30.12.2009 Daily Human Rights Report
(12/154) Finalised case on bomb attack…
On 29 December 2009 İzmir Heavy Penal Court No. 8 sentenced PKKKurdish Workers' Party member Sıraç Kformern to six times life sentence in solitary confinement and with no possibility of parole and 161 years and 1 month 10 days of imprisonment in connection with the bomb attack in which 5 people were killed and 13 people were wounded in Kuşadası District of Aydın Province on 16 July 2005. The court acquitted Hüseyin Geçti, Alican Kuzu, Maşallah Tokay, Cengiz Tokay and Hanifi Yılmaz on the grounds that there is not enough evidence (Hürriyet, 29 December).
(12/155) Torture and ill-treatment in detention…
Nejat Kırbaç and Hamza Bor who had been detained in the protests in Yüksekova District of Hakkâri Province on 27 December 2009 were hospitalised due to torture in District Security Directorate (Günlük, 29 December).
(12/156) Torture and ill-treatment in prison…
Conscientious objector Enver Aydemir, who had been detained as he was going to the “Congress of Conscientious Objectors for Peace” which was held in Boğaziçi University (in İstanbul Province) on 24 December 2009 told his Lawyer Davut Erhan that bastinado (falanga) torture method inflicted on him by the director of the Maltepe Army Prison Colonel Halil İbrahim Çakır on the grounds that he declined to wear the uniform on 29 December 2009 (bianet.org, 29 December).
(12/157) Attack in universities…
Six students were wounded in the clash between two opposite student groups in Arapgir Vocational College of İnönü University in Arapgir District of Malatya Province on 29 December 2009. Right-wingers reportedly attacked on the others shouting “you are leftists, Kurds”. The police teams did not detained anyone from the assailant group (Milliyet; halkinsesi.tv, 29 December).
(12/158) Persons arrested after the lynch attempt in Edirne Province …
Ebru Aydoğdu and Serkan Fikir who had been detained with six other members of Youth Association in Edirne Province on 27 December 2009 were arrested on charges of “making propaganda of an illegal organisation” on 28 December 2009 (bianet.org; halkinsesi.tv, 29 December).
(12/159) Acquitted journalist…
On 29 December 2009 İstanbul Heavy Penal Court No. 13 aqcquitted Taraf Newspaper’s editor Adnan Demir in connection with the news concerning the attack on Aktütün Headquarters in Şemdinli District of Hakkâri Province on 3 October 2008 which were published on 14-15-16-18-26 and 28 October 2008 on charges of “publishing confidential materials” (Zaman, 29 December).
(12/160) Convicted person…
On 29 December 2009 Diyarbakır Heavy Penal Court No. 5 sentenced Ruken Türk to nine years and 7 months of imprisonment in connection with attending to the protest against the murder of Mahsum Karaoğlan in the march to the Ömerli Village on 4 April 2009 in Halfeti District of Şanlıurfa Province on charges of “making propaganda of an illegal organisation” under Article 7/2 of Fighting with Terrorism Law, “committing offence on behalf of an organisation although he is not a member” under Article 220/6 of TPCTurkish Penal Code and “hindering education in the framework of organisation’s action” (Akşam, 30 December).
(12/161) Convicted person…
Diyarbakır Heavy Penal Court No. 6 sentenced Şükrü Binici to ten months of imprisonment in connction with the words on the tomb stone of his son Cihat Binici who was a militant of Kurdistan Workers’ Party’s (PKK) armed wing People’s Defence Forces (HPGPeople's Defence Forces (armed wing of the PKK) ) and killed in the clash in the rural part of Tunceli Province in April 2007 on charges of “making propaganda of an illegal organisation” under Article 7/2 of Fighting with Terrorism Law on 29 December 2009 (Milliyet, 29 December).
(12/164) Operations against the Peace and Democracy Party (BDPPeace and Democracy Party )…
Police teams detained 7 people in Hakkâri Province, 6 people in Yüksekova District, 8 people in İzmir Province, 14 people in Batman Province, 3 people in Cizre District of Şırnak Province in the protests against the operation on Peace and Democracy Party (BDP) on 29 December 2009 (Zaman; ANF, 29 December).
Viranşehir Penal Court of Peace No. 2 arrested DTP’s Viranşehir District Branch Chairperson Adnan Etli on charges of “being a member of an illegal organisation” on 29 December 2009 (ANF, 29 December).
(12/165) Confiscated magazines…
Four workers of the Özgür Halk Magazine who had been detained in Diyarbakır Province on 28 December 2009 were released but officers confiscated 1157 copies of the magazine on the grounds that there is a confiscation warrant (Gündem, 29 December).
