E/CN.4/1996/35/Add.1 page 140 749. Dog ˘an Denizhan, a correspondent for Özgür Ülke, was reportedly arrested on 24 January 1995 at the newspaper’s offices in Van. He was allegedly beaten as he was taken away and his whereabouts were unknown (30 January 1995). 750. On 20 March 1995 the Government replied that Dog ˘an Denizhan had been detained on the charge of possessing documents relating to the PKK and was released on 26 January 1995. It was established that he was not subjected to torture or ill-treatment during the period he was under custody. 751. Khari H. Ibrahim, Hussein H. Merza, Saed Suleiman and Saed Merza, Iraqi nationals travelling through Turkey en route to Geneva to cooperate with the United Nations human rights procedures, were reportedly detained, despite having travel documents to come to Switzerland. It was alleged that the authorities might deport them to Jordan, from where they might thereafter be returned to Iraq. Fears were expressed that the detainees might be subjected to torture if so returned (20 February 1995). 752. ¸ Serif Atmaca, Hanifi Is ¸ik, (teacher), Sinan Tanrikulu (lawyer), Firat Anli (lawyer), Servet Ayhan (lawyer), all members of the Diyarbakir Human Rights Association, were reportedly detained on 27 February 1995 at the HRA offices and taken for interrogation to the Diyarbakir gendarmerie regimental headquarters (6 March 1995). 753. On 24 May 1995 the Government replied that the above-named persons had been referred to the office of the chief public prosecutor of the Diyarbakir State Security Court on 9 March 1995 and were ordered arrested by the relevant court on charges of PKK membership. It was established through medical reports that they were not subjected to torture or ill-treatment. 754. An appeal was transmitted in conjunction with the Representative of the Secretary-General on internally displaced persons, the Chairman of the Working Group on Arbitrary Detention, the Special Rapporteur on extrajudicial, summary or arbitrary executions and the Chairman of the Working Group on Enforced or Involuntary Disappearances on behalf of Turkish and Iraqi civilians of Kurdish ethnic origin situated in areas affected by operations of the Turkish Army following its entry into the territory of northern Iraq on 20 March 1994. It was reported that civilians were at risk of arbitrary detention, torture, extrajudicial executions and disappearance and that a large number of persons had already been displaced. The signatories to the appeal called upon the Government to take all necessary measures to ensure that the affected civilians’ rights, inter alia to life and to physical and mental integrity, as set forth in several enumerated provisions of human rights and humanitarian law instruments, were protected (4 April 1995). 755. On 6 April 1995 the Government replied that it did not consider its operations in northern Iraq to fall within the purview of the signatories of the joint appeal. United Nations human rights mechanisms should not attempt to encroach upon the field of international humanitarian law, which is treaty law, unless specifically provided otherwise by law. On 10 May 1995, the signatories of the appeal, in expressing disagreement that the issue was not within the purview of their mandates, drew the attention of the Government to various provisions of the Charter of the United Nations, the Vienna Declaration and Programme of Action and General Assembly resolutions in