The Human Rights Foundation of Turkey was founded in 1990 by the Human Rights Association along with 32 human rights defenders with a common cause to prevent torture and to ensure the treatment and rehabilitation of individuals subjected to torture in the aftermath of the military coup of 1980.
Thanks to its meticulous work, experience, and know-how on documenting torture and the treatment of torture survivors, it has almost become a school in its own right. Through its advocacy and reports seeking to activate the existing mechanisms for combating torture and to establish new mechanisms at the local and international level, it has become one of the key organisations worldwide spearheading the efforts in preventing torture, inspiring numerous human rights organisations and international bodies.
It has played a pioneering role in the preparation of ‘the Manual on the Effective Investigation and Documentation of Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment’, commonly known as ‘the Istanbul Protocol’, adopted in 1999. It has played a pivotal role in the design and implementation of training programmes for the investigation, documentation, and prevention of torture cases against health and legal professionals in Turkey and across the world. In 2008, thanks to contribution from the Association of Forensic Medicine Specialists and the Turkish Medical Association, it published ‘the Torture Atlas’, offering a medical documentation of torture cases. Through the centers it has established to date in Ankara, Diyarbakır, İstanbul, İzmir, Cizre and Van, it has provided treatment and rehabilitation services to over 20 thousand individuals subjected to torture and ill-treatment; contributing to the physical, psychological, and social well-being of torture survivors and their relatives facing trauma. Since 2000, it has been actively working on coping with collective trauma in light of the principles ‘truth, justice, and reparation’; conducting training programmes, panels, and symposia on the topic in Turkey and abroad. Meanwhile, it continues to lead the efforts for the periodical review of ‘the Istanbul Protocol’.
Despite the countless investigations and court cases it has faced since its very inception, the Human Rights Foundation of Turkey, always relying on scientific data and abiding by universal values while bearing witness to cases, has provided an invaluable contribution to the building of a world free from torture and ill-treatment, to the advancing of democracy, and the protection of human dignity.
Seems like only yesterday
More than 15 years ago, on the evening of Thursday 18 January 2007, we met at a restaurant on Istiklal Street, then called Hacıbaba, to discuss some common work issues with our then-chair of the foundation, dear Yavuz and his wife Rezzan, the general secretary of the foundation, dear Coşkun, and myself, and dear Hrant. It was a very enriching and instructive conversation for me and of course for our foundation.
At the end of this planned conversation, we decided to initiate a joint activity called "Trauma and Identity". After we had all made some preparations, we left to meet again. We all left filled with great enthusiasm, not realising that we were at our, in a way, "last supper".
And only the next day, on Friday 19 January 2007, at around three o'clock in the afternoon, while I was still in Istanbul, the news came. As the saying goes, "it was such a moment that it took centuries to experience". I am still experiencing the profound devastation of realising how late we were when we reached dear Hrant only a few minutes after the news arrived.
Yes, we were too late. I would like to share with you openly the profound pain I still feel of having failed to do what was required in the face of his screams encapsulated so clearly for anybody to comprehend in the article titled the "Dovelike Disquiet of My Hear" published on the same day in Agos Newspaper.
We, who claim and endeavour to transform the whole world, let alone the country in which we live, into a place where people can live humanely, fell short in this regard, despite all our valuable efforts.
Dear Hrant, Hrant's relatives and Hrant's friends, please know that it is our promise to dear Hrant, whose absence we constantly feel, to work for the issue of "Trauma and Identity" as we agreed at that meeting. For this reason, as the Human Rights Foundation of Turkey, we have been working to re-develop the programmes about "coping with ongoing social trauma" since then.
As a result of that unforgettable conversation, we are a delegation trying to do whatever is necessary for the truth to be revealed, for a sincere confrontation, a sincere apology and reparation programmes at all levels in our country, a country of social traumas and "mournings without an end", including the deep suffering of the Armenian people, each of whom is a unique human being.
I would like you to know that the reason for the establishment of our foundation is summarised brilliantly as "An ember burns where it falls, and we are where it falls!" quote uttered by our dear Yavuz.
We are still where the ember falls, and we will continue to be. For this reason, we are strengthening our work with the aim of creating an environment where torture and other gross/serious human rights violations, which is our special field of work, will come to an end. Our main goal is to realise the dream of a world without torture and to create an environment where there is no need for institutions like ours and thus to end our own existence.
Without forgetting dear Hrant and all the friends we have lost, I would like to take this opportunity to sincerely share with you that we have no doubt that together we will create a Turkey and a world where people can live humanely, despite all the actions of the evildoers.
As the Human Rights Foundation of Turkey, I am experiencing the extraordinarily complex feeling of receiving an award in dear Hrant's name as a group of people that has been carrying their grief in their heart since the last day we met and endeavouring to fulfil our promise to work jointly.
I am experiencing this extraordinarily complex feeling because; on the one hand, it is undoubtedly a great honour to be deemed worthy of this award in dear Hrant's name, which is extremely valuable in every respect.
But at the same time, I must openly admit that I am embarrassed that our work is deemed worthy of this award only because we are struggling to fulfil the requirements of being a human and fulfilling the requirements of certain professions. Moreover, dear Hrant and Hrant's relatives, I believe that we owe you sincere apologies and thanks.
We offer our sincere apologies because; unfortunately, we have not been able to prevent the sufferings experienced, and despite all our efforts, we have not been able to ensure that the sufferings experienced are compensated and not repeated, without ever forgetting the absence of the people we have lost.
On the other hand, we would like to express our sincere thanks to you for your dignified and wise guidance that will lead us all to the light in all this darkness, for always contributing to boost hope, and of course for deeming us worthy of this award.
And finally, I would like to express that I accept this award on behalf of the people who are currently being subjected to torture in our country or in the world, whether we know their names or not, all the people who have been subjected to torture so far, all those who have made efforts to prevent torture at any cost, and of course all our friends within the foundation.
We extend our endless thanks to dear Hrant and to all of you.