24-26.10.2009 Daily Human Rights Report
(10/168) Attacks on Kurdish people in the “process of initiative”…
The return of the 34 people that includes the militants of Kurdistan Workers’ Party’s (PKKKurdish Workers' Party ) armed wing People’s Defence Forces (HPGPeople's Defence Forces (armed wing of the PKK) ) and refugees from Maxmur Camp to contribute the process that was conceptualised as the democratic resolution of Kurdish Issue and named first as “Kurdish Initiative” and then as “Democratic Initiative” by the 60th Government on 19 October 2009 was protested on 23–25 October 2009.
The protests in some of the provinces turned into attacks on Kurdish people, offices of the Democratic Society Party (DTP), members of trade union.
Unidentified people attacked on the office of DTP in Balıkesir Province in the night of 23 October 2009 and broke the windows (Milliyet, 23 October).
Right-wingers attacked on the Kurdish students of Sakarya University in a bus and wounded two students on 21 October 2009 (atilim.org, 23 October).
People attempted to lynch three Kurdish workers from Van Province that came to work in rice fields in Yenikarpuzlu Municipality of İpsala District of Edirne Province after a quarrel on 24 October 2009 and gendarmerie teams detained the workers (Milliyet; Gündem, 24 October).
A specialised sergeant threw the mobile phone that was playing songs in Kurdish into the oven in a baker shop in Kırşehir Province on 22 October 2009 (Günlük, 23 October).
Right-wingers attacked on the members of DTP during a public statement in Elazığ Province on 24 October 2009 (Zaman, 24 October).
Fifteen members of Alperen Ocakları (a racist-Islamist organisation) camped in Germuş Mountain in Şanlıurfa Province to protest the returns (ANF, 24 October).
Eşref Keleş (32), Adem Keleş (20) and Aydın Keleş (37) from Van Province were stabbed in Mamak District of Ankara Province on 23 October 2009. Eşref Keleş’s family permanently left the quarter (Gündem, 24 October).
Approximately 150 right-wingers attacked on the DTP’s Konya Province Branch building in Konya Province on 25 October 2009 (ANF, 25 October).
Right-wingers who were protesting the returns attacked on the workers who had been fired from Kent A.Ş. in Abdi İpekçi Park and wounded a worker in Ankara Province on 25 October 2009 (TİHV, 25 October).
(10/169) The case of the murder of Hrant Dink…
Trabzon Penal Court of Peace No.2 went on hearing the case against the Non-Commissioned Officer Okan Şimşek and Specialised Sergeant Veysel Şahin in connection with the murder of Hrant Dink on charges of “negligence in office” with the case against Major Ali Öz, Okan Şimşek, Veysel Şahin, Hüseyin Yılmaz, Önder Araz, Metin Yıldız, Hacı Ömer Ünalır and Gazi Günay in connection with the same murder on charges of “misconduct in office” on 23 October 2009. The court adjudicated to close the hearings to public and ban of publication on the case. The hearing was postponed to 25 December 2009 (Zaman, 23 October).
(10/170) The case of İsmail Karaman…
On 23 October 2009 Bakırköy Heavy Penal Court No. 5 went on hearing the case on the murder of İsmail Karaman by law enforcement officers in Avcılar District of İstanbul Province on 6 July 2001 and declined the demand of the lawyers of the intervening party for investigation of the place of the incident again and postponed the hearing to 23 December 2009 (halkinsesi.tv, 23 October).
(10/171) The care on the operations on the prisons…
Üsküdar Heavy Penal Court No. 2 went on hearing the case against 267 gendarmerie soldiers in connection with the murder of 7 prisoners in Ümraniye Prison in the “Return to Life” Operation on 19 December 2000 on charges of “homicide” and “wounding” on 23 October 2009. The court decided to ask to the Gendarmerie General Command about the camera records. The hearing was postponed to 8 February 2010 (atilim.org, 24 October).
(10/172) Investigation on the murder of Ceylan Önkol…
On 24 October 2009 an investigation was launched against the officers of the Abalı Gendarmerie Station on the grounds that they did not take the Lice Public Prosecutor Mustafa Kamil Çolak to the region due to “lack of security” after the murder of Ceylan Önkol (14) in Birlik Village of Lice District of Diyarbakır Province on 28 September 2009 (internethaber.com, 256 October).
(10/173) Torture and ill-treatment in detention…
Two members of the Socialist Platform of the Oppressed (ESP) -Gökben Keskin and Yılmaz Selçuk- claimed that they were tortured in Üçyüzlü Police Station after they had been detained in Esenler District of İstanbul Province on 22 October 2009. Gökben Keskin stated in the public statement in Human Rights Association (IHD) on 24 October 2009 that she was threatened with death as she declined to take off her clothes and officers sexually harassed her and hit continuously her private parts (atilim.org; TİHV, 24 October).
(10/174) Torture and ill-treatment in detention…
Özkan Kuru, Kerem Alhan and Onur Birgül claimed that they were beaten in Beyoğlu Police Station after they were detained on the grounds that they were drunk in Beyoğlu District of İstanbul Province on 23 October 2009. They were transferred to the court on charges of “theft” and then released. Özkan Kuru, Kerem Alhan and Onur Birgül stated that they were under coercion due to the protest they had participated (Gündem, 24 October).
