DİYARBAKIR - Stating that the law on neighborhood watchmen created a new class of uneducated people who may eventually violate the right to life and ill treatment, TİHV Diyarbakır Represantative Barış Yavuz said that neighborhood watchmen may turn out to be a new kind of law enforcement.

 

With he amendment made in the Neighborhood Watchmen Act, the watchmen were given the right to intervene to demonstrations, stop and search people and vehicles, check for IDs and use fire arms. Human rights defenders critisized that the watchmen who are trained for only 3 months can cause violations of rights and the authority given to them was arbitrary and with ambigous reasons. The watchmen who were put into effect again despite the developing technology is widely discussed because they can be used for suppressing the opposition.

 

Evaluating the expanded authority of the watchmen, Turkey Humans' Right Foundation (TİHV) Diyarbakır Represantative Barış Yavuz stated that the Watchmen Act increased the social anxiety.

 

BASIC RIGHT ARE AT RISK

 

Stating that the training for being a watchmen is insufficient and that poses some serious risks, Yavuz drew attention to the fact that the watchmen don't have enough knowladge on basic rights and freedoms and critisized that they are trained after being employed. Warning that the watchmen can violate 3 basic rights, Yavuz said: "A new class is being created with the authority to check for IDs and using fire arms which can lead to the violation of the prohibition of torture and right to life."

 

Bekçilerin aldığı eğitimlerin yetersiz olduğunu ve bu durumun bazı tehlikeleri barındırdığını belirten Yavuz, bekçilerin temel hak ve özgürlüklere dair bilgilerinin yeterli olmadığına dikkat çekerek, bekçilerin mesleğe alındıktan sonra eğitime tabi tutulmalarını eleştirdi. Bekçilerin 3 temel hakkı ihlal edebileceği uyarısında bulunan Yavuz, “Kişi özgürlüğü ve hakkını; durdurma ve kimlik sorma yetkisiyle; işkence yasağını ve yaşam hakkını ise zor ve silah kullanma yetkisiyle ihlal edebilecek eğitimsiz bir sınıf yaratılıyor’’ ifadelerini kullandı.

 

Stating that the watchmen are being chosen amongs the people who are known to be the followers of AKP and MHP, Yavuz stated that the employement in Turkey is not based on merits and said: "Unfortunately this is not called  preferential treatment in todays Turkey, but reference. This may lead to a new kind of law enforcement."

 

Emphasizing that as the non governmental organizations, they will be following the violations of rights closely, Yavuz said: "We will effectively monitor the violations of rights carried out by the watchmen as we do with the police officers for years."

 

 

MA / Cahit Özbek