Open letter to Abdullah Gul, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Turkey
Paris, Ankara, 11 March 2005.
Excellency,
The International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH) ant its partner organizations, the Human Rights Foundation of Turkey (TIHV) and the Human Rights Association (IHD), welcome the decision of the Turkish Government to open an investigation into the serious incidents that occurred on March 6, 2005 in Istanbul. The FIDH, the TIHV and the IHD express their deepest concern regarding the disproportionate use of force by police officers against demonstrators who had gathered in Istanbul on 6 March 2005 to celebrate the International Women’s Day.
The FIDH, the TIHV and the IHD are concerned about this most recent example of a continuing pattern of human rights violations, among them the negation of the freedom of expression and the freedom of assembly, which constitutes a flagrant violation of the international standards and, in particular of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights which was ratified by Turkey in September 2003.
The FIDH, the TIHV and the IHD urge Turkish authorities to take measures to ensure that police officers conform to international standards on the right to freedom of assembly and to put an end to use force in all circumstances and call on the authorities to publish the full findings of the current investigation and to ensure that the perpetrators of the acts of violence of 6 March 2005 will be brought to justice.
Yusuf Alatas, IHD President
Sidiki Kaba,
FIDH President
Yavuz Onen, TIHV President