Is Küçüközyiğit also a victim of an abduction?

Turkey was first confronted with incidents of abductions in the 1990s and unfortunately, in recent years, cases of forced abduction have started to come to the fore again. In a report * titled “Police Torture and Abductions in Turkey” of 2017, Human Rights Watch stated that the state officials did not speak out about the kidnapping, and the evidence obtained was horrifying.

Huseyin Galip Küçüközyiğit, the former Prime Ministry Rapporteur, is missing since December 29, 2020. Küçüközyiğit’s car is also missing.

Küçüközyiğit and Abdullah Gul, former President of Turkey

His family is worried that he might have been kidnapped. Nursena Küçüközyiğit, daughter of Küçüközyiğit , said that they applied to Police and CİMER, but did not receive any feedback. Nursena opened a Twitter account as @NeredeBabam, where is my father, and expecting support from the public.

Ömer Faruk Gergerlioğlu, who brought the issue to the agenda, stated that the incident could be a new kidnapping. Posting on his Twitter account, Gergerlioğlu said, “ Another abduction case again? Hüseyin Galip Küçüközyiğit, former Prime Minister’s reporter, has not been reached since Tuesday, December 29th. No news can be heard after he said on the phone that he will go to Kocaeli with his daughters for New Year’s Eve from Ankara. What happened? ” asked.

Rebacca Harms, human rights defender and Green Member of EUParliament 2004-2019 re-tweet Omer Faruk Gergerlioglu’s tweet and ask Where is Hüseyin Galip Küçüközyiğit? in English, in German, in French, and in Italian languages.

Küçüközyiğit’s daughter said

“In our last meeting, he said that he would come to us for New Year’s Eve on Wednesday morning at 15.40. We could not reach your phone again. Although I applied to the police the first 2-3 days ago, I did not write on social media, just in case, but we still cannot reach it.

There is no possibility that my father will not inform us for such a long time after he says I am coming to you. I have read similar incidents on social media about the Statutory Decrees. I do not have any witnesses or images of his abduction. However, it is not possible for us to remain unaware of that long. He did not have any health problems either; he was not in a hospital or in detention. Unfortunately, I cannot think of another possibility. At first, I thought I should expect a big accusation, but I do not want to be late for such a possibility. Anyway, my main question is where my father is. Unfortunately, I cannot find an interlocutor on the subject. That is why I decided to announce it on social media. “**

 

Küçüközyiğit and her daughter

As Broken Chalk, we ask the Turkish Government to do all the necessary investigation of Küçüközyiğit’s disappearance. And ask all the human rights defenders and organizations to follow the Küçüközyiğit’s case to pressure the authorities for them to do all necessary acts.

Broken Chalk

* https://www.hrw.org/report/2017/10/12/custody/police-torture-and-abductions-turkey

** https://www.tr724.com/bir-kacirilma-vakasi-daha-mi-6-gundur-haber-alinamiyor/

 

 

Children’s rights in The Netherlands

This article is a summary of the report on Children’s Rights in The Netherlands

The list of pre-reporting issues (LOIPR) is the result of extensive consultation between Dutch non-governmental organizations (NGOs), youth and experts by the Dutch NGO Children’s Rights Coalition.

More than 80 NGOs and experts have contributed and/or approved the LOIPR.

The Caribbean Netherlands

1- Matters of Concern BES Islands

UNICEF Netherlands conducted situational analyzes (SitAns) in 2018-2019 to assess the level of child rights compliance in the Caribbean Netherlands since 2013, at the request of the governments of the State and the BES islands. Worrying issues are mentioned below,

  • Poverty and the lack of a social minimum as a benchmark for poverty policy

Many children on the islands are estimated to still grow up in poverty, which could limit their access to basic necessities such as food and clothing.

  • Inadequate access to childcare and after school facilities

In Bonaire, 62% of children aged 0 to 4 have access to childcare. In St. Eustatius this is 67% and in Saba 80%.

While 25% of children (5-12 years old) participate in after-school care programs in Bonaire, 50% in St. Eustatius and 80% in Saba.

The government runs the “BES (t) 4 children” program to provide high quality, safe and affordable childcare and after-school care facilities for 0-12 year olds in the Caribbean Netherlands.

  • Lack of legislation prohibiting child maltreatment and corporal punishment

There is no legislation prohibiting corporal punishment in the BES islands.

  • Çocuk Ceza Hukuku

At the end of 2019, juvenile criminal law will enter into force, preventing minors from obtaining criminal records.

 

The European Netherlands

GENERAL IMPLEMENTATION MEASURES

2- Lack of information on children’s rights

Only 34% of the youth say they know the CRC. Adults have no knowledge of children’s rights due to lack of education.

3- Not Ensuring the Transformation of Youth Care Due to Lack of Expertise and Finance

It is a lack of vision regarding the role of government in supporting the upbringing and education of children.

4- reservations regarding the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child

The reservations made by articles 26, 37, and 40 of the CRC are still in force. These articles cover the child’s right to social security, the prohibition of applying adult criminal law to children aged 16 and over, and the child’s right to legal aid.

5- Minimal Monitoring

The current method of data collection, children’s enrolment groups, makes it impossible to develop a targeted policy or evaluate the policy’s effectiveness.

6- Children’s Rights Are Insufficiently Guaranteed in Business and Trade Policy

The wide variety of children’s rights that may or may be violated in companies’ production chains are not adequately protected by the government.

