15.09.2011 Daily Human Rights Report
(09/053) Operations, Attacks in the South-east…
Resul Çetin (25), who had been injured during the clash that occurred after one soldier, one police officer and three civilian died and seven police officer were injured as the result of an attack with rocket launchers and long barrelled arms on the police headquarters and the command of the gendarmerie in Hakkâri Şemdinli district on 11 September 2011 died on 14 September 2011 in Van Education and Research Hospital, where he was under treatment (DHA, 14 September).
(09/054) People on Trial…
On 14 September 2011 the trial against seven people that had been initiated on 24 August 2011 in connection with incidents during the meeting of Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan in connection with the elections on 12 June 2011 in Artvin, Hopa district started.
Although the prosecutor who had prepared the indictment had decided against prosecution for membership of an illegal organization the case was heard at Erzurum Heavy Penal Court 4 on chagred of having made propaganda for an illegal organization. The court heard the defence of the defendants Önder Öner and Görgü Demirpençe, members of the parliament of the Socialist Party of the Oppressed (ESP), the ESP members İbrahim Aksu and Ali Aksu and the defendants Erhan Köse, Şafak Ustabaş and İdris Akbıyık and adjourned the hearing to 26 September 2011 to hear the final words of the prosecutor (Cumhuriyet, 14 September).
(09/055) Student on Trial…
On 14 September 2011 the trial against Cihan Kırmızıgül, student at Galatasaray University, who had been arrested after a group of people wearing keffiyehs had thrown Molotov cocktails in a market in İstanbul on 20 February 2010 and he had been found close to the scene with a keffiyeh around his neck continued. The arrest was based on the testimony of a secret witness. İstanbul Heavy Penal Court 14 asked the prosecutor for his view since there was further subject to be developed.
The prosecutor Mustafa Çavuşoğlu stated during the hearing that there were contradictions in the statements of the secret witness responsible for the arrest of the defendant and argued that under the principle of in dubio pro reo there was not sufficient evidence to convict the defendant as a member of an illegal organization. He demanded that the defendant be released and acquitted. The court stated that strong suspicion on the crime of Cihan Kırmızıgül continued and adjourned the hearing to 16 November 2011 (Milliyet, 14 September).
(09/056) Detentions and arrests…
Of the 13 people that police teams of the department to fight terrorism in Van had detained seven were arrested on 14 September 2011 on charges of membership to and support for an illegal organization (Zaman, 14 September).
