Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
05ADANA29
2005-02-16 15:52:00
UNCLASSIFIED//FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY
Consulate Adana
Cable title:  

CIVIL SOCIETY UNDER PRESSURE FROM JANDARMA IN TUNCELI

Tags:  PTER PHUM ASEC PREL TU ADANA 
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UNCLAS ADANA 000029 

SIPDIS

SENSITIVE

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PTER PHUM ASEC PREL TU ADANA
SUBJECT: CIVIL SOCIETY UNDER PRESSURE FROM JANDARMA IN TUNCELI

UNCLAS ADANA 000029

SIPDIS

SENSITIVE

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PTER PHUM ASEC PREL TU ADANA
SUBJECT: CIVIL SOCIETY UNDER PRESSURE FROM JANDARMA IN TUNCELI


1. (SBU) On February 7, 2005, former Tunceli Bar President
Huseyin Aygun was reportedly threatened by the Tunceli-based
Jandarma Commander in a face-to-face meeting called by the
Commander. According to press reports, confirmed by Mr. Aygun
in a telcon with post, the Commander accused Aygun of being an
"enemy of the Turkish state," and later told Aygun to give up
his human rights work if he wanted to avoid having "evidence"
about him sent to the prosecutor. Aygun no longer serves as Bar
President, but still works as a lawyer in Tunceli. In addition
to past advocacy regarding the right of return or compensation
for those evicted from their villages in the 1990s, he
especially champions language issues, while publishing a small
Zaza-language newspaper in Tunceli, an Alevi stronghold.


2. (SBU) Comment: Aygun as been tried and acquitted in the
past for such things as aiding an illegal organization, and for
stating that students should have, at a minimum, the right to
petition for language in their mother tongue (for that he was
charged with "praising an act described by law as a crime.")
Noteworthy in this week's news is the pattern emerging about how
this particular Tunceli-based Commander interacts with members
of local government and civil society in the province. This is
reportedly but one in a string of similar incidents. The
current Tunceli Bar Association president and other Bar members
alleged to PO the same Jandarma Commander had threatened a
village headman for allegedly supporting terrorism, and added
that troops directly under his command are suspected in a Fall
2004 alleged extrajudicial killing in Tunceli. His behavior
seems to also be raising eyebrows among European colleagues in
Ankara. End comment.