 

General Principles

7- Meaningful Participation of Children and Young People in Policy and Practice

In the Netherlands, the participation of children and young people is gaining more and more attention. Still, meaningful participation of children in all aspects of policy and practice is not yet structurally guaranteed.

Child participation is also fragmented in municipalities. It differs by region, by municipality, and within municipalities.

8- Punishment According to the Activities of Child Parents

In the Netherlands, children appear to be punished for the activities of their parents, although there are situations in which punishment is not allowed under Article 2.2 of the CRC. An example is the birth of a child with (part of) parents / family who do not have resident status in the Netherlands

9- Inadequate Enforcement of Immigration Law in the Best Interest of Children

The best interests of the child (BIC) is not adequately covered in immigration law. A bill to protect BIC in immigration law has been pending since 2016, but has not yet received sufficient political support.

10- Insufficient Protection of Child Rights Defenders in Foreign Policy

In some countries, adequate care is not taken to protect these children who are in danger due to their activities.

11- Damage to Children Deported from the Netherlands after a Five-Year Residence

University research (2018) concluded that the expulsion of children staying in the Netherlands for more than five years has resulted in developmental harm.

 

VIOLENCE AGAINST CHILDREN

12- Child Maltreatment and Domestic Violence

Between 90,000 and 127,000 children experienced some form of child abuse in 2017.

13- Abused children do not receive timely and adequate assistance

Waiting lists and non-timely and assistance are the result of a tight municipal budget, insufficient co-operation between authorities, or the problems of necessary – and sometimes more expensive, specialist care.

14- Prevention of Child Abuse and domestic violence is missing in many municipalities

The Children’s Ombudsman’s Office reported this in 2014 and 2017.

 

Family Situations and Alternative Care

15- Inadequate cooperation and adaptation in youth care and other areas

In order to provide adequate care for children, it is important that the transformation in youth care is carried out functionally. This has not been done successfully enough.

16- Food industry inadequately protects Children from Marketing of Unhealthy Foods

A total of 11.7% of Dutch children (4-17 years old) are overweight and 2.7% of them are obese.

The food industry affects children’s diets through marketing techniques for selling foods and beverages rich in sugar, salt and fat.

17- information about origin not Available to All Children

The sale of children for exploitation is a criminal offence in the Netherlands.

There is no general prohibition in the Criminal Code on the sale of children, including for adoption purposes; This means that intermediaries or parents who earn money from the adoption process cannot be avoided.

18-Poverty among children continues to exist due to the lack of national vision and unequal access to (effective) poverty policy for children in municipalities.

In the Netherlands, a total of 292,000 children are growing up in poverty, 117,000 of them in a long-term low-income family (at least four years in a row). Despite the economic growth in recent years, this number has hardly decreased.

In the Netherlands, childcare allowance provisions are complex to apply and difficult to access. Families face the risk of repayment if there is a (minimum) increase in income.

 

EDUCATION

19- The education system is inadequate for children with disabilities

A concrete plan for the realization of inclusive education is missing. Also, a legal definition and aims of inclusive education have yet to be studied.

For many children there is no place in education. In 2017-2018, a total of 14,265 children ‘stayed at home’, of which 5,576 were exempted from compulsory education for physical or psychological reasons, and 4,515 students were included in the ‘absolute absenteeism’ category.

20- Unequal Opportunities and Differentiation in Education

When it comes to choosing a secondary school for a primary school student, recommendations for children who score evenly on their final exam are structurally different for children with parents with higher or lower education. The lower educated parent group usually includes non-Western children. This leads to inequality.

21- Quality of education under pressure due to lack of teachers

Performance in primary and secondary education is steadily decreasing. There is an increasing shortage of teachers. Some schools pass four days to one school week due to shortages.

The full-time teacher deficit is expected to rise to 4,100 in 2022 and 11,000 in 2027.

 

SPECIAL PROTECTION MEASURES

22- Online-sexual harassment of children is on the rise

The Netherlands ranks in the top three in the list of countries where sexual abuse images of children are hosted on the website.

The number of notifications to the police increased from around 3,000 in 2014 to about 18,000 in 2017.

23- Inadequate measures to reduce human trafficking

Municipalities have the authority to care for victims of human trafficking and to combat perpetrators. However, 95% of municipalities do not have specific policies for this.

24- Lack of Legal Representative at all stages of the penal procedure

Some children questioned by the police do not have access to a lawyer.

25- Children are still often waiting in police cells

Children are still kept in police cells very often and for too long, where almost no attention is paid to their age and vulnerability.

26- Excessive pressure in young care

There is a growing concern in the implementation of measures that restrict children’s freedom (room placements, isolation, limited phone and internet use, and room controls), particularly in residential youth care facilities and mental health institutions.

27- Asylum Centers are not child friendly enough

The joint research of the Children Working Group in refugee centers raised the following concerns about the living conditions of 7,000 refugee children.

–   Access to mental health services

  • Lack of privacy due to prolonged sharing of living spaces puts pressure on family relationships;
  • Activities offered in refugee centers do not meet the needs of children;

28- The children are still in custody

Although the Dutch government has stated that detention of foreign children is used only as a last resort, practice (sometimes) shows the opposite.

29- Unaccompanied Foreign Children

The removal of the special residence permit (AMV-vergunning) for Unaccompanied Foreign Children (UMFNs) in 2013, in order to provide faster clarity in their situation, did not improve the situation.

30- Further Disappearance of Unaccompanied Foreigners

The number of Unaccompanied Foreign Nationals (UMFNs) disappearing is increasing every year. 360 people disappeared in 2017.

