The report by Nils Melzer, the UN special rapporteur on torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment, on his mission to Turkey that was published by the UN Human Rights Council.
The report by the United Nations on allegations of torture and ill-treatment in Turkey’s prisons and detention centers exposes attempts by the Turkish Government to cover up the evidence.
The report by Nils Melzer, the UN special rapporteur on torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment, on his mission to Turkey that was published by the UN Human Rights Council on Dec. 18, 2017, reveals interesting facts on large-scale rights violations. To begin with, Melzer’s visit, which took place between Nov. 27 and Dec. 2, 2016, came after the Turkish government abruptly canceled the visit of his predecessor, Juan E. Méndez, who was scheduled to visit Turkey from Oct. 10-14, 2016. Méndez lambasted the government for the last-minute cancellation and made clear that even in a state of emergency, safeguards against torture and ill-treatment and other fundamental human rights must remain in place.
The UN envoy lays bare the terrible conditions in the aftermath of the failed coup and cites reports of “severe beatings, punches and kicking, blows with objects, falaqa, threats and verbal abuse, being forced to strip naked, rape with objects and other sexual violence or threats thereof, sleep deprivation, stress positions, and extended blindfolding and/or handcuffing for several days.” He made note of allegations of extremely overcrowded detention centers where suspects did not have adequate access to food, water or medical treatment and were kept incommunicado, without access to lawyers or relatives and without being formally charged for extended periods of time lasting up to 30 days.
The release of this UN report is quite important given the fact that the Turkish government blocked the publication of another critical report that was prepared by the Council of Europe (CoE) Committee for the Prevention of Torture and Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment (CPT), which paid a visit to Turkey in August and September 2016. It complements similar but more critical reports issued by human rights organizations such as SCF, Amnesty International (AI) and Human Rights Watch (HRW). The Erdoğan government is of course not happy with Melzer’s report and submitted ridiculous responses to it that reveal a deep disconnect from reality and the terrible mindset of the current government in Turkey. Ankara is sticking to the bogeyman tactic in justifying torture and continues to disseminate a hoax terror group called FETÖ in a bid to convince the world of the nation’s unprecedented witch-hunt targeting opponents of the Erdoğan regime.
