TIP IN TURKEY: TURKISH MEDIA ATTENTION, January 1-

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 05 ANKARA 000296 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, January 1- 15, 2006 ¶1. 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 Embassy translation. ¶2. Published by Sabah on Sunday, January 1: TITLE: A blow to prostitution gang BEGIN TEXT: The Ankara Police claim to have brought down a gang which forced mostly foreign women into prostitution. After a long period of pursuit, the Ankara Security Directorate, Smuggling and Organized Crime Unit dealt a blow to a prostitution ring. Eight people of the gang were arrested, six of them women. Twenty-one women used as capital were rescued. Saliha N., the female ringleader, was brought in front of the court. On a tip that women were being forced into prostitution, the Ankara Security Directorate, Smuggling and Organized Crime Unit, in an operation nicknamed "Suna", arrested Saliha N., Fatma B., Basak M., Esra N., Beyhan A., Tulay K., Ibrahim N. and Mehmet ¶D. Twenty-one people were rescued from the bar the gang operated in Ankara. Names of clients were retrieved from diaries confiscated from the arrested women. Eight of the prostitution ring members were charged with organizing a gang, inducing and procuring prostitution and procuring illegal revenue. Saliha N. was sent to prison by the duty judge. The others were released pending trial. END TEXT. ¶3. Reported by Hurriyet on Sunday, January 1: TITLE: Used as a sex slave for six months BEGIN TEXT: The man who sold Kyrgyz law graduate Tina Slikova in Sanliurfa was arrested. Tina Slikova was saved. Sanliurfa Vice Bureau team, on a tip, arrested Okan Gulsen in a raid to save Kygryz citizen Tina Slikova from torture and forced prostitution. Police saved Slikova. On the body of the Kyrgyz law graduate who came to Turkey a year ago were cigarette and iron burns. It was understood that Slikova had been marketed to men in Sanliurfa for the last six months. Police noted that Slivoka cried and had a hard time walking. As Gulesen was arrested, Slikova was delivered to the Foreigners Police to begin deportation paperwork. END TEXT. ¶4. Published by Hurriyet on Friday, January 6: TITLE: Fearless Nazira causes gang to be caught BEGIN TEXT: A Georgian woman who came to Turkey to be a translator, but who was raped, tortured and forced into prostitution, was successful in calling the police and causing the traffickers to be caught. Five months ago, Georgian Nazira U. (25),was brought to Antalya by another Georgian woman to work as a translator. The unnamed woman sold Nazira to a trafficking ring for $2,000 and she was sold to another ring for $3,000. Resisting forced prostitution, Nazira was sold to traffickers Davut Kursun (56),Naci Koroglu (38),Orhan Topraktepe (51) and Leyla Koroglu (35). She was raped repeatedly and forced to prostitute herself, resulting in a pregnancy. One evening, with the help of a client, she called the Kazakh Embassy and the police. Upon notice, police went into action and raided two houses. Davud Kursun, Naci Koroglu, Orhan Topraktepe and Leyla Koroglu were arrested. The police team found and entered a secret area under the entrance to the adjoining duplex, where they found Nazira U. and 30-year-old T.T., 26-year-old I.R., all Georgians. Moldavians 30-year-old L.V., 23- year-old E.P. and 29-year-old M.D. were saved. A search of gang leader Davut Kursun found that he had been using a business card with model Tugba Ozay's photograph on it. The card said "Davut Kursun. Groper. He would not break anyone's heart." Medical examinations of the women revealed that they had been tortured. As the investigation continued, three people were being sought. Model Tugba Ozay, on the business cards, said, "When I first heard it, I could not believe it. In Turkey someone was using my name and photograph to make money. I told the police that I have nothing to do with this type of work. I know that people are making money by using my pictures on the internet, but this really is too much. People created a prostitution gang and used my photo on their business cards saying `Groper' and `we won't hurt anyone.' They just use famous people to earn money." END TEXT. ¶5. Published by Milliyet on Friday, January 6: TITLE: Five-month sex slavery of Georgian woman ends BEGIN TEXT: A young Georgian woman, who arrived in Turkey to serve as an interpreter, but who was forcefully kept by a prostitution ring, managed to reach the Georgian embassy and was saved by a police raid. In connection with the incident, four people, including one woman, were captured. The Antalya Police Smuggling and Organized Crime Unit found out that N.B. (25),who arrived in Turkey five months ago, was kept in a house in Antalya. The information came from the Georgian embassy. The police found out that the house that N.B. was kept belonged to D.K. who already had a criminal record for pimping. N.B. was saved in a police raid. During the operation, D.K. and gang members O.T., N.K. and his Georgian wife, L.K, were captured. Along with N.B., police also found Georgian citizens T.T. and I.R., and Moldavians E.P., L.V. and M.D., in three houses where they were forced into prostitution. The Georgian woman said that she arrived in Istanbul five months ago to serve as an interpreter. She met with some people and after her friend departed, these people kept her at gunpoint. Later she was taken to Antalya and put into a house. N.B. said that she was a virgin, but the three people who forcefully kept her also raped her. During the five months she was forced into prostitution, she was burned with cigarettes and other torture was inflicted on her. She said that she was 3.5 months pregnant. The Georgian woman and the other foreigners reportedly will be sent back to their countries. The foreign women were kept by the ringleader, D.K., and other members in three separate houses in the Lara and Guzeloba districts. The police found secret doors behind the coat closet. They were used as a place to hide during a police raid. There were secret rooms behind those doors and the foreign women were kept there. On D.K.'s business card, which had a picture of a woman in a bikini and distributed to his clients, was written "D.K. Never Breaks Anyone's Heart." He also had his cell phone number on it. During the operation, the police seized a pistol and a rifle. Officials said that the domestic and foreign ties of the detainees, who forced the women into prostitution, were determined and that the investigation was ongoing. END TEXT. ¶6. Reported by the Turkish Daily