 |
Close |
Widad Akrawi
2011 / 6 / 24
Defend International (DI) strongly condemns the Turkish Supreme Election Board s undemocratic decision of not recognizing the right of the elected Kurdish candidate Mr. Mehmet Hatip Dicle, emphasizing the decision taken by the election board is an attempt to manipulate the results of the democratic voting process that took place in Turkey on June 12, 2011. Such a decision is neither legal nor ethical, and new arrangements should be made.
DI has sent urgent appeals to the President of Turkey s Supreme Board of Election to reconsider this decision as it ignores the rights of all voters who voted for Mr. Dicle to represent them in the parliament. In addition, appeals have been sent to the Council of Europe, the Commissioner for Human Rights, and a number of United Nation representatives to intervene.
The case:
On 22 June 2011, Turkey s Supreme Board of Election took a hasty decision in which it banned one of 36 Kurdish-backed candidates: Mr. Mehmet Hatip Dicle from taking his seat in the Turkish parliament, despite the fact that he has been legitimately and democratically elected with record level vote. He ran as an independent candidate, but represented the Peace and Democracy Party (BDP) during the recent national elections.
It is worthwhile to note that Mr. Dicle has been in custody since 24 December 2009, when he was arrested as part of the Kurdish Communities Union trial. Recently, the Ankara 11th High Criminal Court decided to cut 453 days (one year and eight months), the time he has served in prison, from the sentence of 20 months imprisonment he had received in 2010 for spreading "terrorist propaganda." On the other hand, he has lost an appeal against his 2010 conviction earlier this month. Nevertheless, DI and numerous human-rights lawyers have repeatedly underlined that the Turkish legislation on terrorism are very vague and subject to broad interpretations, and selective enforcement.
It has been reported that, prior to the elections, the Turkish election board announced plans of barring seven Kurdish candidates from running, but that decision was reversed under pressure on six of them. Obviously, if Mr. Dicle, who won his seat in the city of Diyarbakir, remains barred from Parliament, a member of Mr. Erdogan s ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP): Oya Eronat is expected to replace Mr. Dicle, thereby manipulating the victory of the independent candidates in the province by having 6 members of the ruling AKP instead of 5.
DI Views and Demands:
DI calls on the Election Board to reconsider this decision, which ignores the rights of the voters who elected Mr. Dicle to represent them in the parliament. This unjust, undemocratic, and unlawful decision may fuel further conflict by throwning Turkey into a new crisis, raising political tensions, and blocking the way for peaceful solutions to the Kurdish question in the country.
"Mr. Dicle and other BDP candidates have been elected by millions of people who expect their elected deputies to embark on a range of debates and negotiations to find a basis of common interests that may end their suffering as a minority without equal rights and justice," said Widad Akrawi, the President of Defend International. "As a result, they should be allowed to take their oaths and to represent their voters in the Parliament. This political and arbitrary decision must be revoked."
Defend International urges the election board and the Turkish courts to release from jail the nine recently elected candidates, including Mr. Dicle, and to refrain from blocking them from taking their seats in Parliament.
DI campaign:
Please copy the following appeals, add your signature and address and send them to arrive as soon as possible.
With thanks and appreciation
Defend International
______________________________________________________
Yüksek Seçim Kurulu Başkanı (YSK President) Mr. Ali Em
T.C. Yüksek Seçim Kurulu Başkanlığı
Merkez İletişim Bilgileri
Kızılırmak Caddesi No: 9
06640 Küçükesat
Ankara
Turkey
Faks: +90 312 4195308 / +90 312 4191049
Dear President of YSK,
I would like to express my deep concern regarding the recent decision taken by Turkey s Supreme Board of Election, in which it banned the elected candidate Mr. Mehmet Hatip Dicle from taking his seat in the Turkish Parliament, despite the fact that he has been democratically elected in the 2011 elections.
In addition to ingnoring and disrespecting the people s voice as expressed through the ballot box, this decision may fuel further conflict by throwning Turkey into a new crisis, raising political tensions, and blocking the way for reasonable and participatory solutions to the challenges faced by Turkey at the domestic and international levels.
I call on the Election Board to reconsider this decision, which ignores the rights of all voters who voted for Mr. Dicle to represent them in the parliament. Furthermore, I urge the election board and the Turkish courts to release from jail the nine recently elected candidates, including Mr. Dicle, and to refrain from blocking them from taking their seats in Parliament.
I hope for your urgent attention to this matter.
Respectfully yours,
______________________________________
The Secretary General of the Council of Europe
His Excellency Thorbjorn Jagland,
12, avenue Tervuren
B - 1040 Brussels
Fax +33 2 230 94 62
Your Excellency,
I would like to express my concern at the continued violation of human rights and fundamental freedoms in Turkey. On 22 June 2011, Turkey s Supreme Board of Election took a hasty decision in which it banned the elected Kurdish candidate Mr. Mehmet Hatip Dicle from taking his seat in the Turkish parliament, despite the fact that he has been democratically elected with record level vote. It is important to highlight that such a decision is an attempt to manipulate the results of the 2011 voting process in Turkey, which is unacceptable and new arrangements are urgently needed.