The daily newspaper ‘NRC’ reported that more than 1,600 asylum-seeking children have fled reception places in the last 4.5 years.

 

Brokenchalk

Press Release: Human Rights Day with theme #RecoverBetter, #StandUp4HumanRights

Human rights advocates agree that seventy-two years after its issue, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights is still more a dream than reality. Violations exist in every part of the world. Including the most develop and democratic countries. Human Rights Watch publish her report for 2020; it includes Australia, Canada, and the United States.[1]

Article 1 from the Universal Declaration of Human Rights

All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights.[2]

According to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, all Humans have a right to access Education, health-care, economic opportunities, and a decent standard of living. That is about not only our future but also the future of our children and grandchildren.

The efforts which done by State Governments, Human Rights Organizations, and Human Rights Defenders are not enough to fight against the Human Rights Violation. We encourage all the stakeholders to concentrate on Article 26 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
(1) Everyone has the right to Education. Education shall be free, at least in the elementary and fundamental stages. Elementary Education shall be compulsory.

(2) Education shall be directed to the full development of the human personality and the strengthening of respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms. It shall promote understanding, tolerance, and friendship among all nations, racial or religious groups, and shall further the United Nations’ activities for the maintenance of peace.[3]

The main problem of humanity is the lack of proper Education.  Education remains an inaccessible right for millions of children around the world. More than 72 million children of primary education age are not in school, and 759 million adults are illiterate. They do not have the awareness necessary to improve both their living conditions and those of their children.[4] With the effect of the Covid-19 pandemic, at least 463 million children globally – were unable to access remote learning when COVID-19 shuttered their schools.[5]

The light of Education can help us eliminate the evils from the society and introduce good thoughts. We want to take all stakeholders and public attention such that Education is in danger in different parts of the world. The attacks range from the bombing of schools to the killing of students and teachers. Rape and sexual violence, arbitrary arrests, and forced recruitment also occurred, instigated by armed groups. Attacks on Education harm the students and teachers, but they also affect the communities both in the short and long term.

To mention a few of this from many,

  • Nigeria: 611 Teachers Killed, 910 Schools Destroyed in Nine Years in Northeast[6]
  • More than 22,000 students and teachers were harmed or killed in attacks on Education in the last five years.[7]
  • America: Since 2009, at least 177 of America’s schools experienced a shooting.[8] Attackers killed 110 students and teachers, 246 injured.[9]
  • Between 2015 and 2019, 93 countries experienced at least one attack on Education, 19 more countries than in the previous reporting period of 2013-2017.[10]
  • Yemen and the Democratic Republic of Congo were particularly badly hit, with 1,500 attacks on schools in each country, and Afghanistan, Palestine, and Syria all saw 500.[11]
  • Ukraine: Since the conflict began in early 2014, more than 750 educational facilities on both sides of the contact line have been damaged or destroyed due to hostilities.[12]
  • In Turkey: According to the data compiled by the Union of Education (Eğitim-Sen), Government dismissed 41,005 educators.[13] In addition to that, sixteen private universities, where more than 56,000 students were taking high Education, were also closed, and thus 5,342 people, including 2,465 academicians, lost their jobs.[14]

Children and young people are silent victims of global bureaucracies, whose creative statistics and evasive vocabulary disguise their failure to translate any of the promises made into reality. The law, which mandates Education to be free and compulsory, has been thrown aside.  People in emerging countries are forced to pay up to a third of their annual income to keep a child at school. Worse, children have to work, even at school, to pay the cost of their primary Education.[15]

As Broken Chalk, with the reputable community and press members, we continue to claim the rights to Education through the national and international judiciary. We want to draw the attention of governments, stakeholders, non-governmental organizations, and human rights defenders to fight against the Human Rights Violations that educators are facing.

We wish with this great Human Rights Days will be the era for the entire individual to stand against Human Rights Violations.

Broken Chalk announces it to the public with due respect.

10.12.2020

Signed by

Broken Chalk

Human_Rights_Day_2020_Press_Release_PDF

[1] https://www.hrw.org/sites/default/files/world_report_download/hrw_world_report_2020_0.pdf

[2] https://www.un.org/en/universal-declaration-human-rights/

[3] https://www.un.org/en/universal-declaration-human-rights/

[4] https://www.humanium.org/en/right-to-education/

[5] https://www.unicef.org/press-releases/covid-19-least-third-worlds-schoolchildren-unable-access-remote-learning-during

[6] https://allafrica.com/stories/202009090067.html

[7] https://www.telegraph.co.uk/global-health/science-and-disease/22000-students-teachers-harmed-killed-attacks-education-last/

[8] https://storymaps.arcgis.com/stories/3dbf6b680fc84036a3503159a96d50f2

[9] https://edition.cnn.com/interactive/2019/07/us/ten-years-of-school-shootings-trnd/

[10] https://www.telegraph.co.uk/global-health/science-and-disease/22000-students-teachers-harmed-killed-attacks-education-last/

[11] https://www.telegraph.co.uk/global-health/science-and-disease/22000-students-teachers-harmed-killed-attacks-education-last/

[12] https://www.unicef.org/press-releases/attacks-schools-quadruple-conflict-hit-eastern-ukraine-unicef

[13] https://stockholmcf.org/turkish-teacher-not-assigned-over-his-alleged-links-to-gulen-movement-killed-in-workplace-accident/

[14] https://stockholmcf.org/turkey-celebrates-teachers-day-as-tens-of-thousands-of-dismissed-teachers-jobless-or-in-prisons/

[15] http://www.katarinatomasevski.com/

AMENDMENT PROPOSALS for the DRAFT REPORT on the 2019-2020 Commission Reports on Turkey (2019/2176(INI))

To Download PDF: EP_Turkey_Report_2020_BrokenChalk_Amendment_Proposal

To Download Word: EP_Turkey_Report_2020_BrokenChalk_Amendment_Proposal

To download the original DRAFT REPORT on the 2019-2020 Commission Reports on Turkey (2019/2176(INI))

 

Broken Chalk is a human rights organization and mainly concentrates on violations in the educational field. We were acting as a platform; however, we became a fully registered organization in the Netherlands in October 2020.

