Allegations of torture and ill treatment in Turkey in the aftermath of the coup attempt

Motion for a resolution | Doc. 14187 | 14 October 2016

Signatories:

Mr Aleksander POCIEJ, Poland, EPP/CD ; Ms Doris BARNETT, Germany, SOC ; Ms Marieluise BECK, Germany, ALDE ; Mr Jokin BILDARRATZ, Spain, ALDE ; Ms Anne BRASSEUR, Luxembourg, ALDE ; Mr Boriss CILEVIČS, Latvia, SOC ; Mr Yves CRUCHTEN, Luxembourg, SOC ; Mr Constantinos EFSTATHIOU, Cyprus, SOC ; Ms Ute FINCKH-KRÄMER, Germany, SOC ; Mr Rainer GOPP, Liechtenstein, ALDE ; Ms Gabriela HEINRICH, Germany, SOC ; Mr Carles JORDANA, Andorra, ALDE ; Mr Pierre-Yves LE BORGN', France, SOC ; Ms Anouchka van MILTENBURG, Netherlands, ALDE ; Mr Hişyar ÖZSOY, Turkey, UEL ; Ms Judith PALLARÉS, Andorra, ALDE ; Ms Mailis REPS, Estonia, ALDE ; Mr Stefan SCHENNACH, Austria, SOC ; Mr Frank SCHWABE, Germany, SOC ; Mr Krzysztof TRUSKOLASKI, Poland, ALDE ; Mr Mart van de VEN, Netherlands, ALDE

This motion has not been discussed in the Assembly and commits only those who have signed it.

In the aftermath of the 15 July 2016 coup attempt, there have been serious and numerous allegations of ill treatment and/or torture of those arrested.

Amnesty International has documented cases of beatings and torture, including rape, which happened in official and unofficial detention centres (e.g. sports centers and corridors of courthouses).

The Turkish authorities should take every necessary step to immediately put an end to those practices by unequivocally condemning them and applying a zero tolerance policy.

The Parliamentary Assembly should look into those alarming reports of large scale violations of Article 3 of the European Convention on Human Rights (prohibition of inhuman and degrading treatment or torture). Article 3 of the Convention enshrines an absolute, non-derogable right and the Turkish authorities should effectively and without delay investigate any allegation of ill treatment of those deprived of their liberty so as to prevent the resurgence of such practices and to avoid impunity for the perpetrators.