Recent Turkish history has been dominated by the Turkish state's failed experiment in maintaining security through repression. They have treated international human rights standards and Turkish law with equal disdain. As a result, the human rights picture in Turkey is bleak. Torture or ill-treatment have long been routinely inflicted on people detained for common criminal offences as well as on political charges. Turkish citizens do not enjoy true freedom of expression.
During the past six years scores of prisoners of conscience have served terms of imprisonment for expressing their non-violent opinions. Hundreds more, including writers and artists, are being tried in State Security Courts and threatened with imprisonment because they dared to express their political views. This report is based on information collected from a wide range of sources including testimony given by victims and their families, statements given by witnesses and lawyers, medical reports and legal documents, photographic and videotape evidence, information given in replies by the Turkish Government, public documents issued by intergovernmental organizations, newspaper reports and reports issued by non-governmental organizations.
The report includes the findings of 10 investigative research missions to Turkey and numerous trial observations carried out by Amnesty International since It proposes a modest set of reforms which, if supported by real political will, could radically improve human rights in Turkey. Since elected government in Turkey has lived in the shadow of the unelected state within the state: the interior and defence ministries, regional governors and, most importantly, the military, the police force and the intelligence agencies.
In the past 36 years the military have overturned three governments, suspended three parliaments and closed legally established political parties.
Martial law courts have hanged a prime minister and two other ministers, tried members of parliament and imprisoned thousands of civilians, some of whom have been in jail since the s.