(10/175) Convicted juveniles…
Adana Heavy Penal Court No. 7 sentenced M.Ç. (16) to 5 years, 5 months and 16 days of imprisonment in connection with throwing stones to law enforcement officers in a protest in Adana Province on 3 February 2009 on charges of “committing offence on behalf of an organisation although he is not a member” under Article 220/6 of TPCTurkish Penal Code , “making propaganda of an illegal organisation” under Article 7/2 of Fighting with Terrorism Law and “resisting to public officers” on 12 October 2009.
Adana Heavy Penal Court No. 8 sentenced M.A. (17) to 4 years, 8 months and 20 days of imprisonment in connection with throwing stones to law enforcement officers in a protest in Adana Province on 6 February 2009 on charges of “committing offence on behalf of an organisation although he is not a member” under Article 220/6 of TPC and “making propaganda of an illegal organisation” under Article 7/2 of Fighting with Terrorism Law on 19 October 2009.
Adana Heavy Penal Court No. 7 sentenced K.Ö. (18), İ.A. (17) and H.K. (15) to 4 years and 8 months of imprisonment each in connection with throwing stones to law enforcement officers in a protest in Barbaros Quarter of Adana Province on 7 February 2009 on charges of “committing offence on behalf of an organisation although he is not a member” under Article 220/6 of TPC on 21 October 2009.
The number of the convicted juveniles in Adana Province became 106 according to the information gathered by Human Rights Association’s (İHD) Adana Branch (TİHV; İHD Adana; Radikal, 24 October).
(10/176) Convicted lawyer…
Şanlıurfa Penal Court of Peace No. 1 and 2 sentenced Muzaffer Demir, former chairperson of the DTP’s Şanlıurfa Province Branch to 3 years and 6 months of imprisonment in connection with using “honourable” term for Öcalan in a statement on charges of “praising crime and criminal” under the Article of 215/1 of TPC on 23 October 2009 (Birgün, 24 October).
(10/177) Convicted mayor…
Şanlıurfa Penal Court of Peace No. 2 sentenced Leyla Güven, the mayor of Viranşehir District of Şanlıurfa Province to 16 months and 15 days of imprisonment in connection with using “honourable” term for Öcalan in a statement on charges of “praising crime and criminal” under the Article of 215/1 of TPC on 23 October 2009 (Milliyet, 24 October).
(10/178) Convicted vice-mayor…
Diyarbakır Heavy Penal Court No. 5 sentenced Nayıf Aslan, the vice-mayor of Viranşehir District of Şanlıurfa Province to 12 months’ of imprisonment in connection with his speech in a funeral on charges of “making propaganda of an illegal organisation” under Article 7/2 of Fighting with Terrorism Law on 23 October 2009 (Milliyet, 24 October).
(10/179) Convicted person…
Diyarbakır Heavy Penal Court No. 6 sentenced Mehmet Çiçek (71) to 12 months’ of imprisonment in connection with applauding in the funeral of Adnan Donuk, a HPG militant who was killed in the clash in Yüksekova District of Hakkâri Province, in Suruç District of Şanlıurfa Province on charges of “making propaganda of an illegal organisation” under Article 7/2 of Fighting with Terrorism Law on 23 October 2009 (ANF; Sabah, 25 October).
(10/188) Tried journalist…
Istanbul Heavy Penal Court No. 11 went on hearing the case against the case against Nedim Sener, the writer of the book named The Murder of Dink and the Lies of Intelligence -Dink Cinayeti ve Istihbarat Yalanlari-, on charges of “targeting public officers” under Article 6 of Fighting with Terrorism Law and “securing prohibited information” under Article 334 of TPC on 23 October 2009. The case was launched with the official complaint of public officers Muhittin Zenit, Ramazan Akyürek and Ali Fuat Yilmazer. The hearing was postponed to 16 December 2009 (bianet.org, 23 October).
(10/181) Restriction of access…
Ankara Heavy Penal Court No. 11 restricted the access to the website of the Fırat News Agency (ANF) http://www.firatnews.com on 23 October 2009 (ANF, 23 October).
(10/182) Tried persons…
Ankara Heavy Penal Court No. 11 went on hearing the case against the pre-trial detainees -Alihan Alhan, Ali Nazlıgül, Savaş Bolat, Cebrail Doğa and Sercan Üstündaş- who were detained on 10 March 2009 on charges of “being a member of an illegal organisation (Socialist Platform of the Oppressed (ESP)” under Article 314 of TPC on 23 October 2009. The hearing was postponed for the preparation of the legal argument of the prosecutor to 15 December 2009 (atilim.org, 23 October).
(10/183) Tried persons…
On 23 October 2009 Ankara Heavy Penal Court No. 11 went on hearing the case against Seher Tümer, an executive of the Health and Social Workers Trade Union’s (SES) Ankara Branch, and seven other people on charges of “being a member of an illegal organisation”. The court prolonged the pre-trial detention period of the defendants. The hearing was postponed to 17 November 2009.
The defendants had been detained in the home raids in Ankara Province on 17 April 2009 and then were arrested on 20 Nisan 2009 (TİHV, 23 October).
(10/184) Detentions and arrests…
Two members of the Ankara Youth Association (Gençlik Derneği) -Bilgehan Karpat and Ferhat Bulut- were detained in the bus terminal on 23 October 2009 (halkinsesi.tv, 23 October).
