TIP IN TURKEY: TURKISH MEDIA ATTENTION, Feb 1-10,

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 ANKARA 000902

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: TURKISH MEDIA ATTENTION, Feb 1-10,
2005


1. (U) In response to G/TIP inquiries, national and
international media sources published the following news
articles about TIP in Turkey. Text of articles
originally published in Turkish is provided through
unofficial local FSN translation.


2. (U) Published Wednesday, February 9 by Milliyet;
http://www.milliyet.com.tr/:

BEGIN TEXT: Nine foreign prostitutes were deported
following a raid on a hotel in Trabzon. Azerbaijan
citizen Rahila Isgondorava (25) said that she resigned
from her job as a policewoman seven months ago in
Azerbaijan and came to Turkey. Izgondorava, who is
married with one child, stated, "I could not earn money
in my country. I came to Turkey and began
prostitution. I had to do this." END TEXT.


3. (U) Published Tuesday, February 8 by Sabah;
http://www.sabah.com.tr/:

TITLE: No Nationality for Disappointment; By Savas Abi

Taksim Hospital is close to my house. I stop by from
time to time and chat with the employees there.
Talking to young physicians and nurses is particularly
mind opening and makes you learn many new things.

I stopped by again few days ago. And I witnessed a
very touching incident. A girl from Moldova. She was
motionlessly lying in bed. The story behind the deep
sorrow on her face was burning. Listen if you want:

A Drama Movie

Aurica Pintea, a Moldovan, came to Istanbul a year ago
in order to pay her family's $3,000 debt. She started
working as an attendant at a leather shop that her
cousin knows and quickly came to love Turkey and the
Turkish people. However, she had to go back to her
country after three months as her visa expired. She
could only save 500 dollars.

She Was Staying Away From Prostitution

After returning to her country, Aurica got a visa again
and came back to Istanbul in October 2004. She started
working at her old workplace. Aurica, who was loved
very much by her friends in Moldova, soon endeared
herself to the people at her workplace. She knew how
citizens from her country were falling in the trap of
prostitution. She was very careful in order to keep
her distance from these prostitution gangs. Until she
met a man called Ozgur, whose last name she doesn't
even know.

"Ozgur Darkened My Life"

Stating that she met Ozgur in her work environment,
Aurica said, "My family was in a very difficult
situation in Moldova. Interest was applied to our
$3,000 debt every day. I knew women from my country
who were pulled in the swamp of prostitution. But I
came to Istanbul to earn money with dignity. The work
environment was very nice, until Ozgur darkened my
life. One day I met him. He was treating me so warmly
and affectionately, I loved him very much. I liked
such an attention in country that I did not know. He
was constantly telling me that he loves me. Naively, I
believed him."

"He sold me to men"

Aurica, who had selected Turkey as a place to earn
money, believed a young man named Ozgur. Without
knowing his bad intentions, she followed him. Ozgur
invited her to Antalya on a three day trip. She said
"there was a three day holiday and Ozgur took me to
Antalya saying that this will be good for both of us.
I saw his real face there. He locked me in a house on
the 7th floor of a building. On the first day men I
didn't know came to the house. When I asked who they
are, he said `I sold you.' I was scared and started
crying. Although I screamed a lot, these men raped me.
In the following days, the number of men started
increasing. He would lock the door and sell me to the
men. Everyday I cried and begged him to set me free.
But he would not allow this. On the 10th day, when
Ozgur and his friends were sleeping, I decided to
escape from the 7th floor. I wanted to escape by
climbing down from balcony to balcony. At that moment,
death did not come to my mind at all. But while trying
to escape, I fell from the 6th floor."

Fell from the 7th Floor

People around came to the aid of the girl who fell from
the 7th floor. She was hospitalized and Ozgur and his
friends escaped. Her backbone and many other bones
were broken. More importantly, a girl who was full of
life entered a period of psychological trauma that she
will experience for her whole life. She stayed in the
hospital in Antalya but had to be transferred to
Istanbul for further treatment.

Moldova Takes No Responsibility

Istanbul Provincial Health Director's office entered
the picture and placed her at Taksim First Aid
Education and Research Hospital First General Surgery
Service. She has no relatives and all of her medical
expenses are met by the hospital. Physicians at the
First General Surgery Service are trying to take her
back to the old days when she was a girl full of life.
The Moldovan government is not providing support to
her, and her relatives haven't been calling her.
Tayfun Yucel, the chief physician of the section, said
that they were taking care of the girl on the name of
humanity. He said, "she fell from a certain height
three months ago. She went under surgery in Antalya
and through the chief physician's office of the
hospital we started taking care of her. There is
numbness in her legs. There are fractures in her
pelvic bones. By using our personal contacts we are
providing all of the treatment for her. Her medicines
are paid for by the Provincial Health Directorate. Now
she is our patient and we continue her treatment."

