Path: bloom-picayune.mit.edu!snorkelwacker.mit.edu!americast.com!americast.com!americast-post Newsgroups: americast.twt.news From: americast-post@AmeriCast.Com Organization: American Cybercasting Approved: americast-post@AmeriCast.com Subject: Turkey cited for torture of Kurds Date: Wed, 11 Nov 92 14:23:38 EST Message-ID: \SE A;WORLD \HD Turkey cited for torture of Kurds \BY Andrew Borowiec \CR THE WASHINGTON TIMES Turkey, the lifeline to the outside world for Kurds in northern Iraq, was accused by Amnesty International today of using torture and political killings against its own Kurdish population. In a stinging report, Amnesty blasted the conservative government of Prime Minister Suleyman Demirel for failing "to fulfill its promises a year ago to improve the human rights situation in the country." "There has been too much talk and too little action on the part of the Turkish authorities," the London-based human rights group said, referring to Mr. Demirel's promise that "the walls of all police stations will be made of glass." "Political killings [in Turkey] are reported virtually daily, and the security forces appear to be implicated in many of them," Amnesty said. The report coincided with an optimistic appraisal by the Turkish government of its military action against Turkey's Kurdish separatist guerrillas seeking shelter in the mountains of northern Iraq. Referring to the Marxist Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK), Mr. Demirel said: "This gang has been practically dispersed by operations since Oct. 5. Some of the terrorists have perished, and some have surrendered to the leaders in northern Iraq." A senior Turkish military official told Reuters news agency yesterday that his troops were mopping up pockets of resistance in the mountains that are home to Iraqi Kurds opposing the regime of Saddam Hussein. Turkey has denied reports that it is conducting joint military operations with Iraqi Kurds. The predominantly Kurdish areas of northern Iraq are under the protection of an allied air umbrella, Operation Poised Hammer. For several months, southeastern Turkey has been the scene of bitter warfare, with about 20,000 Turkish troops backed by armor and helicopter gunships chasing Kurdish guerrillas into the mountainous region across the Iraqi border. The area represents the self-administered area for Iraqi Kurds that was spawned by the Gulf war. In its report Amnesty said, "In southeastern Turkey, security forces appear to operate with almost complete impunity: During 1992, at least 100 unarmed civilians have been killed by security forces firing on peaceful demonstrations or randomly firing on residential areas" in retaliation for PKK attacks. Amnesty said torture "continues to be practiced routinely in police stations throughout the country." "It is time for the Turkish government to face up to its responsibilities under international law and bring perpetrators of human rights violations to justice," Amnesty said. This article is copyright 1992 The Washington Times. Redistribution to other sites is not permitted except by arrangement with American Cybercasting Corporation. For more information, send-email to usa@AmeriCast.COM