TIP IN TURKEY: TURKISH MEDIA ATTENTION, March 1-15,

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 08 ANKARA 001622 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, March 1-15, 2006 ¶1. In response to G/TIP inquiries, national and international media sources published the following articles about TIP in Turkey. Text of articles originally published in Turkish is provided through unofficial Embassy translation. ¶2. Reported by Aksam on Thursday, March 2: TITLE: "The Cat," sought by red bulletin, captured while shopping BEGIN TEXT: Ukrainian Deniz B., who was sought for an incident in which a Russian girl was raped, was captured while she was shopping in an operation dubbed "Cat" against a human trafficking network. Deniz B. has been sought by Ukrainian officials for human trafficking, and a red bulletin (international arrest warrant) was issued by Interpol. According to allegations, two months ago Deniz brought a Russian girl to Ejder T., who was arrested during "Operation Cat". The Russian girl was raped by Ejder T.'s men. She was sold to other men. The Russian girl managed to escape from the house she was kept in and told police what she lived through. The Foreigners' Police found out that Deniz's name was also mentioned in "Operation Cat," conducted ten days ago. She had been bringing women to Ejder T. from the Ukraine, Russia and Moldova and she was also one of the leaders of the gang. She managed to escape the police operation, but as she was shopping in Atakoy the other day, police detained her. She refused to testify. She was sent to the prosecutor on charges of human trafficking, bribery and rape. Ten more people are sought in connection with the rape incident. Ukrainian Tamilla A., married to a Turk in 2000 and assumed Turkish citizenship, adopted the name Deniz. END TEXT. ¶3. Published by Sabah on Thursday, March 2: TITLE: Apparent prostitution trap BEGIN TEXT: Girls who flee or who are kidnapped from the Taksim Child and Youth Center (where older orphans are kept)in Istanbul, are forced into prostitution. They are given drugs; they live on the streets and are raped. All this happens in front of the police. They are the children of divided families who did not receive affection. They are forced into prostitution with men. They sleep on the streets and are made drug addicts. They are dragged into prostitution at a very young age. What is worse, a majority of these girls are from the Taksim Child and Youth Center. According to allegations, the Center authorities and the police, although they are aware of this fact, kept quiet. T.K. (17) and G.B. (16) are two of these children. After two weeks of hard work in the back streets of Beyoglu, we finally could convince them to tell us about their experience. G.B. has never met her parents. The two sons of the family who adopted her sodomized her when she was eight. She said that her stepmother forced her to be involved with men for money. "When I was ten, I fled. Two boys were bugging me and a woman told me that she could be of help. We went to her house. She drugged me and her husband raped me. I got pregnant. She arranged an abortion and then began to sell me to men. I fled after three years. The police took me to the Taksim Child and Youth Center, but that place is like a jail. I ran away. I served at bars and I was raped," she said. T.K. is from Eskisehir. She was kidnapped and raped by two people when she was 13. She was raped again when she was 15 and got pregnant. She was put in the Taksim Child and Youth Center. "I could not stand the environment in that institution and left. A cab driver who promised to help me kidnapped me for one week. I was forced to take drugs and became an addict. Later, I was sold to a brothel in Unkapani. I served at different bars in Beyoglu and I still do," she noted. T.K. recounted how she fell into this trap. "None of us want to be involved in prostitution. But they make us drug addicts and beat us. When desperate, you have to do whatever they want. These are dangerous people. My greatest dream is having a house one day. I'm not thinking of marrying at all. Because when I think of marriage, I remember my own parents. I hate it." G.B. said that there were many brothels in the back streets of Beyoglu and Tarlabasi and added, "One of them is the brothel on Baskurt Street in Cihangir. From time to time, girls from this brothel, by lying, manage to enter the Youth Center. After spotting some other girls, they are able to lure them out. Many of my friends ended up there. There are still those who work there. Some others who manage to flee are now serving at bars and night clubs." G.B. went on, "I was wandering around in Taksim. Two boys came up to me and began to tease me. Since I knew how the system worked, I wanted to escape. They held my arms and forced me into a brothel in Tarlabasi where transvestites work. On the upper floor of that brothel, little girls are forced into prostitution. They began to talk at the door. They were going to sell me. I managed to run away from them." G.A. (17),who came to the center when she was 