AI: Turkey bulletin

[kurdeng at aps.nl]

------------ Forwarded from : Ray Mitchell <rmitchellai at gn.apc.org> ------------

+------------------------------------------------------+
+     AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL URGENT ACTION BULLETIN     +
+     Electronic distribution authorised               +
+     This bulletin expires: 12 October 1995.          +
+------------------------------------------------------+

EXTERNAL                                             AI Index: EUR 44/89/95

EXTRA 101/95      Fear of "disappearance" / Torture        7 September 1995

TURKEY      Gulbahar Nifak, nee Alici (f), aged 19, married with one child
            Lezgin Alici, aged 20, her brother


Amnesty International is extremely concerned for the safety of Gulbahar
Nifak and her brother Lezgin Alici, detained by police in the early hours
of 4 September 1995.  Reports indicating that Gulbahar Nifak has already
been tortured have further heightened concern for the two young people,
whose detention has so far not been acknowledged by the authorities.

At about 3am on 4 September, police raided the Alici family house in
Diyarbakir and detained 19-year-old Gulbahar Nifak and Lezgin Alici, aged
20.  The following day, 5 September, a group of about seven police officers
brought Gulbahar back to the house.  The police searched the house,
claiming that there were weapons there and insisting that the family
disclose where they were.  The family denied that there were any weapons in
the house.  The police then confiscated tape cassettes, photograph albums
and some poetry manuscripts.

The police asked Gulbahar some questions and began to beat her.  They told
her to kiss her two-year-old son, saying, "You may not see him again" and
then took her away.  According to her relatives, G=FClbahar was in a very
poor physical state and had apparently been tortured.

On 6 September Gulbahar and Lezgin's father applied for confirmation of the
detention of his son and daughter to the prosecutor's office at the State
Security Court in Diyarbakir, where the detention of political detainees
have to be registered.  His application was rejected.  At the Diyarbakir
Police Headquarters he was told that they would be able to give him an
answer in a week's time.

BACKGROUND INFORMATION

Gulbahar and Lezgin Alici's sister Nalan Alici was detained in mid-March
1994 and after two days in police custody was committed to Diyarbakir
Closed Prison on charges of membership of an illegal organization. She was
held in prison until October 1994 when she was released while her trial
continued. She absconded, though her trial continues.

Police pressure on the Alici family has become worse during the past three
months.  About three months ago at around 2am, four plainclothes police
officers came to the father's house and asked for Nalan. They took three of
the children present in the house to Nalan's elder sister. One of them then
admitted having seen Nalan Alici the previous Sunday. The police threatened
Nalan Alici's father, telling him that he was to get Nalan to deliver
herself into custody, otherwise they would take his son Lezgin.

+-----------------------------------------------------------+
+ Supporters of Amnesty International around the world are  +
+ writing urgent appeals in response to the concerns        +
+ described above. If you would like to join with them in   +
+ this action or have any queries about the Urgent Action   +
+ network or Amnesty International in general, please       +
+ contact one of the following:                             +
+                                                           +
+      Ray Mitchell, rmitchellai at gn.apc.org (UK)            +
+      Scott Harrison, sharrison at igc.apc.org (USA)          +
+      Guido Gabriel, ggabriel at amnesty.cl.sub.de (Germany)  +
+      Marilyn McKim, aito at web.apc.org (Canada)             +
+      Michel Ehrlich, mehrlich at aibf.be (Belgium)           +
+-----------------------------------------------------------+




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