|
Turkey to deport British human rights
researcher
13.4.2006
|
|
|
|
NEW YORK, April
12, (Reuters) - Turkish police have detained a
British researcher for New York-based Human Rights
Watch for alleged visa violations and intend to
deport him shortly, the rights group said on
Wednesday.
The researcher, Jonathan Sugden, was probing alleged
abuses in the predominately Kurdish southeast of the
country that involved Turkish police and
government-armed local defense units, Human Rights
Watch said in a statement.
"The desire to cover up human rights abuses is
evidently still very strong, despite recent moves
toward more accountability in Turkey's bid for
membership in the European Union," said Holly
Cartner, the group's Europe and Central Asia
director.
Sugden was detained in the southeastern town of
Bingol on Wednesday and taken to Istanbul, where he
is expected to spend the night in police custody
before being deported to London on Thursday, Cartner
said.
Sugden is a fluent Turkish speaker with some 15
years of experience monitoring human rights in
Turkey.
The Turkish authorities said he did not have a valid
authorization to be carrying out human rights work
in Turkey and was in the country on a tourist visa,
Cartner said.
But she said Sugden had traveled to Turkey
repeatedly on such a visa, with the knowledge of
Turkish authorities and without being detained.
"This really isn't about the visa at all. This is
about the authorities not wanting to let us document
the abuses there," Cartner said.
Dozens of people have been killed in Turkey's
southeast over the past month, both in clashes
between rebels and the security forces and in street
protests involving Kurdish civilians.
Reuters
Top |
Kurd Net
does not take credit for and is not responsible for the content of news
information on this page
|
® 