Kurdish Info 31.12.2009-The Human Rights Association has published its report on Human Rights infringements in 2009. General Secretary Ozturk Turkdogan released the report at the organisation’s headquarters and stated that in 2009 there were a worrying number of infringements across the board mostly linked to the lack of a solution to the Kurdish problem.
Turkdogan highlighted the conditions of the Kurdish People’s Leader Abdullah Ocalan’s conditions in Imrali Prison. He reminded people that their request to examine the prison was rejected by the authorities.
Turkdogan gave various figures regarding the infringements. According to these statistics in 2009 there were 18 extrajudicial killings. 46 people were killed for not obeying a call to stop, 39 people died while under arrest or in prison, in 10 public demonstrations 6 people were killed, 356 were injured and 12,976 people had been arrested.
IHD stated that the war in Kurdistan was still claiming many lives. Due to explosions and military equipment failure a total of 41 people died of which 7 were children, 9 civilians, 15 soldiers, 1 guerrilla, 6 village guards and 1 police officer.
In the high courts out of 42 cases 177 children were sentenced to a total of 772 years in prison. 18,569 people were arrested for resisting police officers.
Turkdogan highlighted the persecution against the Democratic Society Party. According to the statistics there were a total of 140 attacks against DTP branches. There were also 48 intrusions into the party branches and civil organisations.
IHD also reminded that there were 117,061 people in prison, of these 45 are seriously ill.
Turkdogan also claimed that 2009 was a dark year for press freedom. According to his statistics, 36 journalists were arrested, 31 publications were banned and 66 books were collected and banned.
Also many social problems including the Alevi problem were left unresolved.
