One of the policies implemented by the state against students, young people, union and non-governmental organization employees through intelligence and law enforcement forces is spying. According to the data of the Human Rights Association (IHD) Amed Branch, 81 people who have been subjected to spying since 2018 have applied to the association.

 

The DEM Party Sur District Organization CoChair Meliha Cömert was forced to be a spy by the police who followed her on October 26. Some students studying at Dicle University on November 14 and at Munzur University on December 12 applied to İHD branches, stating that they were subjected to the police's imposition of being a spy. Finally, in Amed, Erhan Gümüş, Branch Secretary of the Energy Industry and Mining Public Employees Union (ESM) affiliated with KESK, which has been subjected to systematic pressure from law enforcement officers since August, was threatened for rejecting the informant offers of people who stopped him on the street and introduced themselves as intelligence officers on December 18.

 

İHD CoChair Eren Keskin evaluated the state's spying policy based on the applications made to their associations.

 

Keskin described these implementations, which have been continuing since the 90s, as "the dirty method of the state" and called on the Ministry of Internal Affairs.

 

'A DIRTY AND ILLEGAL METHOD'

 

Stating that they have frequently encountered the policy of spying since the 90s, Eren Keskin recalled especially the periods when Mehmet Ağar and Meral Akşener were Ministers of Internal Affairs.

 

Stating that spying is a widely used method, Keskin said: “This method is dirty and illegal. The state cannot resort to an illegal method. The state cannot do this by law, but unfortunately we see that this continues. Finally, putting this pressure on our unionist friend and threatening him and his family shows that the same methods are really continuing."

 

'THE STATE MIND OF THE 90'S'

 

“Who are the people who do this?” asked Keskin, describing the policy of spying as "the state mind of the 90s". Keskin said: “We all know very well the pain we experienced in the 90s; therefore, the state should change this mind and those who are faced with offers and threats of becoming spies to contact our associations without delay."

 

'THE RESULT OF THE POLICY OF NO SOLUTION TO THE KURDISH ISSUE'

 

Emphasizing that the state cannot achieve results with such pressure and threats, Keskin said: “This is a result of the state's policies of deadlock in the Kurdish issue. It is not possible to get results with these. Only democracy, human rights and equality can yield results. According to the international agreements signed by Turkey, all of these methods are illegal. Turkey is a party to the European Convention on Human Rights (ECtHR) and this method means both threat and torture, and an attack on private life; that's why, it needs to be stopped as soon as possible.” 

 

Keskin also called on the Minister of Internal Affairs, Ali Yerlikaya, and said: “Yerlikaya is considered a different Minister of Internal Affairs than Süleyman Soylu. He should not use the methods used by Süleyman Soylu, Mehmet Ağar and Meral Akşener. The state should end these illegal methods as soon as possible.”