"I Will Form a New Life"

Aurica Pintea said she would like to go back to Moldova
after recovering and continued, "They take really good
care of me here. No one from my consulate came and
asked me how I am. I had really good environment in
Moldova. I do not know whether my life will be the
same again. But if I recover, I will go back to
Moldova and build a new life. I know that Ozgur
escaped after I fell." END TEXT.


4. (U) Published Tuesday, February 8 by Vatan; By Hilal
Koylu; http://www.vatanim.com.tr/:

TITLE: Whispered to the Police and Rescued

BEGIN TEXT: Following the selling last week in
Denizli's Tavas County of 15 year old A.T. to 54 people
in exchange for money, yesterday it emerged that in Cal
County, 17 year old runaway H.S. was marketed to men.
The jandarma found Ali Ihsan Alacak, Ibrahim Kubur, and
H.S. inside a car and took them into custody under
suspicion. The jandarma discovered in the
investigation that H.S. was sold to men for money.
Thirteen people alleged to have had sexual relations
with the young girl were taken into custody. Of the
people who were transferred to the prosecutor, Ali
Ihsan Alacan (27),Ibrahim Kubur (32) and Mesut Tuysuz
(29) were arrested. Ten more suspects will be tried
without being imprisoned. END TEXT.


5. (U) Published Sunday, February 6 by Sabah;
http://www.sabah.com.tr/; also appeared in Cumhuriyet:

BEGIN TEXT: The Antalya Security Director Foreigners
Department captured four members of a prostitution
network when a Georgian woman who came to extend her
visa whispered to police that she was being kept by
force. The woman named E.Z. told the police officer
processing her visa affairs in a low voice that "two
people are following her and these people are keeping
her for prostitution purposes." The police detained
two people named A.G. and S.A., who were waiting at the
Foreigners Department. The investigation revealed that
when E.Z. came with a relative to Kas for vacation, two
people kidnapped her and sold her to A.G and S.A for
$2,000. The investigation was deepened by the
Department of Moralities and M.K. and S.C. were also
detained. The defendants were sent to the judiciary on
charges of "committing human trafficking," "forced
detention," and "beating and forcing for prostitution."
Two others are being sought in connection with the
case. END TEXT.


6. (U) Published Thursday, February 3 by Radikal;
http://www.radikal.com.tr/:

TITLE: 15-year-old A.T.: "I was sold by force"; By
Ramazan Cetin and Huseyin Baybars

BEGIN TEXT: 57 people in Denizli's Tavas and Kale towns
as well as Kizilcaboluk district who were alleged to
have had intercourse with a 15-year-old girl were
detained.

Nail T., the father of 15-year-old A.T. who lives in
Ebecik village of Tavas, applied to the police last
Sunday and claimed that his daughter was sold to men.
The Tavas prosecutor started an investigation. The
police detained A.T.'s cousin S.T. and his friends A.A.
(26) and U.O. (23). A.T. stated that three months ago
she had sexual relations with suspect U.O., who is
living in Ebecik Village. She said "I loved him very
much and had intercourse with him. He told this to my
cousin and his friends. They started selling me to
other men by threatening me."

Acting on the testimony of three people who claimed
A.T. was being sold, Police started an operation and
apprehended 54 people. 14 out of 17 people who were
brought before the prosecutor were arrested. The
interrogation of others is underway. It is reported
that police are continuing operations to apprehend
others who had intercourse with A.T.

The investigation had a big echo in Tavas, Kale and
Kizilcaboluk. It is notable that there are some
prominent shop owners among the detainees. The police
have been taking statements of people in Tavas and Kale
for the last three days. Officials said that the
number of detainees may increase. A.T. was taken to
both towns and every one of the detainees was shown to
her. 40 people under detention will be sent to the
judiciary today. END TEXT.


7. (U) Published Friday, January 7 by Zaman;
http://www.zaman.com.tr/:

TITLE: 23 people apprehended in operation against human
trafficking

BEGIN TEXT: In operations conducted under the
coordination of Antalya and Mersin police and the
Security Directorate General Smuggling and Organized
Crime Department, 23 people who are claimed to force
foreign women for prostitution in 15 separate houses
were captured. An announcement issued by Antalya
police said that the police conducted intelligence
works for months and discovered that a crime
organization named "Empire of Heaven." This
organization deceived foreign women, brought them to
Turkey and forced them into prostitution by threatening
them with weapons, torturing them, and taking their
passports. END TEXT.

EDELMAN