07-09.04.2012 Daily Human Rights Report
(04/039) Şerzan Kurt Case…
On 11 May 2010 a verbal quarrel between Kurdish students at Muğla University and a racist group turned into a fight. When the police intervened the student Şerzan Kurt (21) was heavily wounded and died in hospital on 19 May 2010. Later police officer Gültekin Şahin was detained on charges of having fired the shots on order of the temporary chief of the department to fight terrorism. On 6 April 2012 Eskişehir Heavy Penal Court No. 1 went on hear this case.
The court heard the legal argument of the defendant’s lawyer and he claimed that the police officer did his job in the context of self-defence. The court also adjudicated to wait the report of the İstanbul Forensic Medicine Institute on the clothes on Şerzan Kurt and the bullet and adjourned the hearing to 25 May 2012.
(04/040) Limitation of time in the investigation on disappearance in detention…
İstanbul Chief Public Prosecution Office’s investigation on Hüseyin Toraman who had been subjected to forced disappearance after being detained in İstanbul Province on 27 Ekim 1991 was time barred on 14 February 2012. The investigation was launched after the application of the Human Rights Foundation of Turkey’s application to get information on the subject.
(04/041) The case of Ferhat Gerçek…
On 6 April 2012 Bakırköy Penal Court of First Instance No. 9 went on hearing the case against 7 police officers -Cengiz Çalış, Yavuz Özer, Aydın Özdere, Hasan Bayrakdar, Emre Taşkın, Can Koçbülbül and Muzaffer Ünal- who wounded Ferhat Gerçek with shooting him from his back and eventually caused his paralysis in Yenibosna District of İstanbul Province on 7 October 2007.
The court adjudicated that the police officers should be tried in a heavy penal court on charges of “attempting intentional homicide” on grounds that the defendants were the same officers who had investigated the incident and sent the case to heavy penal court.
(04/042) Hate crime in İstanbul Province…
Unidentified attackers beat the pastor Semir Serkek (58) of the Protestant Lütuf Kilisesi (Blessing Church) in Bahçelievler District of İstanbul Province on 7 April 2012. They also forced him to say the Arabic phrase with which a person admits the Islamic creed (Kelime-i Şehadet).
(04/044) Convicted persons…
Ceylanpınar Penal Court of First Instance sentenced 39 defendants to 18 months of imprisonment each in connection with the protests against the coercion on the closed Democratic Society Party (DTP) Ceylanpınar District of Şanlıurfa Province in May 2009 on charges of “opposing to the Law No. 2911 on Meetings and Demonstrations” on 6 April 2012.
(04/045) Tried persons…
Tortum Penal Court of First Instance began to hear the case against sixteen defendants in connection with the protest against the planned hydroelectric power plant in Bağbaşı Municipality of Tortum District of Erzurum Province on12 September 2011 on charges of “resisting the law-enforcement officers” on 6 April 2012.
Seven gendarmerie soldiers stated in the hearing that they are not making official complaints. The court heard the legal arguments of the defendants and then adjourned the hearing.
(04/046) Home raids in İstanbul Province…
Nine people were detained in home raids of the Fighting with Terrorism Department teams after a protest in Okmeydanı Quarter of Şişli District of İstanbul Province on 6 April 2012.
(04/047) Detention operations after Newroz Celebrations…
12 out of the 34 people who had been detained in home raids in İstanbul Province on 3 April 2012 in connection with the Newroz Celebration in the province on 20 March 2012 were arrested on charges of “making propaganda of an illegal organisation” on 7 April 2012.
(04/048) Home raids in Hatay Province…
Mehmet Yavaş and Evin Altunli out of the thirteen detainees who had been detained in home raids of the Fighting with Terrorism Department teams in İskenderun District of Hatay Province, Adana, Kayseri, Diyarbakır and Mardin Provinces on 3 April 2012 were arrested on charges of being a part of the youth organisation of the KCKUnion of Communities in Kurdistan organisation on 7 April 2012.
(04/049) Detentions and arrests…
Three -Hıdır Bakır, Baki Bakır, Burhan Ötekıvılcım- out of the four detainees in Tunceli Province and two detainees in Van Province were arrested on charges of “helping and harbouring an illegal organisation” under Article 220/7 on 3 April 2012.
İbrahim Sarı was arrested on grounds that he had been convicted on charges of “opposing to the Law No. 2911 on Meetings and Demonstrations” in Suruç District of Şanlıurfa Province on 6 April 2012.