Our team has prepared some amendment proposals for the Draft Report on the 2019-2020 Commission Reports on Turkey by European Parliament that we would like to present to you and your office.

As mentioned in the Draft Report, the relationship between the EU and Turkey is now at its lowest point. The number of human rights violations in Turkey is increasing day by day. As you may observe, the number of people facing human rights violations in Turkey is much more than known ever.

It is mentioned in the European Commission Turkey 2020 Report that Turkey has prioritized the fight against the dismantling of the Gülen movement.[1]

Interior Minister for Turkey, Soylu said, “Since 15 July 2016, 99 thousand 66 operations have been carried out, 282 thousand 790 detentions and 94 thousand 975 arrests have been carried out. The number of people who are still detained under this crime is 25 thousand 912”.[2] The only evidence for most of the above cases is to have a link with the Gülen movement.[3]

European Court for Human Rights agreed with the Turkish Government. To stop the court from being overwhelmed, in January 2017, Turkey would establish an Inquiry Commission on the State of Emergency to provide a judicial review level to those dismissed by decree during the state of emergency period.[4] As of 3 July 2020, 126,300 applications were made to the Commission, and decisions were issued in 108,200 cases. Of those, 96,000 were rejected – meaning the original decree decision was upheld – and in 12,200 cases, the application for appeal was accepted.[5]

At this point, we would like to present our amendments for the Draft Report; we hope that you will work for the European Parliaments to add the following amendments to the Report.

Proposals for The rule of law and fundamental rights

 Amendment  1

Present Text Text with Amendment
(8)        Is appalled by the serious backsliding on fundamental freedoms revealing the dire human rights situation in Turkey and the continued erosion of democracy and the rule of law; (8)        Is appalled by the serious backsliding on fundamental freedoms revealing the dire human rights situation in Turkey and the continued erosion of democracy and the rule of law; since 15 July 2016, 99 thousand 66 operations have been carried out, 282 thousand 790 detentions and 94 thousand 975 arrests have been carried out. The number of people who are still detained under this crime[6] is 25 thousand 912.[7] To have alleged affiliation with the Gülen movement should not be taken as a crime.[8] To be a member of a legal but closed association should not be taken perceived to be opposing the Government.[9]

Amendment  2

Present Text Text with Amendment
(10)      Notes with deep concern that, despite the formal lifting of the state of emergency in July 2018, its impact on democracy and fundamental rights continues to be strongly felt;. (10)      Notes with deep concern that, despite the formal lifting of the state of emergency in July 2018, its impact on democracy and fundamental rights continues to be strongly felt. Since July 2016, authorities have published lists of those dismissed from public service and put markers against them in the state social insurance system’s registration system (SGK). Those people have been legally banned from working in public sector again; marking them in the SGK system significantly reduces their chances of finding alternative employment in private sector and stigmatizes them socially.[10] The government has seized or appointed administrators for approximately 1,000 businesses, worth an estimated USD12 billion, accused of having links to the Gülen movement[11] including private schools, 16[12] universities and educational intuitions (2761 entities were closed down[13]). To handover, back these companies and intuitions to their owners.

 

Amendment  3

Present Text Text with Amendment
(11)      Deeply regrets that this repressive form of rule has now become a deliberate, relentless, systematic state policy, which extends to any critical activities, such as Kurdish activism, or even to events that took place prior to the attempted coup, such as the Gezi protests; (11)      Deeply regrets that this repressive form of rule has now become a deliberate, relentless, systematic state policy, which extends to any critical activities, such as Kurdish activism, to defend the rights of members or sympathizers of Gülen Movement, or even to events that took place prior to the attempted coup, such as the Gezi protests;

Amendment  4

Present Text Text with Amendment
(12)      Regrets that the current overly broad anti-terrorism provisions and the abuse of the anti-terror measures have become the backbone of this state policy; reiterates its firm condemnation of the violence by the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), which has been on the EU list of terrorist organizations since 2002; (12)      Regrets that the current overly broad anti-terrorism provisions and the abuse of the anti-terror measures have become the backbone of this state policy; in which 69,259 people have been on trial, and 155,560 people have been under criminal investigation on terrorism charges in cases linked to the Gülen movement, which Turkish authorities deems this movement as a terrorist organization, and 29,487 of those have been held in prison either on remand or following conviction;[14] reiterates its firm condemnation of the violence by the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), which has been on the EU list of terrorist organizations since 2002;

Amendment  5

Present Text Text with Amendment
(13)      Considers that the erosion of the rule of law and the systemic lack of independence of the judiciary continues to be one of the most pressing and worrying issues; condemns the increased surveillance by the executive and the political pressure affecting the work of judges, prosecutors, lawyers and bar associations; (13)      Considers that the erosion of the rule of law and the systemic lack of independence of the judiciary continues to be one of the most pressing and worrying issues; condemns the increased surveillance by the executive and the political pressure affecting the work of judges, prosecutors, lawyers and bar associations; in some cases higher courts correct excesses of prosecutors and lower courts, but these higher court judgments arrive too late to mitigate the chilling effect caused by the criminal proceedings.[15]

