31.12.2009 Daily Human Rights Report
(12/166) Torture and ill-treatment in detention…
Humanitarian Defence and Fraternity Association’s chairperson (İMKANDER) Nuray Bezirgan and her husband were beaten in Security Directorate’s Foreigners Department in Kumkapı Quarter of Fatih District of İstanbul Province as they went there to take information on the conditions of a refugee family reported on 30 December 2009. Nuray Bezirgan’s husband’s arm was injured and camera was broken in the incident and he was detained after they insisted to make official complaints (TİHV; platformhaber.net, 30 December).
(12/167) Finalised Hizbullah Case…
Diyarbakır Heavy Penal Court No. 6 finalised the Hizbullah Main Case against 33 defendants which has been going on in last ten years on 30 December 2009 and sentenced 16 defendants to life sentence and 11 defendants to imprisonments varying from 12 months to 14 years on charges of “being a member of an illegal organisation” under Article 314 of TPCTurkish Penal Code in connection with 198 armed activities, 156 murders and 80 wounding incidents. Two of the defendants were acquitted (ntvmsnbc.com, 31 December).
(12/168) Coercion in prison…
The administration of Tekirdağ F Type Closed Prison No. 2 sentenced Hasan Ozan and Ender Bulhaz Aktürk with five days in solitary confinement on the grounds that they were late for the census, reported on 30 December 2009. It is also claimed that the prisoners who had attended to the activities in the anniversary of the Prison Operations on 19 December 2000 were sentenced with ban of communication for three months (atilim.org, 30 December).
(12/169) Tried deputy…
Ankara Heavy Penal Court No.11 went on hearing the case against the 23 members of the Democratic Society Party’s (DTP) Women Assembly including Peace and Democracy Party’s (BDPPeace and Democracy Party ) İstanbul deputy Sebahat Tuncel on charges of “praising crime and criminal” under the Article of 215/1 of TPC on 29 December 2009. The court adjudicated to bring Sebahat Tuncel to the next hearing with force and postponed the hearing to 15 April 2010 (ntvmsnbc.com, 30 December).
(12/170) Convicted persons…
On 29 December 2009 Diyarbakır Heavy Penal Court No. 6 sentenced Cizre Mayor Aydın Budak, İdil Mayor Resul Sadak, Şırnak former Mayor Ahmet Ertak, Silopi former Mayor Muhsin Kunur, DTP’s Şırnak Province Branch Chairperson Selim Bayar, Şırnak former Province Branch Chairperson Halil İrmez, Silopi Municipality workers Kamil Acar, Cizre former Vice Mayor Ahmet Dalmış, DTP’s Cizre District Branch Chairperson Yakup Budak, former Şırnak General Assembly Nezir Ayan and Şırnak Municipality worker Sabır Ertak to 10 months of imprisonment each in connection with referring Abdullah Öcalan as “honourable” in public statement in Şırnak Province in 2008 on charges of “praising crime and criminal” under the Article of 215/1 of TPC (Gündem, 30 December).
(12/171) Convicted persons…
Diyarbakır Heavy Penal Court No. 4 sentenced Abdurrahman Gök-a journalist of Dicle News Agency-, Ziyamettin Akan and Cihan Abus to 10 months of imprisonment each in connection with the Newroz Celebrations in Siirt Province on 23 March 2009 on charges of “making propaganda of an illegal organisation” under Article 7/2 of Fighting with Terrorism Law on 29 December 2009. Tevfik Yılmaz was acquitted in the case (Günlük, 30 December).
(12/172) Detentions and arrests…
Tuncay Aydın, Ferdi Kırıcı, Namet Aşkan, Şeref Bozkurt, Harun Yağız, Saim Demir and Rıfat Vurgun who had been detained in home raids in connection with the public statements in Başkale District of Van Province on 20 December 2009 were arrested on charges of “harming public goods” and “making propaganda of an illegal organisation” on 30 December 2009 (ANF, 30 December).
M.A.A. and M.Ç. who had been detained with three other people on 29 December 2009 in connection with the protest in Nusaybin District of Mardin Province on 15 December 2009 were arrested on 30 December 2009 (Zaman, 30 December).
