Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
09ANKARA274
2009-02-20 14:45:00
UNCLASSIFIED//FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY
Embassy Ankara
Cable title:  

TURKEY: 9TH ANNUAL TIP REPORT: INVESTIGATION AND

Tags:  KTIP KCRM PHUM KWMN SMIG KFRD ASEC PREF ELAB 
pdf how-to read a cable
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RUEHLN RUEHLZ RUEHNP RUEHPOD RUEHROV RUEHSK RUEHSR RUEHVK RUEHYG
DE RUEHAK #0274/01 0511445
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
P 201445Z FEB 09
FM AMEMBASSY ANKARA
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 8843
INFO RUEHZL/EUROPEAN POLITICAL COLLECTIVE PRIORITY
RUEATRS/TREASURY DEPT WASHDC PRIORITY
RUEAHLC/HOMELAND SECURITY CENTER WASHDC PRIORITY
RUEHC/DEPT OF LABOR WASHDC PRIORITY
RUEAWJA/DEPT OF JUSTICE WASHDC PRIORITY
UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 06 ANKARA 000274 

SENSITIVE
SIPDIS

DEPT FOR: G/TIP, G, INL, DRL, PRM, EUR/SE, EUR/PGI; DEPT
FOR USAID

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: KTIP KCRM PHUM KWMN SMIG KFRD ASEC PREF ELAB
TU
SUBJECT: TURKEY: 9TH ANNUAL TIP REPORT: INVESTIGATION AND
PROSECUTION OF TRAFFICKERS

REF: A. 08 SECSTATE 132759

B. 08 ANKARA 1709

C. ANKARA 98

D. 08 ANKARA 2194

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 06 ANKARA 000274

SENSITIVE
SIPDIS

DEPT FOR: G/TIP, G, INL, DRL, PRM, EUR/SE, EUR/PGI; DEPT
FOR USAID

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: KTIP KCRM PHUM KWMN SMIG KFRD ASEC PREF ELAB
TU
SUBJECT: TURKEY: 9TH ANNUAL TIP REPORT: INVESTIGATION AND
PROSECUTION OF TRAFFICKERS

REF: A. 08 SECSTATE 132759

B. 08 ANKARA 1709

C. ANKARA 98

D. 08 ANKARA 2194


1. (U) Sensitive but unclassified. Please protect
accordingly.


2. (U) Post's responses are keyed to reftel questions. This
is part 2 of 3 (septels).

INVESTIGATION AND PROSECUTION OF TRAFFICKERS
--------------


A. (U) Article 80 of the Turkish Penal Code (TPC)
specifically defines human trafficking as a crime and
prescribes penalties for traffickers and their accomplices.
The law covers both internal and transnational forms of
trafficking. Penalties range from eight to twelve years of
imprisonment and, at judicial discretion, an additional
financial penalty equivalent of up to 730 days. (According
to the TPC, a judicial fine is an amount payable to the State
Treasury by the offender, which is calculated, unless
otherwise stated in the law, by multiplying the identified
number of days, which shall be more than five but not more
than 730, with a daily amount that shall be at least twenty
Turkish lira ($15) or, at most, 100 Turkish lira and shall be
determined having regard to the personal and economic
conditions of the person.) Trafficking crimes are also
prosecuted under statutes on Organized Crime (TPC Article
220),Sexual Assault (TPC Article 102),Mediating for
Prostitution (TPC Article 227),Misuses of Public Duty (TPC
Article 257),Bribery and Extortion (TPC Article 250 and
252),Deprivation of Liberty (TPC Article 109),Threatening
an Individual (TPC Article 106),Money Laundering (TPC
Article 282),and miscellaneous labor and other laws.

TPC Article 80: Human Trafficking (as amended December 19,
2006):

(1) A person who procures or kidnaps persons or who takes or
transports persons from one place to another or who harbors
persons with a view to force them to work or to provide a
service, made them be involved in prostitution or to subject
them to slavery or similar practices or to donate their

organs by exerting threats, pressure, force or violence, by
abusing his authority, by deceit or by obtaining their
consent through taking advantage of the opportunities they
have to control them or of their helplessness shall be
sentenced to imprisonment for a term of eight to twelve years
and a judicial fine imposed equivalent of up to ten thousand
days.

(2) In the event of actions which are undertaken for the
purposes referred to in the first paragraph and which
constitute an offense, the consent of the injured party shall
be deemed void.

(3) Where juveniles under eighteen years of age are procured,
kidnapped, taken or transported from one place to
another or harbored for the purposes referred to in the first
paragraph, the perpetrator shall be sentenced to the
penalties referred to in the first paragraph, notwithstanding
that none of the acts instrumental to the offense has been
resorted to.

