The forces responsible for forced disappearance must be convicted!
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01 June 2008 / International Bulletin / No: 70  

In Turkey and Northern Kurdistan, where forced disappearances happen very often, many actions and events were organised during the International weeks Against Disappearances from May 17-31. This showed once again the determination to fight these attacks and the demand to convict those forces responsible for disappearances.
The actions started with a sit-in on May 17 in front of Galatasaray School* organised by ( ICAD ) International Committee Against Disappearances, the Istanbul branch of the Human Rights Association ( IHD ) and the Association of Support and Solidarity with the Families of forced disappeared ( YAKAY-DER ). At this action, relatives of the disappeared held speeches, among them Emine Ocak, mother of comrade Hasan Ocak as well as Hasan Karakoc, brother of Ridvan Karakoc, who had been forced disappeared under arrest. The speeches mainly emphasized the demand of convicting those forces responsible for disappearances. The action finished with shouting the slogans "Those who let disappear will lose" and "The mothers` rage will strangle the murderers". The actions and events continued with commemorations at the graves of Hasan Ocak and Ridvan Karakoc at Gazi ecemetery, Istanbul that took place the next day.
Protests and actions took also place in other cities with the call on demanding an account from those responsible for disappearances.
In Adana, the activists of many organisations, among them the IHD, the Socialist Platform of the Oppressed ( ESP ), Confederation of Public Employees` Trade Unions ( KESK ), the Democratic Society Party ( DTP ) and the magazine Partizan gathered at Inonu Park on May 17 with the slogan "The forced disappeared must be found, an account must be demanded". On the same day, an action was organised in front of Sumerbank of Konak, Izmir, called on by the IHD Izmir branch.
On the evening of May 23, the IHD, ESP, KESK, DTP and different democratic mass organisations realised a march with torches at Malatya.
Following the call of the IHD branch of Bursa, an action was organised on May 26 at Orhangazi Park with the slogan "We did not forget the disappeared under arrest, we will not let them be forgotten. Those who let disappear will disappear". The action was joined by ESP, Partizan and B DSP and supported by SDP and DHP.
In Istanbul, the ESP organised actions and events on the forced disappeared on May 19 at Gazi cemetery and on May 24 at the quarter Okmeydani, on May 24-25 at 1 Mayis Quarter, on May 27 at Alibeykoy and on May 25 at Esenler.
The Turkey Section of the International Committee against Disappearances (ICAD) organised an event on May 24 at BEKSAV where the families of the forced disappeared were given an award. At this event, the families spoke about what had happened to them and their fight starting in 1995 after Hasan Ocak was forced disappeared.
The actions continued during the whole weeks against disappearances and ended with an action on 31st May before the Galatasaray College, in which also relatives of disappeared and deputies of the DTP participated.
At the actions and events that took place, attention was drawn to the state terror, extra-judicial killings, arrests and detention attacks and military operations that have lately occurred and once again the call was raised to join the struggle.
The attack of forced disappearances under arrest in Turkey/ Northern Kurdistan has been applied since the first days of the republic's foundation and was systematically realised during the military coup of 12 September 1980 and especially during the civil war that reached its peak in the 90ies in Kurdistan. The first broaden struggle against forced disappearances under arrest in our country, where 1246 revolutionaries, Kurdish-patriotic, communist and progressive oppositionals had been forced disappeared, was started after our comrade Hasan Ocak was kidnapped and murdered on May 21, 1995 and afterwards his body was let disappeared. This struggle played an important role in limiting the attack of forced disappearances under arrest.

 

*An important post of the struggle against forced disappeared under arrest that started in 1995. The Saturday Mothers used to realise sit-ins every week on Saturday in front of Galatasaray School following the example of the Mothers of Plaza de Mayo in Argentine.

 
 

 

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The forces responsible for forced disappearance must be convicted!
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01 June 2008 / International Bulletin / No: 70  

In Turkey and Northern Kurdistan, where forced disappearances happen very often, many actions and events were organised during the International weeks Against Disappearances from May 17-31. This showed once again the determination to fight these attacks and the demand to convict those forces responsible for disappearances.
The actions started with a sit-in on May 17 in front of Galatasaray School* organised by ( ICAD ) International Committee Against Disappearances, the Istanbul branch of the Human Rights Association ( IHD ) and the Association of Support and Solidarity with the Families of forced disappeared ( YAKAY-DER ). At this action, relatives of the disappeared held speeches, among them Emine Ocak, mother of comrade Hasan Ocak as well as Hasan Karakoc, brother of Ridvan Karakoc, who had been forced disappeared under arrest. The speeches mainly emphasized the demand of convicting those forces responsible for disappearances. The action finished with shouting the slogans "Those who let disappear will lose" and "The mothers` rage will strangle the murderers". The actions and events continued with commemorations at the graves of Hasan Ocak and Ridvan Karakoc at Gazi ecemetery, Istanbul that took place the next day.
Protests and actions took also place in other cities with the call on demanding an account from those responsible for disappearances.
In Adana, the activists of many organisations, among them the IHD, the Socialist Platform of the Oppressed ( ESP ), Confederation of Public Employees` Trade Unions ( KESK ), the Democratic Society Party ( DTP ) and the magazine Partizan gathered at Inonu Park on May 17 with the slogan "The forced disappeared must be found, an account must be demanded". On the same day, an action was organised in front of Sumerbank of Konak, Izmir, called on by the IHD Izmir branch.
On the evening of May 23, the IHD, ESP, KESK, DTP and different democratic mass organisations realised a march with torches at Malatya.
Following the call of the IHD branch of Bursa, an action was organised on May 26 at Orhangazi Park with the slogan "We did not forget the disappeared under arrest, we will not let them be forgotten. Those who let disappear will disappear". The action was joined by ESP, Partizan and B DSP and supported by SDP and DHP.
In Istanbul, the ESP organised actions and events on the forced disappeared on May 19 at Gazi cemetery and on May 24 at the quarter Okmeydani, on May 24-25 at 1 Mayis Quarter, on May 27 at Alibeykoy and on May 25 at Esenler.
The Turkey Section of the International Committee against Disappearances (ICAD) organised an event on May 24 at BEKSAV where the families of the forced disappeared were given an award. At this event, the families spoke about what had happened to them and their fight starting in 1995 after Hasan Ocak was forced disappeared.
The actions continued during the whole weeks against disappearances and ended with an action on 31st May before the Galatasaray College, in which also relatives of disappeared and deputies of the DTP participated.
At the actions and events that took place, attention was drawn to the state terror, extra-judicial killings, arrests and detention attacks and military operations that have lately occurred and once again the call was raised to join the struggle.
The attack of forced disappearances under arrest in Turkey/ Northern Kurdistan has been applied since the first days of the republic's foundation and was systematically realised during the military coup of 12 September 1980 and especially during the civil war that reached its peak in the 90ies in Kurdistan. The first broaden struggle against forced disappearances under arrest in our country, where 1246 revolutionaries, Kurdish-patriotic, communist and progressive oppositionals had been forced disappeared, was started after our comrade Hasan Ocak was kidnapped and murdered on May 21, 1995 and afterwards his body was let disappeared. This struggle played an important role in limiting the attack of forced disappearances under arrest.

 

*An important post of the struggle against forced disappeared under arrest that started in 1995. The Saturday Mothers used to realise sit-ins every week on Saturday in front of Galatasaray School following the example of the Mothers of Plaza de Mayo in Argentine.