IHD Hakkari Branch President Yusuf Av. Yusuf Çobanoğlu stated that freedom of expression, the right to organize meetings and demonstration marches in Hakkari have been suspended for more than 2,400 days.
Violations of freedom of expression and right to life in Kurdistan continue to increase. Hakkari is one of the cities where human rights violations are never lacking and are increasing. Hakkari has been living under emergency law for 6 years. All kinds of democratic actions and activities have been prohibited in Hakkari for 2,400 days. With these bans, freedom of expression, assemblies, demonstrations and marches were suspended, and even kite flying, saying Jin Jiyan Azadi and saying not to war were considered crimes.
Human Rights Association Hakkari (İHD) Hakkari Branch President, lawyer Yusuf Çobanoğlu, spoke to ANF about the violations of rights in Hakkari on the occasion of 10 December, Human Rights Day.
Çobanoğlu said: "First of all, human beings are human with their rights, and this struggle will continue as long as there are rights defenders."
Stating that countless citizens have been subjected to torture in the last year and that the state forces have made great efforts to prevent these tortures from being proven, Çobanoğlu said: “As rights defenders, we tried to do our best to stand by the victims and defend their rights despite these obstacles. In the last 10 years, dozens of our people have been affected and killed. Impunity policies for the perpetrators of these murders have been carefully put into effect by the prosecutor's office and the courts. In addition to these rights violations, the freedom of expression of almost the entire society has been violated by countless investigations, and people have been tried to be silenced with the judicial stick. The persistence of bans on protests and events for more than 2,400 days clearly shows that the right to freedom of expression, assembly and demonstration has been suspended.”
It is a crime to say Jin, Jiyan, Azadi
Stating that the people were most exposed to torture and ill-treatment in 2022, Çobanoğlu said that even "flying kites in Hakkari, saying Jin Jiyan Azadi, or no to war were considered crimes.
Prohibitions in Van and Batman provinces were brought to the Constitutional Court, and the Constitutional Court made it clear that the decision to ban actions and activities with governor's circulars was a violation of rights. The article ‘Fundamental rights and freedoms can only be limited by law’ is the basis of these violations. In 2022, the prohibition of torture and ill-treatment has been violated the most in our region.”