(4) Security measures shall be taken for legal entities on
account of the above-mentioned crimes.

On June 1, 2005, Article 80 replaced the following
anti-trafficking statutes in effect since August 3, 2002
(some court cases initiated before the current reporting
period continue):

TPC Article 201(b):

(1) Those who provide, kidnap, take or transfer from one
place to another and house other individuals with the
intention of making them work or serve by force, subject them
to slavery or similar treatment, threaten, pressure, use
force or coercion to persuade them to give up their bodily
organs, use undue influence, secure their consent by
deception or by using the desperation of such individuals

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shall be sentenced to five to ten years of heavy imprisonment
and a heavy fine of not less than one thousand lira ($833).

(2) If the actions that constitute a crime attempted with the
intentions laid out in the first paragraph exist, the
victim is assumed not to have given his/her consent.

(3) If children below the age of eighteen are provided,
kidnapped, taken or transferred from one place to another or
housed with the intentions specified in paragraph one, even
when no intermediary actions in relation to the crime are
committed, the penalties foreseen in paragraph one shall
still be applied to the perpetrator.

(4) If the crimes listed in the paragraphs above are
committed in an organized manner, the penalties foreseen for
the perpetrators shall be doubled.

TPC Article 227: Prostitution:

(1) Any person who encourages a child to become a
prostitute, facilitates a child becoming such or supplies or
accommodates a child for such purpose, or acts as an
intermediary for the prostitution of a child, shall be
sentenced to a penalty of imprisonment for a term of four to
ten years and judicial fine equivalent of up to five thousand
days' imprisonment.

(2) Any person who encourages another to become a
prostitute or who facilitates or acts as an intermediary for
such or who provides and environment for such a purpose shall
be sentenced to a penalty of imprisonment for a term of two
to four years and a judicial fine equivalent of up to three
thousand days. Earning a living, totally or partially, from
the proceeds of prostitution shall be presumed to be an
encouragement to prostitution.

(3) Paragraph was annulled by article 45 of the law
5560-06.12.2006 (the Article 80 amendment)

(4) The penalty to be imposed according to the
aforementioned sections shall be doubled where a person is
encouraged to engage in acts of prostitution or secures an
individual to engage in prostitution through the use of
threat, violence, deceit, or by taking advantage of another's
desperation.

(5) The penalty to be imposed according to the
aforementioned sections shall be increased by one half where
the offense is committed by a spouse, direct-antecedents,
direct antecedents-in-law, sibling, adopting parent,
guardian, trainer, educator, nurse, or any other person
responsible for the protection and supervision of a person,
or by a public officer or employee who misuses the influence
derived from their positions.

(6) The penalty to be imposed according to the
aforementioned sections shall be increased by one half where
the offense is committed in the course of the activities of a
criminal organization.

(7) Legal entities shall be subject to security measures
for involvement in these offenses.

(8) Any person who has been forced into prostitution may be
given treatment or psychological therapy.

Under Article 4 of the Terrorism Prevention Act, a crime,
such as TIP, committed by a terrorist organization can be
prosecuted as a terrorist crime. The terrorist PKK, for
example, is known to fund its terrorist operations though
human trafficking and other transnational crimes.

The Highway Transport Law (July 19, 2003) and the Highway
Transport Regulation (February 25, 2004) include provisions
that limit the ability of human traffickers to use transport
vehicles to traffic persons.

Turkey has adopted the following international conventions:

- ILO Convention 182 (ratified 2001);
- ILO Convention 29 and 105 on Forced or Compulsory Labor
(ILO Convention 29 went into effect on January 27, 1998 and

ANKARA 00000274 003 OF 006


ILO Convention 105 on December 21, 1960);
- Optional Protocol to the Convention on the Rights of the
Child on the Sale of Children, Child Prostitution, and Child
Pornography (ratified May 9, 2002);
- The Protocol to Prevent, Suppress and Punish
Trafficking-in-Persons, Especially Women and Children,
Supplementing the UN Convention Against Transnational
Organized Crime (ratified March 18, 2003).


B. (U) TPC Article 80 penalties of 8-12 years' imprisonment
apply to both traffickers of human beings for purposes of
sexual exploitation and/or for labor exploitation.


C. (U) Labor exploitation can be prosecuted under Article
80, which carries penalties of eight to twelve years
imprisonment plus the possibility of an additional judicial
fine equivalent to ten thousand days imprisonment (see
above). No evidence has been reported to us that Turkey is a
forced labor source country. Turkey is not a significant
forced labor destination country.

