Jurists: European Union, international community are responsible for Ebro death in Turkey's prisons

The Turkish authorities continue to violate the right of detainees of free opinion, political activists, jurists and journalists, in flagrant violation of international charters and agreements, due to the ruling Justice and Development Party's control of the judiciary, using it for its personal motives.

The Kurdish human rights activist "Ebro Timtek" lost her life last Thursday in an Istanbul hospital after she was treated, following the deterioration of her health status in prison after she went on hunger strike for 238 days accompanied by her comrade, lawyer "Itaj Onsal" for demanding the completion of their trials fairly.

The Turkish authorities resorted to the use of violence and the firing of tear gas to disperse the gathering of friends and supporters of lawyer "Ebro" while they were trying to inspect her corpse at the headquarter of the Forensic Medical Council, where her corpse is supposed to be autopsied, in addition to their pursuit of mourners during the burial.

Hawar news agency conducted several interviews with human rights activists in Tel Tamr district to shed more light on the violations committed by the Turkish authorities against the detainees in light of international agreements that stipulate respect for human rights principles and freedom of opinion.

The jurist Salwa Suleiman said: "After being sentenced by the Turkish authorities for 13 years, lawyer Ebro opposed the trial that violated Article 6 of the European Convention on Human Rights, which provides for a fair trial. After the court rejected the lawyer Ebro's request for a retrial, she went on hunger strike for 238 days until she lost her life."

The demand for justice has not awakened the international community's conscience and organizations

Salwa Suleiman notes that the "martyr Ebro" was an example of many political and human rights figures who opposed the Turkish politics and went on hunger strike in their prisons, including the struggler Leyla Goven, and continued: "Her martyrdom as a result of her hunger strike did not stir the conscience of human rights and humanitarian organizations despite the lack of respect for human rights, detainees and freedom of expression to the Turkish authorities, and their impartiality with the fair judiciary."

Turkey violates international standards

The jurist Salwa Suleiman noted that everyone knows that the Turkish state is one of the countries that violates human rights and freedom of expression, and supports terrorism. She continued: "Despite the presence of international statistics and real reports that state this, European countries, human rights and humanitarian organizations remain silent about the systematic violations that the Turkish authorities carry out against detainees, political and human rights activists."

At the end of her speech, Salwa Suleiman condemned the international silence and the silence of all human rights and humanitarian organizations regarding the systematic violations and crimes committed by Turkey towards human rights and political activists, stressing that Turkey violated all international agreements and standards that provide for freedom of expression.

Turkey's goal is to end the peace agreement

For his part, lawyer Mohamed Baqi Hussein says: "After the peace agreement between the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) and the Turkish state collapsed in 2016, Turkey, led by the Justice and Development Party (AKP), resorted to arresting members and heads of the Democratic People's Party (HDP), in addition to closing all television stations that present their programs in the Kurdish language and opposing the Turkish policy, in conjunction with the arrest of journalists and jurists defending the Kurdish people."

Justice and Development controls the judiciary and uses it politically

Hussein pointed out that in 2019, after dozens of prisoners went on hunger strike, headed by the struggler Leyla Goven, demanding to end the isolation imposed on the leader Abdullah Ocalan, the Turkish authorities responded to their demands at the last moments, and allowed a meeting with the leader and the release of the struggler Leyla Goven.

He added: "The Turkish authorities have not responded to all the demands of the prisoners on hunger strike, including a fair trial for them because the Justice and Development Party controls the judiciary, and politicizes the judiciary in its favor."

Hussein indicated that the reason for not delivering the corpse to its relatives is to conceal the medical confirmation that the cause of death was the hunger strike and the psychological and physical pressures that she was exposed to inside the Turkish prisons.

Human rights organizations and the international community are responsible for Ebro's martyrdom

Hussein pointed out that the position of human rights organizations and European organizations is very weak and shy about the Turkish policies, knowing that the Turkish state has signed human rights agreements with European countries to be joined to the European Union, but despite this, they have not condemned the violations that the Turkish authorities pursue against human rights defenders and detainees.

Hussain held human rights organizations and the international community responsible for the martyrdom of lawyer Ebro because of their permanent silence towards Turkey and its crimes against people of free opinion.

She sacrificed her most valuable asset for justice

At the end of his speech, the jurist Mohamed Baqi Hussein confirmed that the lawyer and martyr Ebro was struggling for justice and achieving justice for the oppressed in Turkey, even she sacrificed the most precious thing she possessed which is her soul in order to achieve justice, and to establish a fair court for her and all those convicted in Turkish prisons.

D.H

ANH