Hacimimi Mah. Lüleci Hendek Cad. No:12
Tophane Beyoglu
34425 Istanbul/
Turkey
- Democracy and community development
- Gender
- Human rights
- Youth and education
Hakikat Adalet Hafıza Merkezi (Hafıza Merkezi, engl. Truth Justice Memory Center) is an independent human rights organization set up by a group of lawyers, journalists and human rights activists in November 2011 in Istanbul, Turkey. Hafıza Merkezi aims to uncover the truth concerning past violations of human rights, strengthen the collective memory about those violations, and support survivors in their pursuit of justice.
Hafıza Merkezi implements a range of activities, including documentation in accordance with the universally accepted standards, monitoring of precedent cases, as well as dissemination of marginalized truths and narratives on these violations to a large section of society, with a view to support the recognition and rehabilitation of victims of such atrocities. Hafıza Merkezi uses a unique approach, as it gathers and accumulates knowledge and methodology from organizations dealing with similar issues in other post-conflict and post-authoritarian regions, develops them further through its everyday work and adapts the know-how into the Turkish context.
Values: The values of Hafıza Merkezi respond clearly to the types of human rights violations that have been committed in Turkey, especially in the last 30 years. The values that Hafıza Merkezi bases its existence and work upon are: Democracy, Accountability, Truth, Justice, Dignity and Peace.
Vision: Free, inclusive and socially prosperous society with effective civil control over state’s repressive apparatus, based on acknowledgement of past violence, rights of victims and individual freedom.
Mission: Hafıza Merkezi is an organization basing the ideas of sustainable peace and prosperous society in the future on just and sensible approach to rights of victims of human rights violations in the past.
Mandate: Hafıza Merkezi advocates recognition and formal acknowledgement of state violence, accountability for human rights violations and large-scale atrocities, and guarantees that widespread violations will not happen. It develops mechanisms and tools that contribute to building a peaceful and free society, where human rights are its fundamental values.
Hakikat Adalet Hafıza Merkezi (Hafıza Merkezi, engl. Truth Justice Memory Center) has defined its short and middle term thematic focus as “enforced disappearances” as part of its efforts to contribute to Turkey’s coming to terms with its past atrocities.
Hafıza Merkezi bases its work on four fundamental pillars of action.
Memory Studies Program: Carries out documentation and reporting in line with internationally recognized standards, with a view to uncover truths about human rights violations committed by the state.
Legal Studies Program: Performs legal action for the ending of impunity and to support victim groups’ struggle for justice.
Dissemination and Advocacy Program: Coordinates activities for the public dissemination and advocacy of the knowledge produced by the center.
Co-operation and Capacity Building Program: Works to accumulate and build expertise in the area of organization’s work and share it through collaboration and providing support to other organizations.
Hafiza Merkezi's expertise in documentation, verification, database building, innovative social media communications strategies and international network with other human rights organizations and funders would definetly contribute to the network in Turkey.
Since its initial stage Hafiza Merkezi has been valuing international know-how and exchange immenselly, have been working to build its international connections worldwide. And more specifically since 2013 it has been building Regional Network for Historical Dialogue and Dealing with the Past (RNHDP). The network brings together NGOs working in the MENA and Caucasus region who focus on issues of dealing with the past, transitional justice, historical dialogue, peace building and human rights. Over the years the network has expanded to over 50 institutions. In collaboration with Columbia University’s Institute for the Study of Human Rights and Columbia Global Center Istanbul and modeled after Columbia University’s Alliance for Historical Dialogue and Accountability (AHDA) program, this is a unique network both in the sense of combining the MENA and the Caucasus regions as well as having very concrete and tangible activities, namely the summer training and the thematic workshops. We have conducted two summer trainings and two thematics workshops. So we believe through ALF Network Hafiza Merkezi will both contribute with its international experience and learn more from the international partners in designing new projects and campaigns. Least but not the last, we would very much like to develop joint projects with partners and apply to grants.