Recommendations A/HRC/33/51/Add.1 Situation during the visit A/HRC/33/51/Add.1 Measures taken/current situation Level of implementation and observations (to be completed by the WGEID) The cases have been discussed in reports by Human Rights Watch,1 Rights Initiative,2 most recently on February 13, 2020 by the Ankara Bar Association Human Rights Centre,3 the Human Rights Association, 4 and in an urgent action by Amnesty International.5 To date there have been no effective investigations into any of these cases, no response to families’ repeated requests for investigations and complaints, and no additional measures taken to prevent such abuses occurring. information about disappearances of Syrian nationals in the areas controlled by the Turkish armed forces in northern Syria. In view of these disconcerting allegations, the Working Group urges the Government of Turkey to immediately stop and prevent enforced disappearances, be it within the country, in northern Syria, or in third countries where Turkish nationals may live. Human Rights Watch has concerns that five men of the six who resurfaced in 2019 have been and are still being prevented from speaking about their enforced disappearance. The sixth man, Gökhan Türkmen, began to speak out about being abducted and tortured during his February 10, 2020 court hearing at the Ankara Heavy Penal Court no. 2. Human Rights Watch has obtained a record of part of the hearing. A further update will be sent on this matter. Human Rights Association Unfortunately, Turkey has not developed a policy and taken necessary steps regarding the prevention and effective investigation of enforced and involuntary disappearances. Enforced disappearances of the last decades had occurred during the armed conflicts which have taken place within the framework of Kurdish Question. Since the Peace Process which started in 2013 and ended in 2015, the general policy of the State 2 3 4 7 5 See https://www.hrw.org/news/2019/08/06/turkey-concerns-disappeared-men-now-police-custody, https://www.hrw.org/report/2017/10/12/custody/police-tortureand-abductions-turkey. https://hakinisiyatifi.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/Hakİnisiyatifi.2019AlıkonulmaİddialarıRaporu.pdf. See report in Turkish by Ankara Bar Association Human Rights Centre, “Ortak İzleme Raporu” (Joint monitoring report on the subject of enforced disappearances), http://www.ankarabarosu.org.tr/upload/HD/Donem65/2020/diger/20200213_ihmrapor.pdf. https://www.ihd.org.tr/zorla-kacirmalara-son-verilsin-etkili-sorusturma-acilsin/. https://www.amnesty.org/en/documents/eur44/0881/2019/en/. A/HRC/45/13/Add.4 1