Category Archives: Military

Amnesty on State of Emergency in Turkey

Posted on July 22, 2016 by heissenstat

Amnesty International issued a press release yesterday, July 21, on the newly declared State of Emergency in Turkey.   The text is below: President Erdogan’s announcement of the imposition of a state of emergency must not pave the way for a … Continue reading →

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Amnesty: Turkey’s escalating abuses risk return to dark days of 1990s

Posted on July 5, 2016 by heissenstat

The message of Amnesty’s latest statement on abuses in Turkey’s on-going operations in south eastern Turkey could hardly have been clearer.  Things are getting much, much worse, with  “growing evidence of severe human rights violations, including torture and impunity for human … Continue reading →

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Amnesty’s Annual Report 2015: “Marked Deterioration” of Human Rights in Turkey

Posted on February 24, 2016 by heissenstat

In a few short pages, Amnesty International’s 2015 Annual Report detailed a rapidly deteriorating human rights environment in Turkey, particularly after the 2015 parliamentary elections and the outbreak of violence between the Turkish government and Kurdish Workers’ Party (PKK) in … Continue reading →

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The Crisis in Cizre continues

Posted on January 28, 2016 by heissenstat

Amnesty International today renewed its call for Turkish authorities to allow emergency medical care for injured individuals stranded in a basement in the town of Cizre, where they sought shelter on 23 January amid ongoing clashes between the army and … Continue reading →

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Amnesty: Despite partial lifting of curfew in Silopi, situation still dire

Posted on January 22, 2016 by heissenstat

After more than a month of round-the-clock curfews, the governor of Şırnak province has partially lifted the curfew in Silopi.  Round-the-clock indefinite curfews continue in the town of Cizre (also in Şırnak province) and Sur district, in the city of … Continue reading →

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Amnesty issues Urgent Action on Curfews

Posted on January 11, 2016 by heissenstat

Amnesty International has issued an Urgent Action, calling attention to rights abuses in Turkey as security forces launch military operations against the armed Revolutionary Patriotic Youth Movement (YDG-H) the youth wing of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK).  The clashes have … Continue reading →

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Amnesty Calls for Release of Journalists Can Dündar and Erdem Gül

Posted on December 17, 2015 by heissenstat

Turkey’s case against journalists Can Dündar and Erdem Gül represents “another deplorable attempt by the authorities to silence dissenting voices in the Turkish press,” Amnesty International said in a public statement today.  It called on authorities to release them from … Continue reading →

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Amnesty Issues Urgent Action on Injured Prisoners

Posted on August 26, 2015 by heissenstat

The conflict between Turkey and the Kurdish PKK has once again turned ugly, with significant evidence of abuses and, according to the New York Times, more than 800 killed in recent weeks.  For its part, Amnesty International has been working … Continue reading →

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Turkey: Where Conscientious Objection is a Crime

Posted on October 22, 2014 by heissenstat

Fifty-six-year-old conscientious objector Ali Fikri Işık is due to appear in front of a Turkish Military Court on October 22, facing three separate charges of ‘desertion’ that could carry a prison sentence of some two-and-a-half years. When Ali was first … Continue reading →

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European Court of Human Rights issues important verdict on 1994 Bombing

Posted on November 12, 2013 by heissenstat

  In an important ruling today that highlights the on-going failure of Turkish authorities to address abuses by security services, the European Court of Human Rights has awarded 38 applicants more than 2.3 million Euros in non-pecuniary damage for Turkey’s … Continue reading →

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