestic abuse in a "culture of violence". The U.N. children's agency UNICEF says 600,000 fewer girls than boys attend school and a third of women are illiterate. REFORM DRIVE The ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP),a conservative movement with Islamist roots, has enacted political and human rights reforms aimed at winning a date for EU talks. The last major piece of the reform jigsaw is an overhaul of the penal code designed to bring it into line with EU norms. The reforms, which include a number of measures aimed specifically at improving women's rights, are being debated in parliament this week and are likely to be approved at the weekend. They include stiffer penalties for rape, including rape within marriage, and for so-called honour killings - the murder of women by male relatives to protect the family name. The package has been overshadowed by a government plan to outlaw adultery. The AKP says the proposal, which was shelved but could return to parliament, would protect women, but it enraged women's groups and prompted EU disapproval. Some activists have also said the current reforms do not go far enough. They accuse the government of lacking full commitment to equality and acting only under EU pressure. "The EU process has had an enormous effect on us. Women are waking up. But there is a long way to go before women in Sanliurfa understand they have rights," said Devran Melik, a lawyer and head of a local women's rights group. Still, girls like Zahide working in the country's fields believe it could change their fathers' minds and even convince them to send their daughters to school. END TEXT. ¶15. (U) Published September 16, 2004 by the Washington Times: TITLE: Turkey and the EU BEGIN TEXT: Turkey has denied Islamo-phobic Europeans an excuse to deny or delay its European Union entry talks. On Tuesday, Ankara decided to shelve a proposed law criminalizing adultery - a move which will make it more difficult for the EU to turn down Turkey. This is fortunate, since Turkey's admission is central to American and European interests. Turkey has proposed a slew of laws to reform its 78- year-old penal code. The package includes stiffer punishment for crimes such as rape, sexual assault, human trafficking, torture and pedophilia. The legislation also recognizes rape in marriage and sexual harassment as crimes, and will make it easier to prosecute so-called honor killings. Before the government dropped the proposal, the package also included legislation criminalizing adultery - which caused a furor in Europe. That furor comes at a very bad time for Turkey. On Oct. 6, the European Commission is to decide whether to recommend a date for Turkey's EU accession. That date, therefore, is broadly significant to the international community. Inasmuch as Turkey is a cultural and geographic bridge between East and West, it can serve as a bulwark against a potential clash of civilizations. Turkey's eventual entry into the European Union would mark a merger of predominantly Christian and Muslim worlds. This would help counter the growing concern that a large-scale clash between Christian and Muslim nations is inevitable. Also, Turkey, long a force for moderation in the Muslim world, would rise in prominence - a welcome prospect. There is, however, widespread apprehension in Europe about Turkey eventually becoming an EU member - much of which is unadulterated ethnic bigotry. Much of the uproar over the Turkish adultery legislation appeared to have an ulterior motive: delaying the start of formal EU-accession talks with Turkey. Some of Europe's objections over Turkey, however, are clearly cultural. Many European countries are becoming fairly dogmatic about establishing sweeping secularism, even when it infringes on freedom of religious expression. But Europe is divided on the question of secularism, with more traditional countries keen on maintaining a Christian identity. Much of Europe's criticism of the adultery law was heavy-handed, in particular charges it would lead to so- called honor killings. All the same, Ankara was wise to scrap the legislation. But given the fact that Turkey has been kept waiting at the EU altar for some time, Europe is obliged to go the extra mile to play fair. END TEXT. ¶16. (U) Published September 10, 2004 by the Anatolian News Agency: TITLE: Turkish Police Arrest 100 Illegal Migrants In Istanbul BEGIN TEXT: ISTANBUL - Turkish police arrested 100 illegal migrants in Istanbul, sources said on Thursday. Sources said that police, acting on a tip-off, raided on a building in Istanbul`s Kagithane neighborhood, and detained about 100 illegal migrants who entered Turkey clandestinely. Among the captured, there were Pakistanis, Afghans and Bangladeshis, the sources noted. The sources said that efforts were under way to capture people who aided the illegal migrants, adding that the illegal migrants would be deported once the legal proceedings were completed. END TEXT. ¶17. (U) Published September 5, 2004 by the Anatolian News Agency: TITLE: Turkey says stopped half million migrants in last five years BEGIN TEXT: Nearly half a million illegal migrants, many seeking a better life in the European Union, have been intercepted in Turkey in the past five years, Anatolia news agency quoted Turkish Interior Minister Abdulkadir Aksu as saying on Sunday. About 3,000 traffickers have also been rounded during the several hundred operations conducted during the period, Aksu said. He said the introduction of tougher laws on clandestine immigration had forced trafficking networks to change their routes. Turkey is a major hub for migrants, many from Asia, trying to reach neighbouring Greece or Italy, either by land or crammed into boats that are often barely seaworthy. Illegal migrants are arrested almost daily in the country, which spans Asia and Europe. On Saturday police detained 48 Pakistanis at a house in the Asian part of Istanbul, all hoping to reach Greece. Anatolia said they would be questioned and deported. END TEXT. EDELMAN