European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - February 08, 1993, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Turkey s human rights reforms fail to stifle world criticism Bys Vaulman United press International when Turkey s prime minister an Demirel was campaigning in last year s general elections As head of the opposition True path party he promised Legal reforms to improve Turkey s much criticized human rights record. Now Demirel has something to show for it. After months of Effort in the grand National Assembly Turkey s parliament a Legal Reform package was signed into Law by president Turgut Ozal regulating detention procedures and the interrogation of suspects. Despite this Turkey s image abroad has not improved. If anything it has come under stronger criticism after the murder of 12 journalists mainly in the kurdish majority provinces in the Southeast. And the new legislation itself has been criticized As too weak by human rights groups. The new Law provides that confessions obtained under the influence of drugs or through torture will not be accepted As Legal evidence. A suspect will have the fight to demand the presence of a lawyer at All phases of interrogation. Suspects who Are too poor to afford counsel Wil have lawyers assigned to them and a special fund will be set up to meet Legal expenses. A suspect who is not acquitted or sentenced within six months of arrest will be set free. The jurisdiction of the special state Security courts will be restricted to cases of terrorism arms smuggling and drugs. The package also limits the period of detention of suspects both for Ordinary crimes and for those that fall within the jurisdiction of the state Security courts. Ozal had previously rejected the legislation because the period for which suspects could be held without trial was the same for those charged with terrorism As for those held for Ordinary bins sought for used bags turkish president Turgut Zal has taken heat for potential loopholes in new human rights especially those sections dealing with emergency Powers. Crimes. He said longer maximum detention periods were needed for alleged terrorists and in areas where emergency Laws Are in Force. Under the amended legislation passed by the grand National Assembly in november the Ordinary criminal May be detained for 24 hours without trial with the detention being extendable up to eight Days in some cases. Those held under state Security Laws May be held without trial for 48 hours with the period extendable to 15 Days. Emergency Laws now govern Turkey s Southeastern provinces where a leftist action line kurdish rebellion has been building Over the past year. The bulk of torture allegations have focused on that Region. The Law also does not guarantee a defendant s right to counsel in state Security cases or those involving the emergency Laws. Legal experts and human rights activists criticize the Reform package forgot going far enough to Amend the nation s criminal trial procedure Law. The turkish human rights foundation said the legislation does not meet the fair trials standards of the european human rights charter. With the big push toward recycling and cutting costs Why Don t cafes and the commissaries have bins to return shopping bags i know we have plastic cafes bags that pile up frequently and Don t have a place to Recycle plastic. Commissary bags also pile up. Of course we have a place to Recycle paper but in Wiesbaden the City s paper recycling facilities Are overloaded. I think this idea should be Given some serious thought. After All they re doing this in the states. If this does t happen i d like an explanation. Margaret Gasta Wiesbaden Germany John Morrison cafes manager of the Hallerberg Exchange and George Madrigal commissary manager Wiesbaden reply regarding the reuse of plastic or paper bags in the commissary since control of the bags Are lost once they leave the commissary they Are prohibited from reusing them for other customers. However customers May bring their own bags for reuse. Bags must be presented to the Bagger immediately before beginning of the bagging services. The commissary encourages reuse of bags and further encourages the use of cloth or Canvas bags since they stand up to repeated use longer. The cafes Exchange also encourages the use of cloth or Canvas bags instead of plastic or paper cafes has these for Sale in most stores. Cafes also abides by the German Law of accepting plastic bags and other packing material and packing containers for proper disposition. The 221st base support in department of engineering and housing is working with the City of Wiesbaden for placement of additional recycling containers in the various housing areas. Placement of More containers is dependent upon the construction of additional Cement pads which must be funded and constructed by the bib. Some have been constructed others Are planned. Readers action line which appears mondays and wednesdays strives to answer questions about life in a military environment. If you Don t know where to turn for help write readers action line co the stars and stripes unit 29480, Apoate 09211. All letters must be signed. Please include address and phone number. Racism raises its head in new european nation by Marianne Sullivan United press International Auslander Raus is painted on the bulletin Board outside the student dormitories in the Lynske Doline District of Bratislava Slovakia. The German phrase for foreigners out is rounded off with a  december skinheads marched to the dorms to Send a warning to foreign students. The incident Drew International attention As the world watched to see if this new european nation would succumb to the growing nationalism emerging in Many of the once communist countries of Central and Eastern Europe. Patrick Collins a 28-year-old Black american basketball player who arrived in october to play for the inter Bratislava team said he was attacked seven times by skinheads. He left the country two weeks ago because of the attacks. I came Here to play basketball not to fight a War he said. Tensions seem to have eased on the Campus since the incident in december despite the lingering Graffiti. We did not come Here for problems. We came Here to study said Omar a 23-year-old palestinian pharmacology student. We want to take Good memories of our stay Home with  Omar who refused to give his surname has been in Slovakia since 1988 and organized a student demonstration outside parliament after the confrontation with the skinheads. But he is pleased about the Way the slovakian government has responded to foreign students problems. The government is committed to solving this problem he said. I Trust they Are going to make it better for us  for Many observers the sudden prominence of skinheads suggested less tolerance for minority groups nationwide a sensitive Issue in a country with Large hungarian Gypsy and ukrainian groups. This was alarming considering that when Slovakia woke to Independence on Jan. 1, official speeches were littered with references to the rights of minorities. The government would provide for equal civil rights for All its citizens prime minister Vladimir Mesiar said. Slovakian police estimate there Are about 200 skinheads nationwide 100 of them in Bratislava. Police do not believe they Are organized and say each town has its own group. While Many critics dismiss the troublemakers distinguishable by their shaved Heads and High Black combat boots As bored or confused teen agers looking for something to do some self proclaimed skinheads in a Bratislava bar claim they have a serious purpose. I want to clean the country of foreigners and Blacks said Palo Cernak a 19-year-old electrician from Bratislava. To me being a skinhead is everything added Dano Jursa 16. We want the Power of Slovakia to return. Without foreigners we can do that. We Are not attacking we Are defending. We know the problems of the Street and of our  100 Miles " Bratislava / Austria Al 15 to in id Gie a r Tere in id v St Elit irn mrk e Alid it my 1c Hungary a 20 the stars and stripes b monday february 8,1993