Amendment  6

Present Text Text with Amendment
(14)      Is deeply worried about the disregard by the Turkish judiciary of the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) rulings and the increasing non-compliance of lower courts with the judgments of the Constitutional Court; (14)      Is deeply worried about the disregard by the Turkish judiciary of the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) rulings and the increasing non-compliance of lower courts with the judgments of the Constitutional Court; Former deputy chief justice of Turkey’s Constitutional Court Alparslan Altan is still behind the bars despite the decision of ECtHR.[16]

Amendment  7

Present Text Text with Amendment
(17)      Notes with great concern the way that the People’s Democratic Party (HDP) has been specifically and continuously targeted by the Turkish authorities; strongly condemns the continued detention of former HDP co-chair Selahattin Demirtaş; (17)      Notes with great concern the way that the Gülen movement and the People’s Democratic Party (HDP) have been specifically and continuously targeted by the Turkish authorities; strongly condemns the continued detention of former HDP co-chair Selahattin Demirtas;

Amendment  8

Present Text Text with Amendment
(18)      Calls on Turkey to release all    imprisoned human rights defenders, journalists, lawyers, academics and others who have been detained on unsubstantiated charges and to enable them to carry out their work without threat or impediment in all circumstances; strongly condemns the re-arrest and continued detention of Osman Kavala, a prominent civil society figure;

 

 

 (18)      Calls on Turkey to release all imprisoned human rights defenders, journalists, lawyers, academics, teachers, mothers with their babies[17],  and others who have been detained on unsubstantiated charges, who did not commit any crime other than being affiliated with groups the regime sees as political threats[18] and to enable them to carry out their work without threat or impediment in all circumstances; strongly condemns the re-arrest and continued detention of Osman Kavala, a prominent civil society figure; of Memduh Boydak, Chairman of the Board of Trustees of Closed Melikşah University, Tekin Ipek brother to Hamdi Akin Ipek, founder of Closed Ipek University and Prof. Sedat Laciner, former rector of Çanakkale Onsekiz Mart University. To release the 1333 sick prisoners, 457 of which are in severe conditions.[19] To release Journalist Hanım Büşra Erdal eligible for release on probation according to Turkish legislation on sentences’ execution.[20]

 

Proposals for Wider EU-Turkey relations and Turkish foreign policy

Amendment  9

Present Text Text with Amendment
(35-NEW)

 

 

 (35-NEW)   Turkish Government puts pressure on authorities in the Western Balkans to extradite alleged participants of the Gülen movement and seize the educational institutions known as affiliated with the Gülen Movement. Kosovo[21], Albania[22], and Moldova[23] extradite some people to Turkey; to stop the pressure in the Western Balkan countries on educational institutions[24] to seize them.

We kindly propose and request the amendments above to be included in the Final Report. If you need more information or explanation on any of the amendments above, we are always ready to supply.

 

Broken Chalk

 

[1] https://ec.europa.eu/neighbourhood-enlargement/sites/near/files/turkey_report_2020.pdf

[2] https://tr.sputniknews.com/turkiye/202007151042459379-soylu-15-temmuz-2016dan-bu-yana-282-bin-790-gozalti-ve-94-bin-975-tutuklama-gerceklestirildi/

[3] https://www.dfat.gov.au/sites/default/files/country-information-report-turkey.pdf

[4] https://ec.europa.eu/commission/presscorner/detail/en/COUNTRY_19_2781

[5] https://ec.europa.eu/commission/presscorner/detail/en/COUNTRY_19_2781

[6] Soylu said in his speech in the scope of the fight against Gulen movement, Soylu did not state against the coup attack.

[7] https://tr.sputniknews.com/turkiye/202007151042459379-soylu-15-temmuz-2016dan-bu-yana-282-bin-790-gozalti-ve-94-bin-975-tutuklama-gerceklestirildi/

[8] https://english.alarabiya.net/en/features/2020/06/10/Why-is-Turkey-s-Erdogan-persecuting-the-Gulen-movement-

[9] https://ec.europa.eu/neighbourhood-enlargement/sites/near/files/turkey_report_2020.pdf

[10] https://www.dfat.gov.au/sites/default/files/country-information-report-turkey.pdf

[11] https://www.dfat.gov.au/sites/default/files/country-information-report-turkey.pdf

[12] Known as 15 but recently The Şehir University in Istanbul was closed by a presidential decree of 30 June 2020.

[13] https://rm.coe.int/report-on-the-visit-to-turkey-by-dunja-mijatovic-council-of-europe-com/168099823e

[14] https://www.hrw.org/world-report/2020/country-chapters/turkey

[15] https://rm.coe.int/report-on-the-visit-to-turkey-by-dunja-mijatovic-council-of-europe-com/168099823e

[16] https://stockholmcf.org/turkish-constitutional-courts-new-mission-is-to-ignore-unlawful-acts-and-to-legitimize-them-says-jailed-former-deputy-chief-justice/

[17] Today, at least 743 children below the age of six live behind bars in Turkey. About half have not even reached the age of 3, says Saban Yilmaz, who heads the parliamentary human rights commission. From https://www.dw.com/en/turkey-babies-behind-bars/a-49320769

[18] https://www.amnesty.org/en/get-involved/take-action/turkey-covid-19-prisoners-release/

[19] https://m.bianet.org/bianet/insan-haklari/207245-ihd-hapishanelerde-457-si-agir-1333-hasta-mahpus-var

[20] https://stockholmcf.org/turkish-authorities-refuse-to-release-political-prisoners-who-served-their-prison-times/

[21] https://br.reuters.com/article/us-turkey-security-kosovo-idUSKBN1H51JL

[22] https://ec.europa.eu/neighbourhood-enlargement/sites/near/files/turkey_report_2020.pdf

[23] http://hudoc.echr.coe.int/fre?i=001-193614

[24] https://www.aa.com.tr/en/europe/albania-closes-schools-run-by-feto-terror-group/1985350

World Children’s Day

Today is November 20, World Children’s Day.

