13.11.2009 Daily Human Rights Report
(11/061) Impunity in extra-judicial killing case…
Adana Heavy Penal Court No. 5 sentenced police officer Y.K. (35) to 14 months of imprisonment in connection with killing Uğur Çelik (18) on the grounds that he did not obey the “stop” warning on 13 December 2006 in Adana Province on charges of “intentional homicide without authority” and postponed the sentence on 12 November 2009 (Milliyet, 12 November).
(11/062) The case on the murder of four soldiers by their lieutenant…
Four soldiers - İbrahim Yaman, İbrahim Öztürk, Ali Osman Altın and Mesut Bulut- were killed in an explosion by allegedly “accident” in the headquarters in Karakoçan District of Elazığ Province on 17 August 2009. One of the soldiers from the same headquarters told in his witness testimony that Lieutenant Mehmet Tümer gave an unpinned hand grenade to soldier İbrahim Öztürk as a punishment on the grounds that he slept in the sentry and the bomb exploded in the soldier’s hand. Lieutenant Mehmet Tümer was arrested on 18 August 2009.
Eight Army Corps’ Military Court went on hearing the case against the lieutenant on 11 November 2009. The hearing was held in the scene of incident and Mehmet Tümer told the court how the incident took place.
Mehmet Tümer’s lawyer commented that the soldiers should be evaluated as “training casualty” and claimed that nine out of the every 36 USA soldiers dies in the training. The court postponed the hearing to 20 November 2009 (ntvmsnbc.com, 12 November).
(11/064) Violence in primary school…
It is reported on 12 November 2009 that B.A., a student of Zehra Ulusoy Primary School in Isparta Province was beaten by his teacher Y.Y. on the grounds that he is “hyperactive” (Milliyet, 12 November).
(11/065) Violence in care centre for children…
On 12 November 2009 Malatya Heavy Penal Court No. 1 went on hearing the case against the 17 defendants who were care givers in Malatya Care Centre for Children in connection with ill-treatment incidents in the centre. Ayşe Doğan and Songül Turan were acquitted from the charges. Şefika Solmazgül was sentenced to 4 years and 2 months of imprisonment and other 14 defendants were sentenced to 3 years, 1 month and 15 days of imprisonment (Zaman, 12 November).
(11/066) Coercion in prison…
The administration of the Muş E Type Closed Prison confiscated a letter which was sent to the prisoner Ahmet Oral on 22 October 2009 on the grounds that “it should be written in Turkish instead of in Kurdish” (Günlük, 12 November).
(11/067) Convicted juveniles…
On 12 November 2009 Adana Heavy Penal Court No. 7 sentenced İ.G.(16), M.O. (17), Ö.Ö. (16) to 5 years and 4 months of imprisonment each in connection with throwing stones to police officers in a protest in October 2008 in Adana Province on charges of “committing offence on behalf of an organisation although he is not a member” under Article 220/6 of TPCTurkish Penal Code and “making propaganda of an illegal organisation” under Article 7/2 of Fighting with Terrorism Law. The court sentenced C.K. (14), İ.S. (14), S.Ö. (14) to four years and 2 months of imprisonment each on charges of “acting on behalf of an illegal organisation” and “making propaganda of an illegal organisation” under Article 7/2 of Fighting with Terrorism Law.
In the same case Murat Kaya and Servet Güneş were sentenced to 6 years and 3 months of imprisonment each on charges of “acting on behalf of an illegal organisation” (Zaman; Gündem, 12 November).
