Human Rights Foundation of Turkey Documentation Center[1][2][3][4][5]
22 June 2018 Daily Human Rights Report
(06/188) Human Rights Defenders on Trial…
The case on Istanbul Heavy Penal Court No 35 against 11 human rights defenders including 1 arrestee, continued to be held on June 21, 2018.
The indictment demands 15 years of jail sentence for 11 human rights defenders on the charges of ‘being an illegal organisation member’ and ‘not being a member of but committing crime on behalf of the illegal organisation’. Lawyer Taner Kılıç, Amnesty International Turkey Chair, who has been arrested for another case on June 2017 was also put in the defendants of this case.
Lawyer Taner Kılıç attended the trial via sound and vision system from İzmir Şakran Prison. Ahmet Tunç, who was the translator of Büyükada meeting, attended the trial as a witness. An anonymous witness is also heard at the trial via sound and vision system. It is learned that the anonymous witness responded the questions of lawyers as “You try to identify me. I do not remember; however, I would not tell if I remembered”.
It is learned that the report on Taner Kılıç’s mobile phone for not having ByLock app is also on file.
After defence hearings the court decided to continue detention for Taner Kılıç and adjourned the trial to November 7, 2018.
10 human rights defenders were detained during a meeting in Istanbul Büyükada on July 5, 2017. Human rights defenders for whom detention period was extended to 14 days were sent to the court on July 12, 2017. The court arrested Amnesty International Turkey Director İdil Eser, Özlem Dalkıran from Citizens Assembly, Günal Kurlun and Veli Acu from Human Rights Agenda Association, Ali Garawi (citizen of Switzerland) and Peter Steudtner (citizen of Germany) and released İlknur Üstün from Women’s Coalition, Nalan Ekrem from Citizens Assembly, Nejat Taştan from Association for Monitoring Equal Rights and Şeyhmus Özbekli from Rights Initiative on juridical control conditions.
On July 21, upon the prosecutor’s office’s objection to the release, a detention warrant was issued for four of the human rights defenders. İlknur Üstün and Nalan Ekrem were arrested on July 23, 2017, and Nejat Taştan and Şeyhmus Özbekli were released on juridical control conditions.
On the first trial of the case which was held on October 25, 2017 eight human rights defenders were released on control conditions.
(06/189) Person Detained for the Incidents Where 4 People Died During Electoral Campaigns in Suruç…
Ferit Şenyaşar, who was injured in incidents happened on June 14, 2018, after a quarrel between AKP MP candidate İbrahim Halil Yıldız and shopkeepers, that resulted in death of 4 people and injury of 9 people, is detained upon the instruction of the prosecutor’s office on June 21, 2018, after being discharged from the hospital. Ferit Şenyaşar is released the same day after procedures at the prosecutor’s office.
Mehmet Yıldız, İbrahim Yıldız’s brother, Esvet Şenyaşar, and his 2 sons, Celal Şenyaşar and Adil Şenyaşar died in the incidents on June 14, 2018. Fadıl Şenyaşar was arrested after his medical treatment and Mehmet Şenyaşar was released after procedures at the prosecutor’s office.
(06/190) Operations and Attacks in Southeast…
It is learned that 1 soldier who was wounded in an attack of HPG militants against security forces in Hakkari, died in hospital on June 21, 2018.
(06/191) The Constitutional Court Decision on the Application of an Arrested Student for Being Prevented from the Right to Education…
It is learned from news coverage of June 21, 2018 that, the Constitutional Court decided on the application of Müjdat Gürbüz, a student of Anadolu University Social Services Department and who was arrested through “Fethullahist Terrorist Organisation / Parallel State Structure” investigations, claiming that his right to education is violated by preventing him from taking exams. The court decided that, the right to education of the applicant is not violated on the grounds that ‘whether prisoners who are arrested or convicted for illegal organisation crimes can or cannot take national exams is an issue that is considered by the law-makers’.
(06/192) Police Intervention Against “I Want My Job Back” Protest in Ankara…
The police intervened the press declaration of public labourers who had been dismissed by a state of emergency decree and have been struggling for a while to regain their jobs, intended to be held in front of Human Rights Monument in Yüksel Street on June 21, 2018 at 13.30 and 18.00.
It was reported that during police intervention against the press declaration which was planned to be held at 13.30 on June 21, 2018, 3 people (Gülnaz Bozkurt, Mehmet Dersulu and Armağan Özbaş) and at 18.00 4 people (Gülnaz Bozkurt, Mehmet Dersulu, Armağan Özbaş and Bülent Özgül) were detained.