The Ministry of Labor and Social Security (MOL) is authorized
to prevent uncontrolled employment of foreign labor and to
grant work permits under the Law on Work Permits for
Foreigners (number 4817) (effective September 6, 2003).

Under Law 4817, foreigners must be formally permitted to work
in Turkey and registered with social security or they and
their employers can be subject to a fine. Law 4817
stipulates that employment contracts must be written in
Turkish and the language of the foreign employee. The GOT is
authorized to reject permits for employment that threaten
"general health and/or morals." MOL undertakes active
investigations of illegally employed foreigners during the
reporting period. MOL officials have received TIP-detection
training; the TNP Foreigners Police, which processes all
foreigners apprehended in Turkey, screens illegal foreign
workers before deportation for evidence of trafficking.


D. (U) TPC Part 6 provides varying degrees of penalties for
sexual assault, rape, and sexual abuse of adults and minors,
as noted below. Penalties may range from two years to life
imprisonment, depending upon the circumstances. Penalties
for rape can be less or more than penalties for trafficking,
depending on the situation. TPC Part 6 is commonly utilized
to prosecute traffickers.

Part 6: Offenses Against Sexual Integrity

Article 102: Sexual Assault

(1) The perpetrator who violates the physical integrity of
another person by means of sexual conduct shall be imprisoned
for a term of two to seven years upon the complaint of the
victim.

(2) Where the act is committed by means of inserting an organ
or similar object into the body, the perpetrator shall be
imprisoned for a term of seven to twelve years. If the act
is committed against the spouse, legal investigation and
prosecution shall be initiated if the victim lodges a
complaint.

(3) If the offense is committed,

a) Against a person who is physically or mentally incapable
of defending him/herself,
b) By breaching of duties and/or abusing the functions
pertaining to the official status,
c) Against a person of first, second, or third degree blood
relation or a relative by marriage,
d) By using weapons and with the cooperation of more than one
person, penalties imposed in accordance with articles above
shall be increased by half.

(4) In case excessive violence is exerted on the victim
during the commitment of the offense, the perpetrator shall
also be punished for deliberate wounding.

(5) In case the offense causes damage to the physical or
mental health of the victim, the perpetrator shall be
imprisoned for a term of not less than ten years.


ANKARA 00000274 004 OF 006


(6) If, as a result of the crime, the victim enters into a
vegetative state or dies, the sentence will be strict life
imprisonment.

Article 103: Sexual Abuse of Children

(1) The perpetrator of child abuse shall be imprisoned for a
term of three to eight years. Sexual abuse means:

a) any act of a sexual nature against a minor who has not
reached fifteen years of age, or, if over fifteen years of
age, lacks the competence to perceive the legal meaning and
consequences of such acts.

b) sexual acts against other minors depending on use of
force, threat, deception, or by any other reason affecting
the will of the child.

(2) Where the sexual assault occurs as a result of insertion
of an organ or similar object into the body, a
penalty imprisonment from eight to fifteen years shall be
imposed.

(3) Where the sexual assault is committed by a first, second
or third degree blood relative, step-father, the
person who has adopted the person concerned, guardian, tutor,
teacher, caretaker, or other person in charge of providing
health services or who bears the obligation for protection or
supervision, or through abuse of the service relation, the
penalty to be imposed, in accordance with the above
paragraphs, shall be increased by half.

(4) Where the sexual assault is committed against a minor
indicated in paragraph 1(a) as a result of force or threat,
the penalty to be imposed, in accordance with the above
paragraphs, shall be increased by half.

(5) Where the force and compulsion used with the aim of
sexual assault lead to aggravated consequences of the offense
of deliberate wounding, provisions of the offense of
deliberate wounding shall apply additionally.

(6) In case the offense results in damage to the physical or
mental health of the victim, the perpetrator shall be
imprisoned to strict life imprisonment.

(7) Where the offense leads the victim into a vegetative
state or to death, the perpetrator shall be sentenced to
strict life imprisonment.


