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           Bullying in Turkish Military Becomes a Human Rights Issue

   by Dorian Jones

   Violent conduct within the Turkish military was long considered a taboo
   subject. But the military leadership is now facing serious accusations.
   More than 900 Turkish soldiers have committed suicide over the past 10
   years, and a growing number of families of suicide victims are taking
   the issue to court.
   Last March, a group of families protested outside parliament over army
   bullying. Many attending were parents whose sons committed suicide or
   died at the hands of their fellow soldiers.
   Kenan and Gulsen Polat show me their son Murat's room.  They say it's
   just as he left it when he went to do his 15-month military service
   eight years ago.  Above the carefully made bed hangs his photo.  It's
   now a memorial shrine.  As his mother explains, Murat didn't die in
   combat, but at the hands of his so-called comrades.
   "He was killed in the barracks by other soldiers, " said Gulsen Polat.
   "They stomped him to death.  His body was completely covered in boot
   marks.  It was terrible.  She says that he was accused of stealing and
   was subjected to this terrible beating as part of an interrogation on
   the orders of a senior officer.
   Observers say speaking out over physical and verbal abuse in the army
   was a taboo.  But the army is no longer untouchable, with hundreds of
   senior officers convicted of plotting against the government.  The
   group Platform for Soldiers' Rights was set up by former conscripts to
   give a voice to victims of army bullying and is campaigning for
   independent scrutiny of the military.
   Group member Yigit Aksakoglu says bullying is institutionalized.
   "Soldiers face the choice either of taking part in the physical and
   verbal abuse or becoming a victim.  It is systematic; it's part of the
   culture of the army.  This has to be broken.  We are talking about
   400,000 men being put in this situation each year.  We need an
   independent body that people can file complaints with so the problem
   can be properly investigated," said Aksakoglu.
   The Turkish Parliament's Human Rights Commission earlier this year
   highlighted the problem, revealing that more than 900 soldiers had
   committed suicide in the past decade.  The military says there is an
   internal mechanism to deal with the problem.  But retired Brigadier
   General Haldun Solmazturk claims the Turkish armed forces' chief of
   staff doesn't recognize the magnitude of the problem
   "As an infantry officer who served in Turkish units for over 30 years,
   I believe it's one of the most serious problems in [the] Turkish army,
   [the] bullying culture.  It has to be recognized; it's vital," said
   Solmazturk.
   Solmazturk spent much of his career on the frontlines of the fight
   against the Kurdish rebel group, the PKK.  But he says his toughest
   battle was trying to stamp out bullying.  Although he admits that in
   order to root it out, a disturbing part of the Turkish character needs
   to be addressed.
   "This was the most difficult area I had to tackle, to change the
   culture they brought from the families, from [their] neighborhood, the
   factories [where] they worked - the culture of bullying.  They take it
   for granted, the right, the authority - others who are weaker, who are
   younger, and who are less able to defend themselves.  This is a major
   problem in Turkish culture, I have to accept this," he said.
   For the Polat family such changes will come too late for their son.
   What they want now, says Kenan Polat, is justice for their son Murat.
   "Until those senior officers responsible for my son's death are brought
   to justice, and my son is recognized as a martyr, we will not rest.  We
   want justice for our son's memory and that no other parent has to go
   through what we are going through," said Kenan Polat.
   The Kenan's are seeking justice at the European Court of Human Rights,
   where they have filed a case. They hope a victory there will force the
   army to face the bullying and finally address the problem.
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   [1]http://www.voanews.com/content/bullying-in-turkish-military-becomes-
   a-human-rights-issue/1667653.html

References

   1. http://www.voanews.com/content/bullying-in-turkish-military-becomes-a-human-rights-issue/1667653.html