Today, many of our children, who deserve all the beauties of the world in various geographies, are unfortunately deprived of even the most basic human rights.

Children are affected by the atmosphere created by the war in countries such as Yemen and Syria. Children are forced into cultural assimilation in the Uyghur geography. Children are suffering from basic food and health problems in various countries in Africa. The prisoner infants and children with their imprisoned parents in Turkey. Children who have been abused in various countries. And in many other geographies, some children are deprived of the most basic human rights.

In today’s world, adults have placed the harsh living conditions that they hardly handle on our children’s gentle shoulders.

We wish a world in which every newborn individual opens their eyes to a world where they can live under equal conditions where they will not be deprived of basic human rights, and we celebrate the world children’s day for all children of the world.

Dear children, we will work harder today and tomorrow than yesterday to return your rights taken away from you.


Broken Chalk

I live with my family. I’m pleased with my mother, father, brother and sister.
In other parts of the world, some children live without their families.
I wish that all children come together with their families.
I like my school. I learn there a lot of good things. I’m delighted with my teachers and my friends.
In other parts of the world, some children have no chance to take a good education.
I wish that all children can receive a good education.
I can go to the doctor here if I get sick.
But in other parts of the world, some children are not given this opportunity.
I hope all children can have this opportunity.
My mother gives me healthy food and a hot meal.
But in other parts of the world children are not getting healthy food.
I wish all children could have this hot mother meal.
I can play with my toys in my spare time. I like my toys.
But not all children are so lucky in some parts of the world.
I wish all children can play with their own toys.
I have a nice playground nearby, and I have a lot of fun time there with my friends.
But in some parts of the world, children are not given this opportunity.
I hope all children can play in the playgrounds with their friends.
I like nature, birds, flowers, trees. And I can walk, run and enjoy nature.
In other parts of the world, children do not have the opportunity to enjoy nature.
I hope all children can enjoy walking and running in nature.

United Nations WGAD Decision on the Arbitrary Detention and Illegal Transfer of 6 Turkish Nations from Kosovo to Turkey

United Nations Working Group on Arbitrary Detention (WGAD) confirmed at its 88th Session that serious human rights violations committed by the Authorities of Kosovo and the Government of Turkey against Kahraman Demirez, Mustafa Erdem, Hasan Hüseyin Günakan, Yusuf Karabina, Osman Karakaya, and Cihan Özkan on the 24-28 August 2020.

 

In the report A/HRC/WGAD/2020/47, many violations clearly are stated for the people as mentioned above who were arrested, detained, and forcefully transferred to Turkey on March 29, 2018, according to arbitrary and in violation of international human rights norms and standards. The Authorities of Kosovo and the Government of Turkey have violated both more than 16 Articles.

 

Working Group calls on the Government of Turkey to take urgent action to ensure the six individuals’ immediate release. And the Government of Turkey and the Authorities of Kosovo accord the victims an enforceable right to compensation and other reparations under international law.

During the past three years, the Working Group has noted a significant increase in the number of cases brought before it concerning Turkey’s arbitrary detention.

 

Even though the Turkish Government has not taken any step yet, the Ombudsperson Institution of Kosovo concluded that the authorities violated domestic and international law.

 

To read the full report of Working Group on Arbitrary Detention in PDF.

Press Release: Terror Attack in Nice

As the Broken Chalk Platform, we strongly condemn the tragic attack in Nice, France. We share the innocents’ sorrows who lost their lives in the attack.

 

These and similar events have again revealed that radical motivations are a severe threat to humanity. It is a fact that the attack in question targets the peace and tranquility of humanity.

 

It is unacceptable that these and similar radically motivated groups carried out their actions in Islam’s name.

Police officers walk in front of the Notre Dame church before a mass to pay tribute to the victims of the knife attack in Nice. Photograph: Eric Gaillard/Reuters

We believe the negative atmosphere that has been created by this sad incident can only be overcome with a common-sense attitude.

 

While it is mentioned that all religions, languages, colors, and people of different nationalities can live together with their differences, world peace, tolerance, love, and universal human values, the terror incident in France deeply saddened us.

 

We hope that common sense and peace will dominate the world of the future, not dark thoughts.

 

We call every one of the public members to condemn the Nice attack without any ifs and buts.

 

 To download the press release in PDF

Broken Chalk

The kids who do not know Kurdish which of those mothers who do not know Turkish

In almost all languages, the language of the mother is expressed as the mother tongue. What could be more natural for a person to learn, speak, and think with their mother’s language?

In Turkey, this is not the case for the Kurdish minority.

Kurdish children either do not learn their mothers’ language or forget and lose it after a while. Generations that are foreign to their mother, home, and culture are growing up. This language alienation is happening more rapidly in the big metropolises where millions of Kurds have migrated. In the transition from their mother tongue to Turkish, children experience serious learning difficulties, especially in primary and secondary school years.

