On the 15th of July 2016, there was an attempt to
stage a coup d’état in Turkey. There is still the danger of a coup
d’état. Many civilians, soldiers and police officers have either lost
their lives or have been injured as a result of violence and clashes
during this attempt. The use of military vehicles and fighter jets in
city centres, particularly in civilian areas and neighbourhoods, and
clashes taking place in these areas, has led to serious concerns and
fear among citizens. On the other hand, we have also observed cases in
which citizens have shown reactions beyond democratic principles and
attempted lynchings. In short, Turkey is heading fast towards a deep
chaos, the extent of which is unknown.
We, as the Human Rights Association (İHD) and Human Rights Foundation
of Turkey (HRFT), would like to underline that we defend the principles
of democracy and human rights at all costs and at any time. This is our
fundamental position and we have been defending this position since we
established our organisations. We condemn any kind of coup d’état or
attempted coup d’état, which would mean the complete denial of democracy
and fundamental rights, freedom, and violence, and lynchings
reminiscent of civil war scenes. We offer our condolences to the
victims’ families and wish a speedy recovery for those injured.
This chaos is directly related to the fact that Turkey has not been
able to solve its democracy and human rights problems. The Government
has not implemented democratic principles such as plurality,
transparency and participation, but instead it has harmed fundamental
rights and freedoms as well as the rule of law; passed anti-democratic
laws such as impunity for soldiers – which reinforces military tutelage
–, adopted policies based on violence rather than solving the Kurdish
question through democratic and peaceful means; and conducted war at
home as well as in other countries. All these problems have led to a
deep political and state crisis in Turkey.
Unfortunately, there are statements proposing to bring back the death
penalty to Turkey, leading to serious concerns about our future. The
only way to leave behind this chaos is to obey and respect the rule of
law, democracy and human rights, and to adopt peaceful policies at home
as well as in other countries.
Democratic forces in Turkey will continue to struggle for genuine
democracy and against military or coup d’état regimes, anti-democratic
practices, and increasingly authoritarian civilian administrations. IHD
and HRFT would like to repeat that we will maintain our human rights
activities to determine and document human rights violations and to
actively provide legal and medical assistance.
No to coup d’états and anti-democratic administrations!
Democracy and human rights are the most important issues!
Human Rights Association (İHD)
Human Rights Foundation of Turkey (HRFT)