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