11.11.2009 Daily Human Rights Report
(11/049) Attack of village guards in Van Province…
Temporary village guards opened fire in a wedding ceremony to another village guards family and killed Erdem Atlı, Behzat Akkaya, Vahdettin Akkaya and Yavuz Akkaya and wounded eight people in a wedding ceremony in Esenyamaç (Xaşkan) Village of Başkale District of Van Province on 8 November 2009 (Günlük, 10 November).
(11/050) Ongoing FESK case…
On 10 November 2009 Ankara Heavy Penal Court No. 11 went on hearing the case against the four defendants -Tahir Laçin, Mesut Çeki, Nilüfer Şahin and Ongun Yücel- on charges of “being members and executives of an illegal organisation” and “acting on behalf of the organisation” named Armed Forces of the Poor and Oppressed (FESK) after the annulment verdict of the Supreme Court of Appeal's Penal Chamber No. 9 on 6 May 2009.
The court adjudicated to prolong the detention process of the three defendants, Tahir Laçin, Nilüfer Şahin and Mesut Çeki, who had been pre-trial detainees in last five years and postponed the hearing to 2 March 2010
(atilim.org, 10 November).
(11/051) Torture and ill-treatment in detention…
Police officer Ufuk Eren (27), Özkan Gerçek and Ömer Adıgüzel were wounded in the clash that started after the stop warning of the police team in a check point in Avcılar District of İstanbul Province on 8 November 2009. Özkan Gerçek and Ömer Adıgüzel were taken into Avcılar Police Station instead of hospital after they were forced to wait 45 minutes in the scene. They were tortured after they had been apprehended and Ömer Adıgüzel’s leg bone was fractured and Özkan Gerçek had visible bruises (atilim.org, 10 November).
(11/052) Violence in high school…
S.P., a student in Davutpaşa High School in Fatih District of İstanbul Province on 10 November 2009 made an official complaint against two teachers who had allegedly beaten him in the office of the vice president of the school on the grounds that he took part in a fight (ntvmsnbc.com, 10 November).
(11/053) Tried persons…
Sariyer Penal Court of First Instance No. 2 went on hearing the case against Aysu Baykal, Cihan Gün and Özgür Karakaya who had been detained as they were selling Yürüyüs Magazine with Engin Çeber –Çeber was killed due to torture that was inflicted on him in the police station and in the prison on 10 October 2008- on charges of “resisting to officer on duty” and “opposing to the Law No. 2911 on Meetings and Demonstrations” on 10 November 2009.
Police officers Halil İbrahim Sarıaslan and Aliye Uçak claimed that the defendants had attacked and insulted them during their apprehension and in detention process. Defendant Cihan Gün declined the testimonies of the officers.
The court adjudicated to ask for the indictment and the documents of the case on the murder of Engin Çeber which has been going on in Bakirköy Heavy Penal Court No. 14 and to take the testimony of the police officer Erhan Erkoç who made the official complaint with his colleagues and who had assigned to Erzurum Province and postponed the hearing (ANF, 11 November).
(11/054) Convicted persons…
Diyarbakır Heavy Penal Court No. 4 sentenced Nurettin Demirtaş, Ramazan Şimşek, İmam Çobanyıldızı and Ajda İnci to six years and three months of imprisonment each in connection with the incidents in which seven people were killed in Diyarbakır Province on 28–31 March 2006 on the grounds that they “incited people to revolt” on charges of “committing offence on behalf of an organisation although he is not a member” under Article 220/6 of TPCTurkish Penal Code on 10 November 2009. Kenan Güneş and Hülya Arslan were acquitted in the same case (ANF; ntvmsnbc.com, 10 November).
(11/055) Convicted persons…
İzmir Penal Court of Peace No. 6 sentenced two mayor candidates of Democratic Society Party (DTP) in the local elections on 29 March 2009, Cemal Coşgun and Şeyhmuz Seyhan, to six months of imprisonment each in connection with their speeches in Kurdish in the meetings in İzmir Province on charges of “opposition to the prohibitions on propaganda” under Article 151/2 of Law on Elections No. 298 on 3 November 2009. The sentences were commuted to a fine of 3000 TL each (bianet.org, 10 November).
(11/056) Convicted person…
Diyarbakır Heavy Penal Court No. 5 sentenced Celal Altun seven years and one month of imprisonment in connection with carrying a photograph of Abdullah Öcalan in a public statement in Şanlıurfa Province in January 2009 on charges of “committing offence on behalf of an organisation although he is not a member” under Article 220/6 of TPC on 10 November 2009 (Radikal; ANF, 10 November).
