2011: Year of Publication Bans

According to the 2011 Marmara Regional Report of the Human Rights Association (İHD), 14 deaths were reported caused by negligence, mistake, torture or extra-judicial executions, in prisons or police custody in 2011 in the region. Moreover, the report reveals 81 seizures and bans of publications.

The 16-page report prepared by the İHD Marmara Documentation Unit is dedicated to the "memory of 34 people who died in Roboski" pointing to a military operation in south-eastern Turkey in December 2011.

It is claimed in the report that "the number of reported cases of torture increased by 200 percent in comparison with previous years".

"In particular beating done by police forces at social events, in police vehicles, remote places and when taking people into police custody is an indicator for the fact that torture has been carried from police stations to the street".

The report also mentions a photograph that featured a number of police officers beating one person. The picture was posted on 26 June, the "International Day in Support of Victims of Torture" and was seized because it allegedly "humiliated the police organization".

Media focus

"2011 saw again heavy attacks on press freedom and freedom of expression. Many writers and journalists were arrested or sentenced to heavy punishments. Newspapers and magazines were seized, shut down and publications were banned", the report reads.

The report defines the number of seized and banned publications at 81. In 2010, it was 10.

Furthermore, the report deals with the arrest of lawyers and restrictions of the right to defence. 36 Kurdish lawyers were arrested in the scope of KCK (Union of Kurdish Communities) operations throughout 2011.

According to the İHD report, four people were shot dead because they "ignored the stop warning". Nine members and executives of political parties, associations or unions were exposed to violence and injured. Ten workers and 16 students were wounded during police interventions.

Eight people, one of whom was a child, were injured as the result explosions of mines or stray bombs.

Record breaking numbers of custodies and arrests

A total of 1730 people were arrested in 2011, 13 of whom were asylum seekers and immigrants. Those people were kept in custody for two to four days. 422 of them were arrested.

The majority of asylum seekers and immigrants lodged complaints on the grounds of issues like deportation as the result of rejected visa applications or dismissed asylum applications. Furthermore, they put forward that they had been made waiting under very poor conditions for days while in custody, that they had been ill-treated and were refused medical treatment when they got ill.

101 people alleged to have been tortured an ill-treated in custody. 112 persons claimed to have been exposed to torture and ill-treatment outside detention centres.

397 Protestors injured

A total of 397 people were wounded in the course of police interventions during demonstrations. 142 claimed to have been ill-treated in prison.

According to the report, a total of 818 people filed complaints regarding torture and ill-treatment in the Marmara region in 2011.

Both publication bans and monetary fines

45 television channels and three radio stations received penalties. The broadcasting of two TV channels was stopped three times as a means of punishment. Monetary fines of TL 180,914 (€ 72,300) in total were handed down to two TV channels.

Eight books were seized, one book was banned. Eight confiscation decisions were released about six magazines. Four magazines were suspended from publication for 180 days in total.

A total of 3,000 issues of two magazines were banned and seized. 6,320 internet sites were either banned or access was denied.

Crackdowns were made on two newspaper head offices, three newspaper offices, three television head offices, one publishing house, nine law offices, two magazine offices, two news agencies and one printing house.

The report also includes violations of workers' rights. 1041 workers were made redundant because of their membership in a trade union. 38 workers were exiled. 76 workers died as the result of occupational accidents; 363 workers were injured. (AS/VK)