News on Saturday, January 7: TITLE: EU backs Turkey in fight against human trafficking BEGIN TEXT: A European Union-financed project on human trafficking was launched yesterday at Ankara's police department, announced a European commission delegation to Turkey in a written statement. The statement emphasized that the project is crucial for strengthening the capabilities of the law enforcement institutions dealing with human trafficking. Within the framework of the project, the Berlin Criminal Police Agency, representing the German government, will assist the Turkish police in adopting and implementing an anti-trafficking strategy in line with the EU acquis, it said. The Ludwig Boltzman Institute of Human Rights in Austria will support the project, financed with 1.2 million euros from the European Community budget, by providing experts on victim assistance. The European Commission stated in its annual progress report, released in November, that ongoing efforts in the field needed to be maintained. "This project will serve the purpose of building upon these developments by preparing Turkey to meet the minimum standards for the elimination of human trafficking and to establish a basic framework for both national and international institutional networks," the statement noted. END TEXT. ¶7. Published by the Turkish Daily News on Tuesday, January 10, 2006: TITLE: Over 500,000 illegal migrants captured in Turkey in last decade BEGIN TEXT: Police Chief Gokhan Aydiner announced yesterday that more than 500,000 illegal migrants have been captured in Turkey over the last 10 years. "The transportation of 575,516 illegal migrants via Turkey has been hindered, and 6,113 human traffickers from 39 different countries have been captured since 1995," Aydiner was quoted as saying by NTV during a briefing about a twinning project on the fight against human trafficking. The project is being carried out within the framework of harmonization with the European Union. Turkey is located between European, Asian and Middle Eastern countries and is a main route for illegal migrants. Each year thousands of illegal migrants from Asia, the Middle East, Africa and Eastern Europe attempt to sneak into Greece - a key entry point to the EU - via Turkey. Besides the position of being a "transit country," Turkey is also a "target country" that is directly affected by human trafficking. Many illegal immigrants enter Turkey via sea, air and land from Asian and African countries and settle here. Aydiner emphasized that children and women were most exploited by human traffickers. Operations have been continuing "nonstop" for the capture of illegal migrants, he said, while noting that 491 victims were saved from human traffickers in the last two years and sent back to their native countries. "Human trafficking to our country is often seen as exploitation of citizens - from countries that are going through a transition period after the dissolution of the Soviet Union - with the purpose of engaging in prostitution; this makes Turkey a target country," he added. Turkey, a destination country for an increasing number of women, introduced an action plan and launched a national task force in 2003 to cope with the issue. The Geneva-based United Nations' International Organization for Migration (IOM),which Turkey joined in 2004, is a major ally of the Turkish government in counter-trafficking efforts. In May 2005, the IOM set up a toll-free hotline in Turkey for women to call for help. In June, the IOM, in close coordination with the Turkish government, launched the first major multi-country prevention campaign to combat human trafficking across Turkey and main source countries in Eastern Europe and former Soviet countries. The $700,000 campaign, funded by the U.S. government, is meant to raise awareness, step up legal training for law enforcement and provide medical and other assistance to the victims of exploitive human trafficking. END TEXT. ¶8. Published by People's Daily Online (www.english.people.com.cn) on Tuesday, January 10: TITLE: Turkey captures over 500,000 illegal immigrants in past 10 years BEGIN TEXT: Turkish Police Director General Gokhan Aydiner announced on Monday that more than 500,000 illegal immigrants have been captured in the country over the past 10 years. In an interview with local private NTV, Aydiner said, "The transportation of 575,516 illegal immigrants via Turkey has been hindered and 6,113 human traffickers from 39 different countries have been captured since 1995." Aydiner also said that the operations against illegal immigrants have been continuing, adding that during the last two years alone, 491 victims were saved from human traffickers and sent back to their native countries. According to Aydiner, women and children formed the bulk of human trafficking victims. Turkey is located on a main route of illegal immigrants. Each year, thousands of illegal immigrants from Asia, the Middle East, Africa and Eastern Europe attempt to sneak into wealthy western European countries via Turkey. Besides the position of being a "transit country," Turkey has gradually become a "target country" with more and more illegal immigrants entering Turkey via sea, air and land from Asian and African countries. Facing increasing human trafficking, especially of women, Turkey introduced an action plan and launched a national fast force in 2003 to cope with the issue. END TEXT. ¶9. Reported by Aksam on Tuesday, January 10: TITLE: This is too much - pimps with business cards BEGIN TEXT: While traffickers who use business cards to sell women in Alanya in the Antalya province continue to shock, work is being done to catch the offenders. Information that some pimps are distributing business cards with photographs has caused teams into action. It was revealed that many of these business cards use pictures of women in erotic positions and use code names like "sauna" and "flower shop." In addition to the pictures of women, the telephone number and the promise of "24-hour service" are used to increase the number of customers of these trafficked women. Security forces are now on the trail of these traffickers. END TEXT. ¶10. Also reported by Aksam on Tuesday, January 10: TITLE: 2,500 women caught in last three years BEGIN TEXT: There has been a large increase in the prostitution sector, especially with foreign women, in the tourism capital (of Turkey),Antalya during the last ten years. Security forces, which have not been given a break, continue. Two thousand five hundred prostitutes were caught and processed, but returned to the area. END TEXT. WILSON