15 and two months pregnant, had to leave because of maltreatment. "When I wanted to return, I was not allowed in. I served at bars and used pills. Now I am trying to earn money by selling beads," she said. She argued that although police knew what was going on, they kept quiet. Police Come and Go. It is around 9:00 p.m. The street is very calm. As time passes, the number of men entering the brothel in an apartment in Cihangir increases. A man with a long coat, standing in front of the building, constantly looks around. Around 11:00 p.m., a red car approaches and a blonde woman wearing workout clothes comes out to greet him. All of a sudden there is a lot of movement and then a police car with a blue light is seen. A policeman runs into the apartment and comes out after five minutes. The police car leaves. S.Y. has been living on Baskurt Street in Cihangir for six years and she has witnessed what has been going on at the brothel. She said that during the day, little girls come and go and in the evening young boys. "I filed complaints many times and the owner of the brothel was charged at least 20 times. A couple of times her apartment was shut down. But after a short time, it opened again. The police, too, go there. Nobody says `stop' to this," she said. M.A., who frequently goes to the brothel on Baskurt Street, said that the house is operated by a 60-year-old woman. He said that three flats were used for this purpose. "Serpil, who is from Kayseri, operates the flats and she has men working for her. When girls object, they are beaten and tortured. When we go in, the girls form a line and you can rent the one you like for 50 YTL (approximately 38 USD) per hour. Girls can get pregnant. It is possible to see some babies there. Later those babies disappear. They even shoot pornographic movies in that house," he added. END TEXT. ¶4. Published by Sabah on Friday, March 3: TITLE: Life forgot them; they forgot how to laugh. BEGIN TEXT: The story of the girls who were dragged into prostitution when they were very young hurt everybody deeply. The things that happened to G.A. and G.B. demonstrate their tragedy. G.B., who is only 16, has already had four abortions. When she was only 8-years-old, she was abused by her stepbrother and her stepmother sold her to men. She was sent to the Taksim Child and Youth Center where she was maltreated. When a woman who offered to help her handed her over to her husband, he raped her and she got pregnant. That woman carried out an abortion on her with an iron bar. G.B., who had been living on the streets for one year, said, "The Institution's director Bahriye Karatay gave permission to girls with boyfriends. She gave them money to rent houses. Everybody knows everything, but they do not do anything. We want a good life from now on." G.A., who was born in Kirikkale and who had four sisters and brothers, was raised with her father beating her. She said, "My father beat us all with an iron bar. He used to hang us by our feet from the ceiling when he wanted to punish us." When she was 13, she was forced to marry a 45-year-old man in return for 1000 YTL (about 770 USD). Instead, she ran away with the man she loved. When her boyfriend was sent to jail, she tried to commit suicide. She married the relative of a woman she met in a literacy course by religious ceremony (Note: not legal). One year later she was pregnant. Her husband showed her the door since he did not want the child. She was sent to the Taksim Child and Youth Center. But when those in the Center constantly ridiculed her for her clothing, she fled. The unfortunate girl said the following about the evening she fled the Center, "I was very cold and hungry. A man said that he would help. I went with him. But there is nothing free in life. I could eat something in return for sleeping with him." G.A. returned to the Center and delivered her baby. Her baby was sent to the Bahcelievler Orphanage and she was sent to the 80th Year Youth Center. G.A. said, "Bahriye Karatay adopted the baby of a girl who delivered a child when she was 15, but she did not do the same thing for me. I have not seen my daughter for three months and she does not have an identification card. Please help me to get her one as soon as possible." We hosted G.A. (17) and G.B. (16) at a hotel. It was obvious that the hotel room felt like home for them after all that suffering and poverty that they went through. When I entered their room, they immediately said, "This is like a palace. We wish we had such a home. We could live in peace." We entered the room and G.B. turned on the TV. She immediately found a cartoon channel. Then she asked, "This dream will end, no?" When we went down to the restaurant of the hotel for dinner, G.B. said, "This is a luxurious place. I will feel very embarrassed if I make a mistake." When we were filling our plates from a buffet, she said, "If we take a lot of food, they will not be angry, will they?" They keep asking for permission from me for everything they put on their plates. When I told them that they could eat as much as they wanted, they said, "This