E. (SBU) ***Complete 2008 law enforcement statistics were
unavailable by the reporting deadline. Post will report
these statistics in a supplemental cable as soon as they are
received. MOJ issued us preliminary data on the first two
quarters of 2008, indicating that about 100 traffickers were
prosecuted in the first half of 2008 -- a rate comparable to
or exceeding last year's. We have heard informally that,
through the first three quarters, at least ten prosecutions
occurred under the amended Article 80 (8-12 years'
imprisonment) and dozens more under related statutes (usually
averaging 3-4 years' imprisonment).***


F. (U) MOJ and MOI (Turkish National Police and Jandarma)
have institutionalized TIP-related training in their service
training. TNP estimates that TIP-specific training has
reached over 5,000 officers since 2004. TNP also
participates in training with various countries at the
Turkish Academy to Fight Against Drugs and Organized Crime
(TADOC) and through the Southeast Europe Cooperation
Initiative (SECI). Through an EC-funded project, IOM trained
30 security officials and 40 judges during the summer of 2008
as TIP "trainers." By the end of 2009, these trainers will
have trained 300 judges and prosecutors and 290 security
officials in, focusing as appropriate, victim identification,
national and international regulations, international
coordination, victim sensitivity, NGO cooperation,
investigative techniques, data collection and database
management (ref B). Fifty law enforcement officers have
already received this four-day "cascade" training from the
new trainers and 40 judges and prosecutors will receive the
training during the last week of February 2009.


G. (SBU) The GOT has concluded MOUs or Protocols on TIP with

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the following countries: Belarus (2004),Georgia (2005),
Ukraine (2005),Moldova (2006),and Kyrgyzstan (2006). GOT
and source country officials regularly exchange visits.
Turkish law enforcement and judicial authorities cooperate
actively with other governments in the investigation and
prosecution of trafficking cases. From sustained joint
investigations to simple information exchanges, such
international cooperation is extensive, and particularly
good, according to our contacts, with Ukraine. The GOT has
reported to us that it is working with its regional partners
to establish English as a lingua franca for information
exchange on trafficking cases; requests made in source
country languages often require translation that is not
readily available. The GOT also organizes and participates
actively in numerous regional conferences and workshops on
TIP. For example, the GOT hosted, in partnership with IOM, a
judicial assistance seminar in Istanbul November 27-28, 2008.
The goal was to increase the number of victims identified by
regional authorities and support the investigation and
prosecution of trafficking crime. Representatives from
Turkey, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, Kyrgyzstan, Moldova,
Romania, Ukraine and the European Commission participated.
The State Minister for Women's Affairs hosted a regional NGO
conference on strengthening civil society's contribution to
the fight against TIP.


H. (U) The GOT is prohibited by law from extraditing its own
nationals charged with a crime abroad, including trafficking.
The universal jurisdiction norm is recognized by the Turkish
Criminal Code on the basis of certain offenses and crimes.
Included in this norm are migrant smuggling and trafficking
in human beings. A foreigner or Turkish trafficker is
indictable and punishable in Turkey. The Turkish Minister of
Justice may request a trial process be launched in Turkey
against an accused person who has already been through the
legal system in conjunction with these offenses in another
country.


I. (SBU) The GOT does not tolerate official involvement in
trafficking and we have no evidence to suggest such tolerance
or involvement at senior levels. However, there were
incidents of security officials' involved in TIP.


J. (SBU) According to data furnished by the TNP, 25 security
officials were subject to investigation in 2008 for assisting
traffickers, mediating prostitution and/or turning a blind
eye to prostitution. One was a first class chief constable;
six were superintendents; seven were chief inspectors,
inspectors or deputy inspectors. Three were expelled from
duty even though criminal charges against two of those three
were dropped. Two more have been suspended from duty
following an internal investigation, while one has been
suspended from duty while the investigation continues. The
rest of the investigations are proceeding in #etQ4(QQxP,e1Q;/Quty.


K. (SBU) Prostitution in Turkey is legal and regulated. Sex
workers must have Turkish citizenship; foreign citizens
cannot legally practice prostitution. Trafficking, smuggling
with the intent to traffic, pimping, enforcing, or in any
other way supporting the activities of a trafficking
operation is illegal. The law also prohibits and provides
punishment for individuals who own, operate or work to
support the operation of brothels associated with human
trafficking. The minimum age for prostitution in Turkey is

18. The number of legal brothels has reportedly decreased
under the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) which
also governs most large cities, including Istanbul. Local
experts do not believe legal brothels contribute
substantially to TIP in Turkey (ref C, D).


L. (SBU) The GOT did not report that any Turkish
peacekeepers deployed abroad were engaged in or facilitated
severe forms of trafficking or exploited victims of
trafficking.


M. (SBU) We do not have evidence suggesting Turkey is a

ANKARA 00000274 006 OF 006


source or destination country for organized child sex
tourism, or that Turkish citizens travel to other countries
to engage in child sex tourism. Turkish law severely
punishes sexual abuse and/or trafficking of minors (see paras
A and D).

Visit Ankara's Classified Web Site at
http://www.intelink.sgov.gov/wiki/Portal:Turk ey

Jeffrey