Mr. Dicle is a former deputy elected from the now-defunct Democracy Party. On 2 March 1994, he was arrested after Leyla Zana, the winner of the Sakharov prize by the European Parliament, attempted to take the parliamentary oath in Kurdish. They were both sentenced to 15 years in prison on charges of "committing crimes on behalf of a terror group." They both served 10 years, but were released in 2004 due to international pressure. Since 24 December 2009, Mr. Dicle has been in custody as part of the Kurdish Communities Union trial. He has recently lost an appeal against his 2010 conviction for spreading "terrorist propaganda." Three other Turkish candidates (a former university rector, a journalist and a retired general) are also facing anti-terror charges based on the Turkish legislation on terrorism, which are very broad and subject to selective enforcement.
In addition to ingnoring and disrespecting the people s voice as expressed through the ballot box, this unjust and undemocratic decision may fuel further conflict by throwning Turkey into a new crisis, raising political tensions, and blocking the way for reasonable and participatory solutions to the challenges faced by Turkey at the domestic and international levels. Mr. Dicle and other BDP candidates have been elected by millions of people who expect their elected deputies to embark on dialogue and negotiations on establishing a basis of common interests that may provide them relief from their suffering as a minority without a voice in the Turkish society. Accordingly, I call on you to urge the Turkish Supreme Election Board to allow Mr. Dicle to take his oath and to represent his voters in the Parliament.
I hope for your urgent attention to this matter.
Respectfully yours,
________________________________________
Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights
Mr. Thomas Hammarberg
Council of Europe
F-67075 Strasbourg Cedex
FRANCE
Fax: + 33 (0)3 90 21 50 53
E-mail: [email protected]
Dear Mr. Hammarberg,
I would like to express my concern at the continued violation of human rights and fundamental freedoms in Turkey. On 22 June 2011, Turkey s Supreme Board of Election took a hasty decision in which it banned the elected Kurdish candidate Mr. Mehmet Hatip Dicle from taking his seat in the Turkish parliament, despite the fact that he has been democratically elected with record level vote. It is important to highlight that such a decision is an attempt to manipulate the results of the 2011 voting process in Turkey, which is unacceptable and new arrangements are urgently needed.
Mr. Dicle is a former deputy elected from the now-defunct Democracy Party. On 2 March 1994, he was arrested after Leyla Zana, the winner of the Sakharov prize by the European Parliament, attempted to take the parliamentary oath in Kurdish. They were both sentenced to 15 years in prison on charges of "committing crimes on behalf of a terror group." They both served 10 years, but were released in 2004 due to international pressure. Since 24 December 2009, Mr. Dicle has been in custody as part of the Kurdish Communities Union trial. He has recently lost an appeal against his 2010 conviction for spreading "terrorist propaganda." Three other Turkish candidates (a former university rector, a journalist and a retired general) are also facing anti-terror charges based on the Turkish legislation on terrorism, which are very broad and subject to selective enforcement.
In addition to ingnoring and disrespecting the people s voice as expressed through the ballot box, this unjust and undemocratic decision may fuel further conflict by throwning Turkey into a new crisis, raising political tensions, and blocking the way for reasonable and participatory solutions to the challenges faced by Turkey at the domestic and international levels. Mr. Dicle and other BDP candidates have been elected by millions of people who expect their elected deputies to embark on dialogue and negotiations on establishing a basis of common interests that may provide them relief from their suffering as a minority without a voice in the Turkish society. Accordingly, I call on you to urge the Turkish Supreme Election Board to allow Mr. Dicle to take his oath and to represent his voters in the Parliament.
I hope for your urgent attention to this matter.
Respectfully yours,
______________________________________________
Office of the Spokesperson for the Secretary-General
United Nations, S-378
New York, NY 10017
USA
Fax: 212-963-7055
Subject: Please forward to His Excellency Ban Ki-Moon
Your Excellency,
I would like to express my concern at the continued violation of human rights and fundamental freedoms in Turkey. On 22 June 2011, Turkey s Supreme Board of Election took a hasty decision in which it banned the elected Kurdish candidate Mr. Mehmet Hatip Dicle from taking his seat in the Turkish parliament, despite the fact that he has been democratically elected with record level vote. It is important to highlight that such a decision is an attempt to manipulate the results of the 2011 voting process in Turkey, which is unacceptable and new arrangements are urgently needed.
Mr. Dicle is a former deputy elected from the now-defunct Democracy Party. On 2 March 1994, he was arrested after Leyla Zana, the winner of the Sakharov prize by the European Parliament, attempted to take the parliamentary oath in Kurdish. They were both sentenced to 15 years in prison on charges of "committing crimes on behalf of a terror group." They both served 10 years, but were released in 2004 due to international pressure. Since 24 December 2009, Mr. Dicle has been in custody as part of the Kurdish Communities Union trial. He has recently lost an appeal against his 2010 conviction for spreading "terrorist propaganda." Three other Turkish candidates (a former university rector, a journalist and a retired general) are also facing anti-terror charges based on the Turkish legislation on terrorism, which are very broad and subject to selective enforcement.
