URGENT ANNOUNCEMENT CONCERNING THE CASE OF THE ENFORCED DISAPPEARANCE OF BULUT YAYLA

Athens June 3rd 2013

Press Release

The timeline of Bulut Yayla’s non-access to the asylum-request procedure

The Greek law (PD 114/2010, article 4) rules: “1. Every foreigner or individual not having the Greek citizenship has the right to apply for international protection”.

Bulut Yayla is under the protection of the Greek Council for Refugees and enjoys the legal and social protection that the Council provides. According to what he stated to us, he was repeatedly arrested, imprisoned and tortured for his political activities in Turkey.

 

He came to Greece a few months ago to request the protection that is provided by the international, EU and national legislation. For this purpose, and also due to his lack of access to the asylum procedure, he turned to the Council asking assistance to file his asylum application.

On 20-5-2013, the Council sent by fax (file nr 707 /20-05-2013) the application to the authorized Police Authority (in Petrou Ralli st.), according to which the authorities were informed that Bulut Yayla is a victim of torturing. Once again he failed accessing the asylum procedure.

After repeated appeals of the Council to the Immigration Directorate of the Police, the submission of the application was achieved. However, on the evening of Thursday 30/5, BulutYayla was kidnapped.

In the evening of Thursday 30/5, just after being ingormed about the kidnapping  by compatriots of Bulut Yayla that receive assistance by the Council, his  laywers contacted by phone the Immigration Directorate of the Police to inform again about the danger that Bulut Yayla  faces as a victim of torturing. They reminded the police of the asylum application and emphasized on the obligation of the Greek state to block any procedure of his deportation to Turkey.

A similar appeal was repeated the next morning (31/5/2013), by means of repeated telephone communication as well as by sending a second and a third application by fax (file nr 777 και 787 / 31.05.2013) demanding the immediate action for the protection of Bulut Yayla emphasizing that he is a victim of torture and that the eventual deportation to Turkey consists a violation of the legislation on non-deportation as well as a violation of article 3 of the European Convention for Human Rights (torture, inhuman and humiliating treatment).

 

As we were informed the next day, Saturday June 1st, Bulut Yayla  was reported being in Istanbul as a held by the Turkish authorities.

 

 

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Translated by ReINFORM            

                                                    

URGENT ANNOUNCEMENT CONCERNING

THE CASE OF THE ENFORCED DISAPPEARANCE

OF BULUT YAYLA*

 

Athens, 2.6.2013

 

On Thursday 30.05.2013 at 9.30pm, Bulut Yayla, a 24 years old, Turkish political refugee was detained, beaten and violently abducted by people aboard a private car at the center of Athens – Greece.

Through eyewitness testimonies and research conducted by the victim’s comrades and lawyers, it was revealed that the license plate of the car in question belongs to the Greek Police. However, the police still claim they have nothing to do with the incident, despite the persistent and constant allegations of his comrades, lawyers and political actors.

Yesterday 01.06.2013, Bulut Yayla’s family announced that he is kept in custody at Istanbul’s Antiterrorist Unit. According to the victim’s allegations, a group of people speaking Greek, pushed him inside a car, using extreme violence, shutting his mouth and eyes. Then he was transfered by another car by a second group of people speaking Greek and Turkish and then a third group who spoke Turkish and English.

During his captivity Y.B. suffered violence, abuse and ill-treatment. On Friday noon, Bulut Yayla was delivered to the Police Department of Edirne from where he was transferred to Istanbul’s Antiterrorist Unit.

Bulut Yayla’s enforced disappearance is proof of the most obscure aspect of state fascism. The partner authorities of the Greek and Turkish states used brutal force and arbitrary violence, as if legal order and humans as subjects of law are non-existent. The full depreciation of political asylum processes, of extradition and deportation, the negation of judicial review and the ill-treatment of humans as if they have no voice, can create only fear, insecurity and anger to every citizen.

It is not the first time that the state authorities, under the pretext of the “war against terrorism” cooperate at international level with the goal to deny every sense of human dignity.

As lawyers, we do know that the laws and the legal procedures are under threat and will always be by the state authority itself.

In such cases of extremely unlawful para-state acts, we declare that we stand in solidarity with every victim of state arbitrariness.

We will insist in giving voice to the unfairly treated that the state wants to be silenced, to bring to the public sphere those that the obscure transnational collaborations want to wipe out; and reveal those who are responsible and hidden behind the opacity, the cover ups and lies.

We do not aim to restore legitimacy given that Yayla Bulut’s future is already known and the harm to democratic rights is irretrievable.

We denounce the Greek Police which consistently and systematically obstructs the submission of asylum claims and the asylum procedure. Yayla Bulut tried, in vain, to submit an asylum claim despite the fact that he is a political refugee and a victim of torture in Turkey due to his political convictions.

We denounce the government and its secret international agreements that led to the systematic persecution of Turkish political refugees through international arrest warrants. Now they circumvent and ridicule Justice that tried to stop cases of ungrounded extradition requests.

We aim to protect our rights and liberties and our personal dignity against a system in decline; a deteriorating system that moves from the violation of liberties to enforced disappearances and abductions of people, breaching any legitimacy whatsoever and outwardly jeopardizing even the minimum guarantees of respect for society.

 

Athens, 02-06-2013

Group of Lawyers for the rights

of refugees and immigrants

 

http://omadadikigorwn.blogspot.gr/