This record is a partial extract of the original cable. The full text of the original cable is not available.

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 ANKARA 000902 
 
SIPDIS 
 
DEPARTMENT FOR G/TIP, G, INL, DRL, EUR/PGI, EUR/SE 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PREL KCRM PHUM KWMN SMIG KFRD PREF TU TIP IN TURKEY
SUBJECT: TIP IN TURKEY: TURKISH MEDIA ATTENTION, Feb 1-10, 
2005 
 
¶1. (U) In response to G/TIP inquiries, national and 
  international media sources published the following news 
  articles about TIP in Turkey.  Text of articles 
  originally published in Turkish is provided through 
  unofficial local FSN translation. 
 
¶2. (U) Published Wednesday, February 9 by Milliyet; 
http://www.milliyet.com.tr/: 
 
    BEGIN TEXT: Nine foreign prostitutes were deported 
    following a raid on a hotel in Trabzon.  Azerbaijan 
    citizen Rahila Isgondorava (25) said that she resigned 
    from her job as a policewoman seven months ago in 
    Azerbaijan and came to Turkey.  Izgondorava, who is 
    married with one child, stated, "I could not earn money 
    in my country.  I came to Turkey and began 
    prostitution.  I had to do this." END TEXT. 
 
¶3. (U) Published Tuesday, February 8 by Sabah; 
http://www.sabah.com.tr/: 
 
    TITLE: No Nationality for Disappointment; By Savas Abi 
 
    Taksim Hospital is close to my house.  I stop by from 
    time to time and chat with the employees there. 
    Talking to young physicians and nurses is particularly 
    mind opening and makes you learn many new things. 
 
    I stopped by again few days ago.  And I witnessed a 
    very touching incident.  A girl from Moldova.  She was 
    motionlessly lying in bed.  The story behind the deep 
    sorrow on her face was burning.  Listen if you want: 
 
    A Drama Movie 
 
    Aurica Pintea, a Moldovan, came to Istanbul a year ago 
    in order to pay her family's $3,000 debt.  She started 
    working as an attendant at a leather shop that her 
    cousin knows and quickly came to love Turkey and the 
    Turkish people.  However, she had to go back to her 
    country after three months as her visa expired.  She 
    could only save 500 dollars. 
 
    She Was Staying Away From Prostitution 
 
    After returning to her country, Aurica got a visa again 
    and came back to Istanbul in October 2004.  She started 
    working at her old workplace.  Aurica, who was loved 
    very much by her friends in Moldova, soon endeared 
    herself to the people at her workplace.  She knew how 
    citizens from her country were falling in the trap of 
    prostitution.  She was very careful in order to keep 
    her distance from these prostitution gangs.  Until she 
    met a man called Ozgur, whose last name she doesn't 
    even know. 
 
    "Ozgur Darkened My Life" 
 
    Stating that she met Ozgur in her work environment, 
    Aurica said, "My family was in a very difficult 
    situation in Moldova.  Interest was applied to our 
    $3,000 debt every day.  I knew women from my country 
    who were pulled in the swamp of prostitution.  But I 
    came to Istanbul to earn money with dignity.  The work 
    environment was very nice, until Ozgur darkened my 
    life.  One day I met him.  He was treating me so warmly 
    and affectionately, I loved him very much.  I liked 
    such an attention in country that I did not know.  He 
    was constantly telling me that he loves me.  Naively, I 
    believed him." 
 
    "He sold me to men" 
 
    Aurica, who had selected Turkey as a place to earn 
    money, believed a young man named Ozgur.  Without 
    knowing his bad intentions, she followed him.  Ozgur 
    invited her to Antalya on a three day trip.  She said 
    "there was a three day holiday and Ozgur took me to 
    Antalya saying that this will be good for both of us. 
    I saw his real face there.  He locked me in a house on 
    the 7th floor of a building.  On the first day men I 
    didn't know came to the house.  When I asked who they 
    are, he said `I sold you.'  I was scared and started 
    crying.  Although I screamed a lot, these men raped me. 
    In the following days, the number of men started 
    increasing.  He would lock the door and sell me to the 
    men.  Everyday I cried and begged him to set me free. 
    But he would not allow this.  On the 10th day, when 
    Ozgur and his friends were sleeping, I decided to 
    escape from the 7th floor.  I wanted to escape by 
    climbing down from balcony to balcony.  At that moment, 
    death did not come to my mind at all.  But while trying 
    to escape, I fell from the 6th floor." 
 
    Fell from the 7th Floor 
 
    People around came to the aid of the girl who fell from 
    the 7th floor.  She was hospitalized and Ozgur and his 
    friends escaped.  Her backbone and many other bones 
    were broken.  More importantly, a girl who was full of 
    life entered a period of psychological trauma that she 
    will experience for her whole life.  She stayed in the 
    hospital in Antalya but had to be transferred to 
    Istanbul for further treatment. 
 
    Moldova Takes No Responsibility 
 
    Istanbul Provincial Health Director's office entered 
    the picture and placed her at Taksim First Aid 
    Education and Research Hospital First General Surgery 
    Service.  She has no relatives and all of her medical 
    expenses are met by the hospital.  Physicians at the 
    First General Surgery Service are trying to take her 
    back to the old days when she was a girl full of life. 
    The Moldovan government is not providing support to 
    her, and her relatives haven't been calling her. 
    Tayfun Yucel, the chief physician of the section, said 
    that they were taking care of the girl on the name of 
    humanity.  He said, "she fell from a certain height 
    three months ago.  She went under surgery in Antalya 
    and through the chief physician's office of the 
    hospital we started taking care of her.  There is 
    numbness in her legs.  There are fractures in her 
    pelvic bones.  By using our personal contacts we are 
    providing all of the treatment for her.  Her medicines 
    are paid for by the Provincial Health Directorate.  Now 
    she is our patient and we continue her treatment." 
 
