Sir, - Amnesty International welcomes any criticism of its work and has regularly received comments from governments, and other groups. Kevin Myers's Irishman's Diary (April 10th) requires a response. His comments are very close to those the Turkish authorities constantly use to avoid dealing with the cruelty which men, women and children routinely suffer at the hands of the state.
He has obviously never read Amnesty's report, "No Security Without Human Rights", which notes that Turkish society is increasingly modern, vibrant and forward looking. It acknowledges Turkey's established parliamentary democracy and other institutions that could act as powerful guarantors of human rights. However, when it comes to human rights Europe pretends to be pushing for progress and Turkey pretends to respond.
. Amnesty has never said that there is `systematic abuse of children'. What we have said is that torture is endemic, and this has been confirmed by the European Committee for the Prevention of Torture which described it as "widespread" and the UN Committee on Torture which described it as "systematic". The case of 12 year old Done Talun (electric wire was attached to her fingers and she was given electric shocks) is just one of those high lighted in our report. Our report also details other children who have been tortured or who have died or "disappeared" in custody.
. Journalists monitoring the activities of the security forces are particularly at risk in all parts of Turkey. Recently Hatum Temulzalp, a 32 year old woman journalist was arrested. She was beaten and kicked, hung up by her arms and given electric shocks. She was stripped, hosed with cold water and denied access to her family or lawyer.
. In 1994, a UN working group stated that Turkey had been the country with the highest number of "disappearances".
. It is simply untrue to say that Amnesty would not have "orchestrated" such "an absurd letterwriting campaign if the country involved was any other than Turkey". In the last year our 130 school and youth groups have acted on China. Brazil, Tunisia, Peru, Mexico, Indonesia/East Timor, Colombia, Afghanistan, Jamaica, Bosnia, USA and Thailand.
. It is absurd to suggest that we "brainwash" children. We do not encourage bias against any country nor do we support or oppose any government or political system: our concern is solely for the individual helpless in the face of power.
. Amnesty has campaigned as far back as the 1980s on the imprisonment and torture of ethnic Turks in Bulgaria and we continue to research the ill treatment of ethnic Turks and Turkish speaking asylum seekers in Germany, Austria and Greece.
. In early 1993 Amnesty campaigned against racist ill treatment (citing cases of Turkish victims) in France, Austria and Germany. Between July and December 1996 Amnesty reported on 37 countries in Europe including Armenia, Austria, France, Denmark, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Norway, Portugal, Spain, Switzerland and the United Kingdom.
. Human rights violations by the state will always be our primary focus but we also condemn abuses by the PKK. - Yours etc.,
Turkey Co-ordinator
Director,
Campaign Co-ordinator,
Amnesty International
Fleet St
Dublin 2