US embassy cable - 03ANKARA3921

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TURKEY: BALKANS WITNESS SECURITY

Identifier: 03ANKARA3921
Wikileaks: View 03ANKARA3921 at Wikileaks.org
Origin: Embassy Ankara
Created: 2003-06-18 13:27:00
Classification: CONFIDENTIAL
Tags: PREL EAID PGOV ZL TU
Redacted: This cable was not redacted by Wikileaks.
This record is a partial extract of the original cable. The full text of the original cable is not available.

C O N F I D E N T I A L ANKARA 003921 
 
SIPDIS 
 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 06/19/2013 
TAGS: PREL, EAID, PGOV, ZL, TU 
SUBJECT: TURKEY: BALKANS WITNESS SECURITY 
 
 
REF: A. SECSTATE 125097 
     B. ANKARA 3896 
 
 
Classified by acting Political Counselor Nicholas S. Kass. 
Reason: 1.5(b)(d) 
 
 
1. (U) Responding to ref A questions, Atalay Ozdemiroglu, 
Assistant Chief of the GOT Ministry of Interior's Department 
of Organized Crime and Smuggling (Research Division), 
informed us June 17 that Turkey: 
 
 
-- has no legal regional witness security programs; 
 
 
-- makes witness protection decisions through the courts, 
with the police providing security accordingly; 
 
 
-- does not have legislation authorizing participation in 
foreign witness security programs; 
 
 
-- signed the Council of Europe's witness protection 
legislation No. 31/99/5Y1207(04) on November 23, 1995; 
 
 
-- has not yet implemented the Council of Europe's witness 
protection legislation. 
 
 
2. (C) Ozdemir also said that he had been working closely 
with FBI regarding Turkish witness protection programs.  He 
noted that Turkish representatives will be attending a 
regional conference in Bosnia "in two days" to help develop a 
witness protection data base. 
 
 
3. (U) Comment: Turkey does not operationalize witness 
security as a "program" per se.  Art. 20 of the 1991 
Anti-Terror Law says in relevant part that "the State will 
take necessary protective measures...for witnesses and 
informants who assist" in the prosecution specifically of 
terrorist crimes.  These measures include plastic surgery and 
alteration of records.  Application of these measures is 
specified by guidelines issued by the Office of the Prime 
Minister. 
PEARSON 

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