The mother’s tongue is especially important in primary school age. Because when children develop their mother tongue, they also develop a range of other basic skills such as critical thinking and literacy skills. They learn these basic skills faster and naturally, in their native language, and when a second language is learned, it is easier to transfer these skills and learnings to the newly learned language.

 

For example, if a child has developed the ability to guess the meaning of a word through its context or derive meaning by reading between the lines, these skills are easily transferred when they start studying in a second language. However, it is much more difficult to teach these abstract skills directly in a second language.

 

Therefore, using the mother tongue helps the child develop critical thinking and literacy skills.

 

Is the mother tongue that important?

Professor Jim Cummins from the University of Toronto answers this question: He discovered that children with a strong native language learn a second language and improve their literacy skills more easily. He concluded that the children’s knowledge and skills were transferred between languages. [1]

Leaving mother tongue education aside, Turkey has not even acknowledged the existence of the Kurdish language. It was only able to recognize Kurdish in 2009, after dozens of sufferings, by opening a television channel. TRT Kürdi channel was founded 10 years after Mesut Yılmaz’s statement of “The EU’s Road Passes through Diyarbakır” in 1999.[2] Today, 21 years have passed over this statement, but Turkey is still far behind in these fundamental human rights. Turkey does not remove any obstacles to mother tongue education. With the allegation that the state’s integrity would be endangered, the de facto ban on Kurdish continued for years.

 

However, the Turkish state is clearly wrong. How can the language my mother speaks divide the state?

The prevention of mother tongue education causes children’s learning difficulties and completely disconnects them with their culture and history. They lose the social memory of the region they belong to. First, they become alienated from their mother’s grandmothers’ folk tales and lullabies and lose them completely. Thus, we lose our collective cultural heritage in Mesopotamia for thousands of years.

However, aren’t the folk songs or stories telling about our common experiences and loves that keep us together? How can we expect young people who do not have a past to say, “Yes, he/she felt love and/or pain just like me,” to meet on a common ground today? Breaking off the Kurdish youth from their mothers and their culture only offends them to these lands. It is not their own culture that they are embarrassed and alienated but only these lands.

In the recent past, which is close as yesterday, Kurdish, Arabic, Turkish and Armenian were spoken in the same street in the southeast and east. We loved each other and were closer those days more than today. Today, almost one language is spoken in the east’s streets has not brought us closer to each other; contrary to popular belief, it has made us angry and distant. The strength of these lands stems from their wealth. Preserving this wealth is only possible by protecting the languages of this land. Education in the mother tongue does not divide us; it brings us closer to each other.

There is a problem of sincerity if the parliament members praise Ahmedi Xani and Feqiye Teyra, amongst other important Kurdish writers, but restrict reading their works in their original language: Kurdish.

It should not be forgotten that mother tongue education is a fundamental right. The right to mother tongue education is emphasized in the European Convention on Human Rights, to which Turkey is a party. Like all people, Kurds should be given the right to mother tongue education. For the most humane fundamental rights, one should not wait for decades for a positive statement or a step; fundamental rights should be given as soon as possible.

 

If you do not want a language, a history, a culture, and a nation not to disappear, please support this campaign.

 

To sign the petition of KDH (Kurdish Language movement)

Fadil AKSU

 

[1] https://ie-today.co.uk/people-policy-politics/the-importance-of-mother-tongue-in-education/

[2] https://www.yenisafak.com/politika/avrupaya-giden-yol-diyarbakirdan-gecer-598002

Press Release: Purge-victim deputy chief police officer Kabakçıoğlu found dead in a quarantine cell in a Turkish prison.

On behalf of the Broken Chalk members, Broken Chalk President Ramazan Ince made the English statement on 25th October in Amsterdam.

 

On 13 April, the Turkish Parliament passed a law it enabled the early release of up to 90,000 prisoners. But far too many people, including teachers, journalists, lawyers, police officers, army people, opposition politicians and activists, others who did not commit any crime other than being affiliated with groups the regime sees as political threats left behind the bars.[1], [2] Mustafa Kabakçıoğlu, a deputy chief police officer,  was among the prisoners who were not released. Kabakçıoğlu was in prison for the last four years and was accused of donating 5 Turkish Liras ( less than one euro) to a charity organization[3].

Mustafa Kabakçıoğlu was put in a quarantine cell since he started coughing on August 20. Mustafa Kabakçıoğlu died in a solitary confinement cell in Gümüşhane Prison on August 29, 2020, in Turkey [4]. The prison officers reportedly found him sitting alone on a white plastic chair with his head dropped to the back. The pictures released after his death from his quarantine cell summarize the inhuman conditions of the prisons in Turkey.[5]

 

In her efforts to defend human rights, Broken Chalk calls the Turkish authorities to investigate the case urgently, to find the truths behind Kabakçıoğlu’s death.

Turkey’s Justice Ministry has been withholding information from the public about the numbers of COVID-19 patients in the country’s prisons. Meanwhile, experts note that cases have been surging across correctional facilities, with both inmates and workers getting sick.[6]

 

Today in Turkey’s prison, according to the statement done by IHD, there are 1333 sick prisoners, 457 of which are in severe conditions.[7]

 

We call all national/international human rights organizations and human rights defenders to stand against all Turkish prisons’ inhuman treatments and not have the same experience.

Kabakçıoğlu’s death was not the first in Turkish prisons, but with your voice, it can be last.

We call every one of you to raise your voice for the death of Kabakçıoğlu for preventing new cases happen in Turkey.