is a luxurious place and we do not want to embarrass you." After dinner, when we went back to the room, they jumped into bed. They began a pillow fight and laughed. As they caressed the white sheets, they appreciated that they were white and soft. They fell asleep, maybe the most peaceful sleep they ever had. After breakfast we went to the paper (Sabah). As we arrived, they talked about the night they spent in their comfortable beds and what they ate. When I asked what they wanted to eat for lunch, they said, "Fish." They had their lunch, and when I said that we would go back to the hotel, they rejoiced that they would spend one more night in soft beds. On our way back, I bought G.A. a doll for her to give to her daughter. She was very pleased. G.B., on the other hand, gave the gifts she received to girls that she saw on the street who were in worse shape. END TEXT. ¶5. Published by Sabah on Friday, March 3, written by Fatih Altayli: TITLE: Those who force children into prostitution BEGIN TEXT: Sabah, for the past two days has been publishing a sad story that turns our stomachs. This is the story of kids who were dragged into prostitution. Girls as young as 12 and 13 are being sold in front of police in Istanbul. They are somehow being taken out of state- controlled centers and being dragged into prostitution. These poor girls could be our daughters. Following our report, an operation was not conducted against the brothel where children are sold. I am curiously waiting to see what kind of action will be taken. Meanwhile, I learned that the person behind the child prostitution is Serpil from Kayseri. Her real name is Cemile Aydin. She is involved in child prostitution. Authorities took action 23 times against this woman and her brothel where she employs children. It was raided most recently on October 9, 2005. She was captured while forcing girls to prostitute themselves. This house was raided again late last night. She was released by the court in which she appeared. Child prostitution is the biggest shame in civilized countries, but it is openly conducted in Turkey. And one of those who are responsible for this is wandering freely, despite the fact that she was captured 23 times. How are the shelters run? Two of the children who were dragged into prostitution are right now under the protection of Sabah newspaper. I talked to Nimet Cubukcu, State Minister for Families, yesterday. She said that despite all efforts, there was a very serious problem and she said that she would take care of the girls who reportedly were taken away from the youth center. But the issue is not admitting the girls into these centers. The issue is that the girls should be treated in a humane way. Due to professional deformation, some administrators whose feelings have been numbed might regard these girls as prostitutes, and this attitude lead to girls going back to school. It is not enough to give a bed and food to these kids in order to drag them out of the quagmire. They need to be treated in a humane way. This is what is lacking and this deficiency is in their minds. END TEXT. ¶6. Reported by Aksam on Saturday, March 4: TITLE: Police raid on female prostitution boss BEGIN TEXT: Cemile Aydin, known as "Serpil from Kayseri," was detained in a sting operation for forcing young girls into prostitution and for operating a brothel. Civilian police teams from the Beyoglu Police Department, after obtaining permission from the prosecutor, raided Aydin's brothel at 11:00 p.m. the other evening on Cihangir's Baskurt Street, where she had forced young girls into prostitution. During the operation, Aydin, referred to as "the Female Boss" by the girls, was detained. END TEXT. ¶7. Published by Hurriyet on Wednesday, March 8: TITLE: Thirty Sex Slaves Saved BEGIN TEXT: The police raided several houses in Fethiye, Mugla, which had been under surveillance for prostitution for three months. Thirty women, most of whom were foreigners and who were forced into prostitution, were saved in an operation named "Valley." Ten people who were marketing the women were detained. END TEXT. ¶8. Published by Sabah on Wednesday, March 8: TITLE: Guardian Angel of Modern Slaves BEGIN TEXT: Selin Arslan, who works in the International Organization for Migration's fight against human trafficking office, and who is also the coordinator for public relations, is extending her helping hand to Ukrainian, Moldovan and Russian women drug into prostitution in Turkey. Arslan, along with her professional team, works like a detective following information coming to the 157 hotline operated by such women. The 157 hotline operates 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Operators speak Russian, Romanian, English and Kyrgyz. In 14 months, 248 of 290 women victims were sent back to their countries and 98 percent of those women were forced into prostitution, while two percent were used as domestic help. END TEXT. ¶9. Published by Hurriyet on Thursday, March 9: TITLE: Bullets followed the message BEGIN TEXT: Pinar Ozayar (16),Hatice Col (20),and her brother Irfan Col (25),who had