Item 2 - Application No. 22491/93 and 22497/93, Özcan Aslan and İzzet Aslan v Turkey

6pp

Reply of the applicants to the supplementary observations of the Government of Turkey submitted on 30 May 1995 in the Aslan cases (A44/43/1/8/8/1). The reply notes that the Government must have had other sources for its information in March and April 1994 when it confirmed that gendarme operations took place in Çınarönü on 13-14 February 1993, only to provide new statements that predate both Government observations stating that no operations took place, and that the Government-submitted statements of all five villagers taken by state prosecutors stated that soldiers came to the village. The reply also objects to the inference that lawyer Sedat Aslantaş manipulated the applicant's statements, stating that this 'represents a direct threat to the security of lawyers working on cases before the European Commission. It is stark evidence of the policy of the Turkish authorities to condemn as a member of the PKK anyone who makes allegations of human rights abuses against the state.' The reply concludes by asking the Commission to request that Turkish authorities refrain from having contact with the applicants now that the state authorities have concluded their investigation.

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