ABUSES: A Letter to Ciller 


     SENT BY FAX
     August 30, 1995
     
     Her Excellency Tansu Ciller
     Prime Minister
     Ankara, Turkey
     
     
     Your Excellency:
     
     The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) is deeply alarmed by yesterday's death in detention of journalist Sayfettin Tepe.
     
     Tepe, a correspondent in the southeastern city of Batman for the recently banned Yeni Politika newspaper, was taken into custody on August 22, together with two colleagues from the newspaper, Ramazan Otunc and Aydin Bolkan. His colleagues were released the same day, but Tepe was kept in detention and moved, on August 26,  to the Bitlis Security Directorate.  Tepe died in custody yesterday.  His family was told that he had committed suicide.
     
     As a nonpartisan organization of journalists dedicated to the defense of our colleagues' rights throughout the world, the Committee respectfully urges Your Excellency to order a thorough investigation of Sayfettin Tepe's death.  If  security officials are found to be responsible for his death, we expect the government of Turkey to see to it that they are brought to justice.  Please keep us informed of any progress in the investigation.
     
     Thank you for your attention.  We welcome your comments.
     
     
     Sincerely,