ITUCINTERNATIONAL TRADE UNION CONFEDERATIONCSICONFÉDÉRATION SYNDICALE INTERNATIONALECSICONFEDERACIÓN SINDICAL INTERNACIONALIGBINTERNATIONALER GEWERKSCHAFTSBUND

Mr. Recep Tayyip ErdoğanPrime MinisterIstanbul,TURKEYFax: +90 312 417 04 76,+90 312 419 20 71Email:[email protected]File Reference: PW/CK/CHMContact Name:[email protected]

Dear Prime Minister,

Arrest of members of KESK, SES, Tüm Bel Sen, BES, and Egitim Sen

Public Services International (PSI) and the European Federation of Public Service Unions (EPSU), togetherwith the International Trade union Confederation (ITUC), the European Trade Union Confederation (ETUC),Education International (EI) and the European Trade Union Committee for Education (ETUCE), are writing toyou yet again to protest in the strongest terms against the harassment and intimidation of our affiliates.We have learnt that on 13thFebruary 2012, 15 women trade union leaders and activists, members of PSI,EPSU, EI, ITUC and ETUC affiliates, were arrested and dragged from their homes in early morning raids.Further, the offices of municipal workers union, Tüm Bel Sen, and health and social service workers union,SES, (both affiliated to PSI/EPSU) as well as the offices of the Confederation of Civil Servants Trade Unions,KESK, (affiliated to ITUC) were invaded and searched as part of a so-called police investigation.According to our information, those detained are:Canan ÇalağanSongul MorsumbulBedriye YorgunBelkıs YurtsevenHülya MendillioğluNurşat YeşilÖzden Özmen GökGüler ElverenLeman YurtseverGüldane DoganHatice BeydilliKESK Women’s SecretaryKESK Former Women’s SecretarySES Women’s Secretary and SES Former PresidentSES Ankara Branch MemberSES Ankara Branch MemberSES Ankara Branch MemberSES Ankara Branch MemberTüm Bel Sen Women’s SecretaryBES Former Executive Board MemberEgitim Sen Ankara Branch (no.2) Women’s SecretaryEgitim Sen Ankara Branch (no.1) Member

Evrim Özdemir OğraşŞefika ŞimşekNezahat AsravMeral Hız

Egitim Sen Ankara Branch (no.1) memberEgitim Sen Ankara Branch MemberEgitim Sen Ankara Branch MemberEgitim Sen Ankara Branch Member

A total of 27 KESK members, including Executive Committee members, are currently in prison because oftheir “political ideas”.Given the number of times that we have had to write to the Turkish government denouncing attacksagainst trade unions, we can only agree with our joint affiliates’ assertion that these arrests and ransackingof union offices are part of a continued campaign of oppression, designed to undermine their defence ofhuman and trade union rights.We repeat that the continued use of state apparatus to harass and intimidate trade union leaders andactivists because of their legitimate democratic activities is a serious violation of European andinternational legislation and treaties to which Turkey is a signatory, including International LabourOrganisation (ILO) Convention 87 (on Freedom of Association and the Right to Organise), the UniversalDeclaration of Human Rights, and the European Convention on Human Rights.PSI, EPSU, ITUC, EI and ETUCE will continue to extend our support to Turkish trade unionists against policeand state terror, and in their struggle for democracy, human rights and trade union freedoms. We will callon the ILO and members in the European Parliament to denounce such practices of intimidation andoppression.We anticipate your early reply,

Peter WaldorffPSI General Secretary

Carola Fischbach-PyttelEPSU General Secretary

Sharan BurrowITUC General Secretary

Bernadette SégolETUC General Secretary

Fred van LeeuwenEI General Secretary

Martin RømerETUCE European Director

Cc: Mr Abdullah Gül, President of Turkey; Mr İdris Naim Şahin, Minister of Interior; Mr Sadullah Ergin, Justice MinisterMr. Ahmet Üzümcü, Ambassador, Permanent Mission of Turkey to the United Nations in GenevaMr. Štefan Füle, European Commissioner for Enlargement and European Neighbourhood