allegedly sold the two girls, were found dead in a dump in Eregli, Konya. They were shot in the chest and head with seven bullets. The Jandarma initiated a comprehensive investigation and detained eight people, including Kamil Esen, who allegedly sells women. The Jandarma also questioned around 30 prostitutes. The prostitutes reportedly said that Hatice and Pinar could not be shared by the prostitution mafia and the gang had fought for the women with sticks and stones in the past. Ayse Col (55),mother of the murdered Col brother and sister, was questioned for five hours. The weeping mother claimed that her daughter Hatice had been threatened 15 days ago and noted, "Kamil Esen 15 days ago sent a message to my daughter's cell phone and threatened her by saying, `You will either be mine or I will shoot you.' Fifteen days later Hatice was taken to Pinar's house by some men. During the same time, my son came home and some men took him to a car and left. I have never seen those men before." The three bodies were sent to the Adana Forensic Medicine Institution and the investigation is ongoing. END TEXT. ¶10. Reported by Yeni Safak, Radikal, and Aksam on Saturday, March 11: TITLE: Pinar's Tragedy BEGIN TEXT: The life of Pinar O. (16),who was one of the two women shot in the head and killed in Eregli, Konya, brought into question why we cannot protect our children. Pinar, who was one of three children, stabbed her father when she was 11 for beating her mother. Her parents divorced because they could not get along. Meanwhile, Pinar, who was a 9th grader at Ataturk High School, ran away from home. When she had nowhere to go, she took shelter at the house of G.E., who reportedly forced her into prostitution. When she was forced into relationships with men, she fled and took shelter with the police. Six people were detained for keeping her and leading her into prostitution by force. The policemen that she accused were found not guilty in the investigation. The other six people were arrested by order of the court. Since she had nowhere to go, she returned to the house where her father lived. Some people against whom Pinar had filed a complaint hurt her 8-year-old sister and 10-year-old brother and threatened her if she spoke. Pinar, who was under psychological pressure, fled her father's house and moved in with Hatice ¶C. END TEXT. ¶11. Published by Vatan on Saturday, March 11: TITLE: Prostitution in a hot tub BEGIN TEXT: The Jandarma, which got a tip that prostitution was being conducted at the Sultaniye Hot Springs in Koycegiz, Mugla, conducted a "Circle Operation" that encircled the hot springs with three teams of officers. Ali ¶A. (30),a municipality worker who allegedly forced foreign women into prostitution, and his brother, Arif A. (39),and his Azeri wife Aygun A. (27),who was deceiving women with job offers, were detained. Ukrainian Valencia M., who allegedly was forced into prostitution was rescued. During searches of the suspects' houses, the Jandarma found passports that belonged to foreign women, an unregistered pistol, two knives and boxes of vodka. It was claimed that the gang members have been bringing women from abroad to Mugla with job offers and forcing them into prostitution. END TEXT. ¶12. Published by Aksam on Saturday, March 11: TITLE: Prostitution imports for the cup BEGIN TEXT: The 2006 World cup, to be held in Germany from June 9 to July 9, is expected to lead to a big increase in prostitution. The Reeperbahn district of Hamburg, in the north, famous for its sex shops and brothels, is preparing for action. Following a warning that thousands of women from Eastern Europe might be deceived and forced into prostitution, officials decided to bring prostitutes in from other countries. END TEXT. ¶13. Reported by Hurriyet on Saturday, March 11: TITLE: Prostitution on the open seas BEGIN TEXT: After two months police surveillance, Fethiye police in Mugla raided 24 sites in an operation coded "Valley" and saved 29 foreign women who had been forced into prostitution. During searches of the sites, the police found passports that belonged to the foreign women, one unregistered hunting gun, 2 grams of heroin, two open vouchers, four receipts for foreign money transfers, a knife and an iron bar. Nineteen people were detained, but the police released five of them. The gang leader, Ali Ihsan Aksak (58),A.K. (36), D.K. (29),H.K. (27),R.O. (31),O.C. (36),M.E. (42),Z.A. (41),S.K. (30),O.A.Y. (50),Georgian citizen M.K. (39), Russian citizens S.A. (42),A.A.K. (35) and A.B. (44), forced the women into prostitution and kept them in houses, pensions and hotels and had rented a three-story villa for prostitution. It was also determined that they were forcing the women into prostitution on a yacht the group had purchased. Georgian citizen M.K. was working in a supervisory position in the Tblisi Police Department. The police are searching for 12 others in connection with this case. Upon order of Court No. 2, A. Ihsan Aksak and 13 others were sent to jail. END TEXT. ¶14. Reported by Radikal on Saturday, March 11: TITLE: Blow to the prostitution