In addition to ingnoring and disrespecting the people s voice as expressed through the ballot box, this unjust and undemocratic decision may fuel further conflict by throwning Turkey into a new crisis, raising political tensions, and blocking the way for reasonable and participatory solutions to the challenges faced by Turkey at the domestic and international levels. Mr. Dicle and other BDP candidates have been elected by millions of people who expect their elected deputies to embark on dialogue and negotiations on establishing a basis of common interests that may provide them relief from their suffering as a minority without a voice in the Turkish society. Accordingly, I call on you to urge the Turkish Supreme Election Board to allow Mr. Dicle to take his oath and to represent his voters in the Parliament.
I hope for your urgent attention to this matter.
Respectfully yours,
______________________________________________
Ms. Navanethem Pillay
The United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR)
Palais des Nations
CH-1211 Geneva 10, Switzerland
Email: [email protected]
Dear Commissioner,
I would like to express my concern at the continued violation of human rights and fundamental freedoms in Turkey. On 22 June 2011, Turkey s Supreme Board of Election took a hasty decision in which it banned the elected Kurdish candidate Mr. Mehmet Hatip Dicle from taking his seat in the Turkish parliament, despite the fact that he has been democratically elected with record level vote. It is important to highlight that such a decision is an attempt to manipulate the results of the 2011 voting process in Turkey, which is unacceptable and new arrangements are urgently needed.
Mr. Dicle is a former deputy elected from the now-defunct Democracy Party. On 2 March 1994, he was arrested after Leyla Zana, the winner of the Sakharov prize by the European Parliament, attempted to take the parliamentary oath in Kurdish. They were both sentenced to 15 years in prison on charges of "committing crimes on behalf of a terror group." They both served 10 years, but were released in 2004 due to international pressure. Since 24 December 2009, Mr. Dicle has been in custody as part of the Kurdish Communities Union trial. He has recently lost an appeal against his 2010 conviction for spreading "terrorist propaganda." Three other Turkish candidates (a former university rector, a journalist and a retired general) are also facing anti-terror charges based on the Turkish legislation on terrorism, which are very broad and subject to selective enforcement.
In addition to ingnoring and disrespecting the people s voice as expressed through the ballot box, this unjust and undemocratic decision may fuel further conflict by throwning Turkey into a new crisis, raising political tensions, and blocking the way for reasonable and participatory solutions to the challenges faced by Turkey at the domestic and international levels. Mr. Dicle and other BDP candidates have been elected by millions of people who expect their elected deputies to embark on dialogue and negotiations on establishing a basis of common interests that may provide them relief from their suffering as a minority without a voice in the Turkish society. Accordingly, I call on you to urge the Turkish Supreme Election Board to allow Mr. Dicle to take his oath and to represent his voters in the Parliament.
I hope for your urgent attention to this matter.
Respectfully yours,
______________________________________________
The Universal Periodic Review UPR
Email: [email protected], [email protected], [email protected]
Dear UPR Working Group,
I would like to express my concern at the continued violation of human rights and fundamental freedoms in Turkey. On 22 June 2011, Turkey s Supreme Board of Election took a hasty decision in which it banned the elected Kurdish candidate Mr. Mehmet Hatip Dicle from taking his seat in the Turkish parliament, despite the fact that he has been democratically elected with record level vote. It is important to highlight that such a decision is an attempt to manipulate the results of the 2011 voting process in Turkey, which is unacceptable and new arrangements are urgently needed.
Mr. Dicle is a former deputy elected from the now-defunct Democracy Party. On 2 March 1994, he was arrested after Leyla Zana, the winner of the Sakharov prize by the European Parliament, attempted to take the parliamentary oath in Kurdish. They were both sentenced to 15 years in prison on charges of "committing crimes on behalf of a terror group." They both served 10 years, but were released in 2004 due to international pressure. Since 24 December 2009, Mr. Dicle has been in custody as part of the Kurdish Communities Union trial. He has recently lost an appeal against his 2010 conviction for spreading "terrorist propaganda." Three other Turkish candidates (a former university rector, a journalist and a retired general) are also facing anti-terror charges based on the Turkish legislation on terrorism, which are very broad and subject to selective enforcement.
In addition to ingnoring and disrespecting the people s voice as expressed through the ballot box, this unjust and undemocratic decision may fuel further conflict by throwning Turkey into a new crisis, raising political tensions, and blocking the way for reasonable and participatory solutions to the challenges faced by Turkey at the domestic and international levels. Mr. Dicle and other BDP candidates have been elected by millions of people who expect their elected deputies to embark on dialogue and negotiations on establishing a basis of common interests that may provide them relief from their suffering as a minority without a voice in the Turkish society. Accordingly, I hope for your urgent attention to this matter.
Respectfully yours,
http://www.defendinternational.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=331&Itemid=73
|
|
|
| Send Article 
| Copy to WORD 
| Copy 
| Save 
| Search 
| Send your comment 
|  Add to Favorite |
|
||
| Print version  |
Modern Discussion  |
 Email |
|
Close |
|