IPU Logo-top>>> VERSION FRANÇAISE  
 IPU Logo-middleInter-Parliamentary Union  
IPU Logo-bottomChemin du Pommier 5, C.P. 330, CH-1218 Le Grand-Saconnex/Geneva, Switzerland  

TURKEY
CASE No. TK/39 - LEYLA ZANA
CASE No. TK/41 - HATIP DICLE
CASE No. TK/42 - ZÜBEYIR AYDAR
CASE No. TK/51 - ORHAN DOGAN
CASE No. TK/52 - SELIM SADAK
CASE No. TK/53 - NIZAMETTIN TOGUÇ
CASE No. TK/55 - MEHMET SINÇAR
CASE No. TK/57 - MAHMUT KILINÇ
CASE No. TK/59 - ALI YIGIT
CASE No. TK/62 - REMZI KARTAL

Resolution adopted by consensus by the IPU Governing Council at its 178th session
(Nairobi, 12 May 2006)


The Governing Council of the Inter-Parliamentary Union,

Referring to the case of the parliamentarians listed above, former members of the Turkish Grand National Assembly, as outlined in the report of the Committee on the Human Rights of Parliamentarians (CL/178/12(b)-R.1), and to the resolution adopted at its 177th session (October 2005),

Taking account of the information provided by the President of the Turkish Inter-Parliamentary Group in his letter of 27 April 2006,

Recalling the following:

  • Mr. Sinçar was killed in September 1993; in his letter of 24 March 2005, the President of the Turkish Inter-Parliamentary Group stated that several persons had been brought to justice and that proceedings were under way; no details of these proceedings have so far been provided;

  • The other former parliamentarians concerned lost their parliamentary mandates owing to the dissolution of their party by the Constitutional Court in June 1994; while Ms. Zana, Mr. Dicle, Mr. Sadak and Mr. Dogan were arrested and charged with membership in a terrorist organization, the other persons concerned left Turkey and are living in exile; they would reportedly be charged with separatism if they returned to Turkey;

  • In October 1995, Ms. Zana, Mr. Dicle, Mr. Sadak and Mr. Dogan were found guilty at final instance of membership in an armed organization and sentenced to 15 years’ imprisonment; following the ruling, on 26 June 2001, by the European Court of Human Rights that their right to fair trial had been violated, they were retried by the Ankara State Security Court, which upheld the original judgement; in August 2004 the Cassation Court (Yargitay) ruled that the retrial had been unfair and ordered their release and further retrial,

Considering that the second retrial of Ms. Zana, Mr. Dicle, Mr. Dogan and Mr. Sadak started in February 2005, and that the next hearing has been set for 12 May 2006,

  1. Thanks the President of the Turkish Inter-Parliamentary Group for the information provided; notes, however, that his letter did not respond to the following requests for information which it has consistently been reiterating, namely to ascertain:

    1. the grounds for and the facts supporting the separatism charges pending against Mr. Aydar, Mr. Toguç, Mr. Kilinç, Mr. Yigit and Mr. Kartal;

    2. whether, in keeping with the principle of the presumption of innocence, Ms. Zana, Mr. Dicle, Mr. Sadak and Mr. Dogan have recovered their civil and political rights pending the outcome of their retrial;

    3. the stage of the proceedings brought against those suspected of Mr. Sinçar's murder;

  2. Notes that the second retrial of Ms. Zana, Mr. Dicle, Mr. Dogan and Mr. Sadak is under way and would appreciate being informed of the outcome of the trial hearing of 12 May 2006;

  3. Requests the Secretary General to convey this resolution to the parliamentary authorities and the sources, inviting them to provide the requested information;

  4. Requests the Committee to continue examining this case and report to it at its next session, to be held during the 115th IPU Assembly (October 2006).
Note: you can download a complete electronic version of the brochure "Results of the 114th IPU Assembly and related meetings in PDF format (file size 503K approximately ). This version requires Adobe Acrobat Reader, which you can download free of charge.Get Acrobat Reader

HOME PAGEred cubeHUMAN RIGHTSred cubeMAIN AREAS OF ACTIVITYred cubeIPU STRUCTURE AND DOCUMENTS