Broken Chalk announces it to the public with due respect.

 

Signed by

Broken Chalk

 

To Download Press Release in PDF form please press this link

 

[1] https://www.amnesty.org/en/get-involved/take-action/turkey-covid-19-prisoners-release/

[2] https://theconversation.com/turkey-releasing-murderers-but-not-political-opponents-from-prison-amid-coronavirus-pandemic-136466

[3] https://pledgetimes.com/how-erdogan-has-his-opponents-penned-up-in-turkey/

[4] https://galusaustralis.com/2020/10/1023558/fear-of-death-in-the-lonely-cell-how-erdogan-locked-up-his-opponents-in-turkey-politics/

[5] https://www.boldmedya.com/2020/10/14/karantina-hucresinden-cenazesi-cikti-plastik-sandalyede-olum/

[6] https://www.duvarenglish.com/health-2/coronavirus/2020/10/13/turkish-justice-ministry-withholds-covid-19-data-on-prisoners/

[7] https://m.bianet.org/bianet/insan-haklari/207245-ihd-hapishanelerde-457-si-agir-1333-hasta-mahpus-var

THE SOCIAL EXPERIMENT WITH 80 MILLION PEOPLE*

It was the previous year. Kocaeli Municipality conducted a social experiment to draw attention to child labor abuse. The child’s boss was sitting on the city bus, while the 7-8-year-old labor boy was standing with a box in his hand. The boy said: “Sir, I’m tired, let me put this down.”, but the boss was not accepting it. The boy was slapped by his boss when he slipped the heavy box. The majority of the passengers amazedly watched the City Theaters’ actors’ experiment, only some women objected.

 

In another experiment, some people prevented the guy who wants to take away the lost children by saying, “I am his big brother,” others again, amazedly watched the situation without saying anything.

 

There is a social experiment that UNICEF has conducted. A child is left in the middle of the crowd. They observe the ones who are interested in the child. If the child is well-groomed, people immediately run and take care; if not, people ignore it. The same experiment is conducted in the restaurant. The result is just the same.

 

In another experiment, there is a group of people beating children in the park. Hundreds of people see them. Thirty-five percent of them do not say anything. Others intervene in the situation.

 

There are hundreds of such experiments in which humans have been tested. But currently, the most massive social experiment takes place in Turkey.

 

TURKEY’S EXPERIMENT

 

Eighty million people participate in this experiment.

 

Hundreds of thousands of people were fired without any question or justification. Eighty million people watched unresponsively. Hundreds of thousands of people have been imprisoned for the “crimes” of providing scholarships, depositing money in the bank, enrolling students in the Gulen schools.

 

Eighty million people watched.

 

Innocent military college students, who were taken to the bridge as a military exercise, which had nothing to do with the coup, took life imprisonment.

Eighty million people watched.

 

Tens of thousands of women are in prison for the “crimes” of cooking mantı, giving scholarships, and participating in a charity sale. Most of them stay together with 40 people in 20 person wards.

 

Eighty million people are watching. They are all ignoring it.

And 864 babies are currently in prison despite current laws. After the cold winters, they are now crawling and growing within microbes in their 40-degree suffocating prison cells.

 

Eighty million people are watching.

 

Dozens of people are publicly abducted. Tortures are carried out in unknown places.

 

Eighty million people are watching.

 

What are the people’s representatives doing?

There are 589 deputies in the parliament. Let’s leave the exceptions aside. No matter how we arrange all those deputies, they all together are not equal to Ömer Faruk Gergerlioğlu.  They are all aware of what is happening. However, the pressure of the well-known dictator forced them to remain silent. They are watching the ongoing issues in the “tribune” for a salary of 22,200 TL.

It is the same case for the authors, artists, NGO’s, women’s or children’s protection associations.

 

THE DICTATOR FORCED THEM TO REMAIN SILENT. 

 

The conservatives are also watching.  Hundreds of seriously ill prisoners are going to die in prisons. Every week someone dies in a cell. They are just watching. Hundreds of newspapers and journalists, who have been making headlines for a single person who committed suicide in their neighborhood, are just watching what is happening. The dictator forced them to remain silent.

The people of Turkey have participated in this social experiment with an 80 million completely unresponsive audience.

 

THE “HUMAN” POPULATION?

 

The following question inevitably comes to mind. How much of the “human” population is real in Turkey? There was a crocodile documentary lately. When the crocodile notices gazelle’s baby, the crocodile stops eating her. What kind of creature should we consider “humans” who can be silent even for babies persecuted in prison?

 

In one of the social experiments above, when the little girl was dressed beautifully and brought into the restaurant, people would let her sit at their tables, give her food, and help her.

 

In the same experiment, when the girl’s face and eyes were made up with black powder makeup and sent to the same restaurant in a messy outfit, most people turned her down.

 

Most innocently, they are like in this case.

They are afraid even to take care of babies.

 

When a cat gets stuck in a tree or a puppy falls into a pit, they all become love/social butterflies.

When they take action to take care of a bull that escaped in the Eid al-Adha, they all become heroes of love.

 

But when they see the persecuted babies, they turn their faces away, ignore them, and walk away.

 

They are trembling with the fear of being called a Gulenist in case of saying a word.

 

People conducted the social experiments I mentioned at the beginning.

 

God conducts this social experiment of 80 million on the world stage.

 

When the experiment is over, and the “director” says, “It was a social experiment,” let’s see what they will do.

 

 

Translated from 80 milyonluk sosyal deney written by Veysel Ayhan

14.10.2020