Ilisu Dam And The Trial Of Mahmut Vefa

EDM number 915 in 2002-03, proposed by John Austin on 18/03/2003.

That this House notes with concern the recent indictment of Mr Mahmut Vefa, a leading Turkish lawyer and General Secretary of the Diyarbakir Bar Association, who is to stand trial in Turkey for 'overtly insulting the moral personality of the Government and the military and security forces' in an article published in the Diyarbakir Bar Association Journal in January 2002, criticising the controversial Ilisu Dam project; further notes that, if convicted, Mr Vefa faces between one and three years' imprisonment; draws attention to the fact that the article was based on Mr Vefa's formal submission to the UK Government of a critique of the project's environmental impact assessment following an invitation from Her Majesty's Government for comments on the Ilisu Dam project from 'concerned stakeholders', to inform its decision whether to provide ú160 million backing for the dam; also notes that the dam, which would have displaced over 78,000 people, is effectively on hold, after international backing was withdrawn; and calls on Her Majesty's Government, the EU Commission, the European Parliament and the Council of Europe to ensure that international observers are sent to observe the trial and to ensure that Turkey complies with its obligations to provide a fair trial and to protect free expression under the European Convention on Human Rights to which Turkey is a signatory.

This motion has been signed by a total of 45 MPs.