Thousands of workers have been tortured, sentenced and imprisoned

In March 1999 Suleyman Yeter, education expert of the dockworkers' trade union Limter-Is, paid a visit to the workers' magazine Dayanisma when the police made a sudden raid against the magazine's office. Five people were arrested, among them Suleyman Yeter, and transported to the anti-terrorist department at the Istanbul police headquarters. The trade union leader was interrogated all night. He was forced to lie naked on ice and he was badly beaten. During the following day the brutal interrogations continued. On 7th May Suleyman Yeter's trade union received the message that he had died in custody.

Two years before this event Suleyman Yeter had been arrested and tortured by the police, to such an extent that his arms were partially paralysed. He sued the policeman who had mistreated him, but for two years the trial dragged on without any result. In May 1999 the case was concluded, the court deciding that the policeman who had tortured Suleyman Yeter 1997 should be censured.

In connection with the Turkish mineral workers' trade union congress, Maden-Is, held in 1999, its union president Semsi Denizer was murdered outside his home in Zonguldak by the Black Sea. He was shot in the head with six bullets. Later the police arrested a man who confessed to the murder and the motive was said to be that Semsi Denzier owed the man a large amount of money. But Bayram Meral, the union president of Turk-Is, is convinced that Semsi Denzier was murdered because of his popularity amongst workers and his commitment to the trade union. He had immense support from the Turkish workers since he lead 50 000 miners in a protest march from Zonguldak to the capital city Ankara. Semsi Denzier was also the Secretary-General of Turk-Is.

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