İZMİR - Lawyer Ruken Arslan spoke about the recently prepared law. With this law, trustees can be appointed to NGOs, thus creating a control mechanism over NGOs. Ruken said this was aimed at "preventing the spread of mass civilian movement and silencing civil society".

 

"Law on Prevention of Proliferation of Weapons of Mass Destruction and Financing" was adopted in the parliament. Only six of the 43 articles are compatible with the content of the law. Eleven articles contain regulations on issues directly related to NGOs. Lawyer Ruken Arslan from the Human Rights Agenda Association said, '' The purpose of the law is not to find the finance source the of weapons of mass destruction, but to the destruction of civil society.''

 

‘This law has other purposes than its name’

 

Stating that the law passed by the parliament will be used for different purposes, Ruken said, “This law is still in use and this proposal already contains additional clauses to that law. As non-governmental organizations (NGOs), we think that this law has other purposes than its name and therefore we react as NGOs. Most of the reactions are those that include our concerns about the relevant articles.

 

'Associations will be under pressure'

 

Stating that there is a pressure on democratic organizations, Ruken stated that with the new regulation, the associations will remain under the pressure of the Ministry of Interior. Ruken said, "A nongovernmental organization that provides information to the society that conducts research on any subject that the Ministry of Interior does not approve or suspects will face the risk of opening an investigation by the Ministry of Interior. In the continuation of the state of emergency declared after the 2016 coup attempt, NGOs couldn't work enough.  NGOs are under threat from the judiciary now.'Associations will be under inspection control'

 

Ruken pointed out that, according to the Associations Law, associations are subjected to the inspection of the local authority at the end of the year, but with this law, the associations will be subjected to the inspection of the Ministry of Internal Affairs at all times. She said, “This means that for every penny that all associations will receive, for whatever purpose, the source of all kinds of projects will be reported to the Minister of Internal Affairs. Associations will become unable to operate on almost any subject. Therefore, we know well with these articles what is really meant to be explained with terrorist financing. Associations carry out activities in order to provide social peace,and humane life. ”

 

‘It also restricts the freedom to receive and impart information’

 

Ruken stated that it will be possible to dismiss members of the association who are working in the organs of the association and to appoint trustees and to stop the activities of the association. It is understood that with this law, democratic life is threatened and the work of associations is interrupted and the opposition of civil society is aimed to be silenced. It is obvious that the freedom and right to establish associations, which are regulated in the Constitution, are seriously damaged. With this law, associations working on rights-based basis will always feel themselves under the pressure of this law regarding the reports and press releases they have prepared. Therefore, with this law, the right to receive information will also be damaged, and our right to receive and inform the democratic life will be violated. "

 

‘It contains uncertainty and also it is against the principle of legality’

 

Ruken said, “With this law, the principle of legality in crime and punishment is actually violated.'' She stated that while preparing a law that closely concerns the civil society, no opinion was received from any representatives working in this field ”.

 

'Law on the Prevention of the Spread of Mass Civil Movement'

 

Ruken stated that almost all of the articles of the law are objectionable and dangerous for democratic life. She said, “It is a law that aims to destroy non-governmental organizations, which are indispensable for democratic life. When I saw this law, I said it should have a name as "the law on the prevention of the spread of mass civil movement" because it is all about the prevention of civil society. All of the NGOs in Turkey fight for social peace and free life. We think that the NGOs are not those who produce weapons of destruction, but they work for a democratic life at all times."

 

‘Legal struggle against the law will continue’

 

Ruken said that NGOs came together to warn and raise awareness of the public and organized petition campaigns and said the following for the legal struggle regarding the veto and annulment of the law: ''Due to the fact that the relevant articles of the law are unconstitutional, freedom of association, freedom of assembly, and related articles on property, legal process may be initiated for the annulment of the relevant articles of the law because they are against the rights with international conventions."

 

Stating that NGOs will continue to work more carefully and in solidarity, Ruken stated that they will continue the legal struggle for the annulment of the law.