on board gang BEGIN TEXT: Police saved 29 women, most of whom were foreigners, when it cracked down on a prostitution ring in Fethiye, Mugla. The gang rented a hotel for prostitution and was providing prostitution on board a boat. The Mugla Police Organized Crime and Smuggling Department, upon complaints by tourism agents and local businessmen, began to follow a prostitution ring. Following a two-month surveillance, it raided 24 separate sites last Tuesday and detained 19 people. During searches of their offices and homes, police found passports of the foreign women, an unregistered shotgun, 2 grams hashish, two vouchers, and four bank receipts for international money transfers. There was also a knife. The ring kept the women in their houses or hotels, had even rented a three-story hotel, and forced them into prostitution. From time to time, they were providing prostitution services on board a rented boat. The gang members confiscated the passports of the foreign women and threatened those who wanted to return home by saying that they would throw hydrochloric acid on them. The leader of the gang, A.I.A., prepared fake visas and other documents for foreign women. M.K., who was detained, was working for the Tblisi police. The suspects were taken to the Fethiye courthouse yesterday. Fourteen of them, including A.I.A. and M.K., were put under arrest for human trafficking for prostitution. END TEXT. ¶15. Published by Sabah on Saturday, March 11, written by Fatih Altayli: TITLE: A raid on a brothel BEGIN TEXT: Some time ago, Sabah published reports exposing the prostitution scandal in Beyoglu. This situation brought to agenda indeed has been disturbing to those who have lived in Tarlabasi for a long time. People living in that neighborhood and hotel owners many times filed official complaints to the Istanbul Governor's office and the Provincial Tourism Director. They asked officials to stop what was going on. They even gave the addresses of the houses involved in prostitution. Later came the comedy. The Governor and Provincial Tourism Director referred the issue to the police. The police first collected the women working on the street and transsexuals. Certainly, prostitution did not end. There was a need to carry out an operation on the brothel. They applied to the prosecutor, who gave the go ahead for a single search. The operation was then carried out. Let me read the rest from the official document that was prepared after the operation. "When we went to the buildings numbered 18 and 24 on X Street, and numbers 9 and 14, we noticed that their doors were closed. We rang the bells many times, but nobody responded. We concluded that there was nobody inside and we did not conduct a search." Policemen in official uniforms knocked on the doors of the brothels and when nobody answered the door, they decided not to conduct an operation. What were the policemen expecting? Were they expecting someone to tell them, "Welcome. Let me offer you something"? END TEXT. ¶16. Published by Sabah on Sunday, March 12: TITLE: Saved by a call BEGIN TEXT: A young girl (23),who was deceived with a job offer to come to Turkey from Ukraine, and was forced into prostitution for one month in Koycegiz, Mugla, was saved by the Jandarma. V.B. was kept in a room without a bathroom and was forced into prostitution for one month. When she saw the Jandarma units, she began to cry. The young girl, who allegedly was forced into prostitution, called the 157 hotline operated by the IOM. Based on this information, the Jandarma carried out an operation to liberate the girl. Two prostitutes have AIDS. In an operation against prostitution, 37 foreign women were detained in a hotel in Silivri. During their medical checkups, it was determined that 17 of them had venereal diseases and two had the deadly AIDS virus. Seventeen of the women who underwent checkups at the Cankutaran Venereal Diseases Hospital, were infected with diseases such as hepatitis, gonorrhea and syphilis. Moldovan Elena T. and Ukrainian Olga B. had AIDS. After processing the women, the authorities will deport them. END TEXT. ¶17. Published by Radikal on Sunday, March 12: TITLE: Valentyna saved BEGIN TEXT: Ukrainian Valentyna Butkova, who fell into a prostitution web, was saved by a Jandarma operation. The 24-year-old primary school teacher was deceived earlier by Ali Altindal (42),who works temporarily in the Koycegiz Municipality, and his Azeri wife Aygul Altindal. They offered her a job. Altindal took her passport and sold her to men at the Sultaniye hot springs where his brother A.A. works. She was locked in a house on the shore of Lake Koycegiz and was fed only bread for a month. When she refused to be involved in prostitution, she was beaten by Altindal. When she had the opportunity, she phoned for help. She was finally saved on March 11 by a Jandarma operation. When she saw the Jandarma, she began to cry for joy. She was sent back to Ukraine. While Ali Altindal was arrested for forced prostitution and restricting one's freedom, his brother was set free, to be tried on release. END TEXT. MCELDOWNEY