    "I Will Form a New Life" 
 
    Aurica Pintea said she would like to go back to Moldova 
    after recovering and continued, "They take really good 
    care of me here.  No one from my consulate came and 
    asked me how I am.  I had really good environment in 
    Moldova.  I do not know whether my life will be the 
    same again.  But if I recover, I will go back to 
    Moldova and build a new life.  I know that Ozgur 
    escaped after I fell." END TEXT. 
 
¶4. (U) Published Tuesday, February 8 by Vatan; By Hilal 
Koylu; http://www.vatanim.com.tr/: 
 
    TITLE: Whispered to the Police and Rescued 
 
    BEGIN TEXT: Following the selling last week in 
    Denizli's Tavas County of 15 year old A.T. to 54 people 
    in exchange for money, yesterday it emerged that in Cal 
    County, 17 year old runaway H.S. was marketed to men. 
    The jandarma found Ali Ihsan Alacak, Ibrahim Kubur, and 
    H.S. inside a car and took them into custody under 
    suspicion.  The jandarma discovered in the 
    investigation that H.S. was sold to men for money. 
    Thirteen people alleged to have had sexual relations 
    with the young girl were taken into custody.  Of the 
    people who were transferred to the prosecutor, Ali 
    Ihsan Alacan (27), Ibrahim Kubur (32) and Mesut Tuysuz 
    (29) were arrested.  Ten more suspects will be tried 
    without being imprisoned. END TEXT. 
 
¶5. (U) Published Sunday, February 6 by Sabah; 
http://www.sabah.com.tr/; also appeared in Cumhuriyet: 
 
    BEGIN TEXT: The Antalya Security Director Foreigners 
    Department captured four members of a prostitution 
    network when a Georgian woman who came to extend her 
    visa whispered to police that she was being kept by 
    force.  The woman named E.Z. told the police officer 
    processing her visa affairs in a low voice that "two 
    people are following her and these people are keeping 
    her for prostitution purposes."  The police detained 
    two people named A.G. and S.A., who were waiting at the 
    Foreigners Department.  The investigation revealed that 
    when E.Z. came with a relative to Kas for vacation, two 
    people kidnapped her and sold her to A.G and S.A for 
    $2,000.  The investigation was deepened by the 
    Department of Moralities and M.K. and S.C. were also 
    detained.  The defendants were sent to the judiciary on 
    charges of "committing human trafficking," "forced 
    detention," and "beating and forcing for prostitution." 
    Two others are being sought in connection with the 
    case. END TEXT. 
 
¶6. (U) Published Thursday, February 3 by Radikal; 
http://www.radikal.com.tr/: 
 
     TITLE: 15-year-old A.T.: "I was sold by force"; By 
     Ramazan Cetin and Huseyin Baybars 
 
     BEGIN TEXT: 57 people in Denizli's Tavas and Kale towns 
     as well as Kizilcaboluk district who were alleged to 
     have had intercourse with a 15-year-old girl were 
     detained. 
 
     Nail T., the father of 15-year-old A.T. who lives in 
     Ebecik village of Tavas, applied to the police last 
     Sunday and claimed that his daughter was sold to men. 
     The Tavas prosecutor started an investigation.  The 
     police detained A.T.'s cousin S.T. and his friends A.A. 
     (26) and U.O. (23).  A.T. stated that three months ago 
     she had sexual relations with suspect U.O., who is 
     living in Ebecik Village.  She said "I loved him very 
     much and had intercourse with him.  He told this to my 
     cousin and his friends.  They started selling me to 
     other men by threatening me." 
 
     Acting on the testimony of three people who claimed 
     A.T. was being sold, Police started an operation and 
     apprehended 54 people.  14 out of 17 people who were 
     brought before the prosecutor were arrested.  The 
     interrogation of others is underway.  It is reported 
     that police are continuing operations to apprehend 
     others who had intercourse with A.T. 
 
     The investigation had a big echo in Tavas, Kale and 
     Kizilcaboluk.  It is notable that there are some 
     prominent shop owners among the detainees.  The police 
     have been taking statements of people in Tavas and Kale 
     for the last three days.  Officials said that the 
     number of detainees may increase.  A.T. was taken to 
     both towns and every one of the detainees was shown to 
     her.  40 people under detention will be sent to the 
     judiciary today. END TEXT. 
 
¶7. (U) Published Friday, January 7 by Zaman; 
http://www.zaman.com.tr/: 
 
     TITLE: 23 people apprehended in operation against human 
     trafficking 
 
     BEGIN TEXT: In operations conducted under the 
     coordination of Antalya and Mersin police and the 
     Security Directorate General Smuggling and Organized 
     Crime Department, 23 people who are claimed to force 
     foreign women for prostitution in 15 separate houses 
     were captured.  An announcement issued by Antalya 
     police said that the police conducted intelligence 
     works for months and discovered that a crime 
     organization named "Empire of Heaven."  This 
     organization deceived foreign women, brought them to 
     Turkey and forced them into prostitution by threatening 
     them with weapons, torturing them, and taking their 
     passports. END TEXT. 
 
EDELMAN