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Human Rights Association

 

January 20, 2001

PRESS RELEASE

 

Freedom of Expression and Association Under Arrest

 

Pressure being exerted on the head office and branches of the Tum Yargı Sen (Judicial Workers Trade Union), an affiliate of the Conferedation of Public Sector Workers (KESK), is escalating. All the managers of Tum Yargı-Sen in its head office and Ankara branch were arrested at their homes and offices on January 19, 2001. They are currently being questioned in the Anti-terror Branch of the Ankara Police Department.

 

Freedom of expression and associations constitute the sine qua non for democracy and being a democratic society. Pressure on institutions, which are the most indispensable part of the social life, are steadily mounting because they have exercised the right not to bless and support Type-F prisons project and the violent operations conducted on December 19 and cost 32 lives. There are attempts to subdue opposition groups. Rights of personal security are being violated because they have exercised their Constitutional right to criticise the government's actions. They are arrested and interrogated. This is totally unacceptable under the theory of democracy.

 

In a democratic state none of the projects generated by the governmental mechanism is absolute. The most fundamental feature of a democratic regime is that decisions affecting social life are made by taking the public's reactions, approaches and approval. Democratic societies are built on a social consensus created by free will.

 

Attempts to use pressure and violence in a bid to force the society to accept decisions made by the government are seen as signs indicating that the rules of a democratic regime are not being observed. Institutions and non-governmental organisations both have the right to side with and support decisions made or to oppose and criticise them and to take any actions in order to show that these decisions are wrong.

 

In this context, we are condemning the recent wave of pressure focussing on all democratic non-governmental organizations in general and on the head office and branches of Tum Yargı Sen, an affiliate of the KESK, in particular. We urge the government to immediately release all managers of the Tum Yargı Sen and to respect and protect the freedom of expression and association.

 

 

Osman BAYDEMIR

Vice President