TIP in Turkey: Media Attention from April 16 to May 31,

UNCLAS ANKARA 003926

SIPDIS

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
SUBJECT: TIP in Turkey: Media Attention from April 16 to May 31,
2006



1. (U) Post is instituting a new summary format, which we hope will
make the TIP-related media report more accessible. We welcome
feedback.


2. (U) Summary: During the six-week reporting period, media
attention on trafficking in persons (TIP) focused on several stories
compiled and summarized below. The Turkish National Police (TNP)
continued its crack down on human traffickers through several
operations, including arresting a female police chief and two
policemen for alleged involvement in human trafficking rings. End
Summary.

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Police Operations
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3. (U) Media reported on several police crackdowns on trafficking,
including:

-- April 18 dailies reported police captured two traffickers,
including one woman, in Istanbul. They rescued six underage Turkish
girls, two of whom reportedly had fled the Taksim Youth center, an
Istanbul orphanage for adolescents. The judicial process is
ongoing.

-- Police arrested a woman police chief during a so-called Pink Line
Operation against a human trafficking ring in Antalya. According to
April 26 dailies, she allegedly received $1000 per week in return
for turning a blind eye to gang activities. The Antalya police
detained 41 people, including 11 public servants and 26 prostitutes.
The judicial process is ongoing.

-- The semi-official Anatolian News Agency reported May 5 that the
Ankara Police carried out an operation and arrested four
traffickers. Traffickers lured women primarily from Moldova,
Uzbekistan and Azerbaijan. Six trafficking victims were placed in
shelters. The judicial process is ongoing.

-- "Radikal" reported that Mugla Police detained 15 people in
Fethiye, Mugla for human trafficking on May 16. Further details
were not available.

-- "Sabah" on May 26 reported that Ardahan Police cracked down on a
prostitution gang and arrested trafficker Niyazi Yildirim and six
other gang members. Police continued to detain Yildirim and two
policemen who were allegedly tipping the gang off to police
investigations. The article did not provide details on the victims.


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Other Developments
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4. (U) The media covered a variety of other trafficking related
stories:

-- "Hurriyet" on April 18 quoted a provincial police chief who
suggested a tax on prostitution revenues. He calculated that
organizers transferred abroad around $3.8 million earned through
prostitution per year. The proposal of Mutlu Celik, the local
police chief in the tourist area of Urgup, created controversy.

-- According to April 20 dailies, prosecutors opened a case against
four human traffickers, including a woman, for forcing 23 Turkish
women into prostitution. The Istanbul Police earlier cracked down
on this gang with its so-called Barbie Operation.

-- April 20 dailies reported that Interior Minister Abdulkadir Aksu
traveled to Baku to talk to Azeri officials about terrorism,
organized crime, human trafficking, illegal immigration and arms
trafficking.

-- April 24 mass-appeal daily "Hurriyet" and April 25 "Sabah"
carried items on a UN Office for Drugs and Crime report that stated
that Turkey was one of ten major destination countries for human
trafficking. The report noted that in 2005, 360 people were put on
trial for human trafficking in Turkey.

-- Anatolian News Agency reported on May 4 that Ukrainian Elena
Temshewko fled from traffickers and took refuge with the Alanya
police. After she received a medical check-up, a judge ruled for

her deportation because she overstayed her visa. She was deported.

-- On May 8 Islamist "Yeni Safak" referred to 2005 TNP Smuggling and
Organized Crime Department statistics. In the past two years,
approximately 6000 foreign women were deported for prostitution. In
2005, 2113 were deported; in the first six months of 2006, the
figure was 301.

-- Left-of-center "Radikal" on May 16 reported that the EU granted
250,000 Euros for a project called "Global Migration in Eastern
Mediterranean and Eurasia: Its Security and Human Rights Threats to
Europe." Middle East Technical University Sociology Department
Prof. Ayse Ayata and her team will conduct the study n coordination
with experts in Britain, Germany, the Netherlands, Russia, Spain,
Egypt and Georgia.