24.12.2009 Daily Human Rights Report
(12/126) Operations against Peace and Democracy Party (BDPPeace and Democracy Party )…
In the morning of 24 December 2009, police teams launched an operation in 11 provinces with the order of Diyarbakır Chief Public Prosecution Office and raided on Peace and Democracy Party’s (BDP) and Human Rights Association’s (İHD) Diyarbakır Province Branches. More than eighty people, including İHD’s Vice General Chairperson and Chairperson of Diyarbakır Province Branch, Lawyer Muharrem Erbey, were detained. In the raid on the IHD’s Diyarbakır Province Branch office, police teams did not allow the workers to get out of the office and confiscated all computers and the documents (ANF, 24 December).
(12/127) Gay murder by unknown assailants in İstanbul Province…
The second hearing of the case on the murder of gay Ahmet Yıldız who was killed in Üsküdar District of İstanbul Province on 15 July 2008 took place in Üsküdar Heavy Penal Court No. 2 on 23 December 2009. A group that gathered in front of the Bağlarbaşı Courthouse criticised the ignorance of the public and law enforcement officers that could not find the first suspect of the murder Yahya Yıldız the father Ahmet Yıldız.
The court postponed the hearing to interrogate Orhan Aymelek, the owner of the car that was used in the murder to 1 April 2010 (bianet.org, 23 December).
(12/128) İsmail Karaman’s Case…
On 23 December 2009 Bakırköy Heavy Penal Court No. 5 went on hearing the case against the police officers Ali Erşan and Nihat Çulhaoğlu in connection with killing İsmail Karaman in Avcılar District of İstanbul Province on 6 July 2001. The court heard the demands of the intervening parties and postponed the hearing to March 2010 to declare its verdict (Gündem, 23 December).
(12/129) Suspended police officer…
A police officer was suspended from office in connection with Osman Aslı’s (20) death in detention in Firuzköy Police Centre in Avcılar District of İstanbul Province on 18 December 2009, reported on 23 December 2009 (Hürriyet, 23 December).
(12/131) Attack in universities…
Five students were wounded and three of them were detained in the clash between two opposite student groups in Communication Faculty of Marmara University in İstanbul Province on 23 December 2009 (TNT Haber; Zaman, 23 December).
(12/132) Convicted persons…
Viranşehir Penal Court of First Instance sentenced six members of DTP to two years of imprisonment each and nine members to 18 months of imprisonment in connection with the protest in Viranşehir District of Şanlıurfa Province in November 2008 on charges of “opposing to the Law No. 2911 on Meetings and Demonstrations” on 23 December 2009 (ANF, 23 December).
