Turkey: End Sexual Torture against Women in Custody by Amnesty International 2:47pm 9th Mar, 2003   9th March, 2003    Every day women across Turkey experience sexual and other physical violence. Women from all social and cultural backgrounds have been abused, assaulted, tortured and raped by state security forces, acquaintances, complete strangers, and by family members, including their partners.    Although all women are at risk of violence, due to specific patterns of discrimination in Turkey, Amnesty International is concerned that Kurdish women, particularly those living in the south-east, and women who hold political beliefs that are unacceptable to the government or the military, have been at increased risk of violence at the hands of agents of the state.    Amnesty International is concerned that when agents of the state perpetrate violence against women a clear message is sent condoning violence against women, and encourages a culture of discrimination that places all women at risk. For example:    S.Y. (full name known to Amnesty International) was detained at Istanbul Police Headquarters between 24 and 27 September 2002. She was reportedly blindfolded and tortured including by being sexually assaulted. More    Eren Keskin - a human rights defender who acts for women who have been subjected to sexual violence in custody - has been the subject of 86 lawsuits in relation to her human rights activities. She has also been the subject of death threats and insults. More    More than seven years after the reported torture in custody of Gülderen Baran, no one has been brought to justice.    Take action!    Please send letters by post or e-mail to the Prime Minister and the Minister of Justice of Turkey asking them to undertake widespread reforms to end sexual violence against women, including: ending the blindfolding and stripping of detainees during questioning;    ending the strip-searching of female detainees by male officials; bringing those responsible for human rights violations, including those who order them, to justice.    Dear Prime Minister:    I am concerned at allegations that S.Y. has been tortured by police officers at Istanbul Police Headquarters in September 2002 and hope you will call for a thorough, impartial and independent investigation into these allegations with the results made public and those responsible brought to justice. Independent medical or psychiatric reports should be admissible to the investigation.    I am also concerned at the large number of trials opened against Eren Keskin - a human rights defender who acts for women who have been subjected to sexual violence in custody. I ask for all charges - apparently brought against her only for peacefully expressing her views as a human rights defender and for carrying out her role of monitoring and reporting human rights abuses - to be dropped.    More than seven years after the reported torture of Gülderen Baran, no one has been brought to justice. I therefore urge that those responsible for human rights violations, including those who order it, be brought to justice. Furthermore, I call for the elimination of provisions which could prevent succesful prosecutions of alleged torturers, including legal obstacles such as statutes of limitations. As recommended by the UN Special Rapporteur on torture after his visit to Turkey, "prosecutors and judiciary should speed up the trials and appeals of public officials indicted for torture and ill-treatment. Sentences should be commensurate with the gravity of the crime."    I call on the Turkish government to demonstrate its total opposition to sexual violence against women and condemn sexual violence unreservedly whenever it occurs and to undertake reforms to end sexual violence against women, including ending the blindfolding and stripping of detainees during questioning and ending the strip-searching of female detainees by male officials.    Send us a copy of your letter at cc.appeals@amnesty.org. If you receive feedback from the government official, please forward a copy to us at gov.replies@amnesty.org    Addresses: Prime Minister of Turkey, Abdullah Gul, Office of the Prime Minister, Basbakanlik, 06573 Ankara, Turkey.    E-mail: abdullah.gul@basbakanlik.gov.tr    Salutation: Dear Prime Minister    Minister of Justice: Cemil Cicek, Ministry of Justice, Adalet Bakanligi, 06659 Ankara, Turkey    E-mail: cemilcicek@adalet.gov.tr    Salutation: Dear Minister Visit the related web page
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