Thus in total 7 people were detained due to press declaration intended to be held in Yüksel Street on June 18, 2018. It is learned that detainees were released the same day.
(06/193) People Detained for Social Media Posts in Şırnak…
34 people including HDP members in house raids in central, Cizre, Silopi, İdil, Uludere and Beytüşşebap districts of Şırnak are detained for social media posts, on June 21, 2018.
(06/194) People Detained for Social Media Posts in Ankara…
It is reported that 11 people are detained for ‘making propaganda on social media posts’ in house raids in Ankara on June 21, 2018.
(06 /195) The Cases Against Academics Who Are the Signatories of the Petition “We will not be a party to this crime!”…
The final trial of the case against research assistant Emre Tansu Keten from Marmara University, for signing the petition “We will not be a party to this crime!” on Istanbul Heavy Penal Court No 32 for ‘making propaganda for an illegal organisation’ is held on June 21, 2018. After defence hearings, the court sentenced Emre Tansu Keten to 1 year and 3 months for ‘making propaganda for an illegal organisation’ and postponed the sentence.
The separate cases against 2 academicians (Professor Meltem Ahıska and Assoc. Professor İrem Kurtsal Steen from Boğaziçi University) for the same reason on Istanbul Heavy Penal Court No 33 are held on June 21, 2018. The court adjourned the trials to September 20, 2018.
The separate cases against 7 academicians (Lecturer Remzi Orkun Güner, and Asst. Professor Öznur Yaşar Diner from Kadir Has University; Professor Zeynep Tül Akbal from Bahçeşehir University; Asst. Professor Bedriye Aysuda Kölemen Luge and Lecturer Esra Kaliber from Kemerburgaz University; Lecturer İlkay Özkuralpli from Arel University and N.M. from Nişantaşı University) for the same reason on Istanbul Heavy Penal Court No 33 are held on June 21, 2018. The court consolidated the 7 cases with the case against Seçkin Sertdemir and adjourned the trial to October 17, 2018.
The separate cases against Asst. Professor Çetin Gürer from Nişantaşı University and Assoc. Professor Tuba İnal Çekiç from Yıldız Technical University for the same reason on Istanbul Heavy Penal Court No 33 are held on June 21, 2018. The court adjourned both trials to December 6, 2018.
The case against Asst. Professor Erol Köroğlu from Boğaziçi University for the same reason on Istanbul Heavy Penal Court No 24 is held on June 21, 2018. The court adjourned the trial to October 23, 2018.
(06/196) Elections on June 24, 2018…
It is learned that on June 21, 2018, Italian journalist Lorenzo Bianchi who came to Turkey to monitor elections on June 24, is detained in Istanbul Ataturk Airport and will be deported after statement procedures.
Arife Çınar, HDP Party Assembly member who was detained in Menemen district of İzmir on June 20, 2018 is arrested by the court on June 21, 2018. It is reported that Arife Çınar is arrested for ‘being an illegal organisation member’ and ‘making propaganda for an illegal organisation’ claims through an Istanbul based investigation in 2012.
3 of (Serhat Doğan, Serdal Aksu and Mahsun Yolcu) 16 people detained after HDP’s meeting in Istanbul on June 17, 2018, are arrested by the court on June 21, 2018. 13 people are released.
It is learned that 4 women who reacted against AKP members that rip up the posters of HDP’s presidency candidate Selahattin Demirtaş in Van, are subjected to physical violence by AKP members and then detained on June 21, 2018. It is reported that the police did nothing about AKP members that commit physical violence against 4 women.
It is learned that campaign stand of İyi Party in Amasya was attempted to be attacked and 2 people were detained for the attack on June 21, 2018. It is reported that 2 people were released later on.
It is learned that the campaign stand of Greens and the Left Party of the Future in Bayraklı district of Izmir was attacked by a racist group of 20 people. It is learned that 1 person has a cheekbone fracture and 1 person was slightly injured due to attack. It is reported that the police did not intervene the attack and nobody was detained.
It is claimed on news coverage of June 21, 2018 that Üsküdar Municipality cut the power of street lights around the meeting area, during İyi Party chair and presidency candidate Meral Akşener’s meeting in Üsküdar on June 21, 2018.
It is learned that on June 21, 2018, a campaign vehicle of HDP in Manisa was assaulted by anonymous people and it caused material damage.
It is learned from news coverage of June 21, 2018 that experts of The Supreme Board of Radio and Television ascertained that TRT Haber news channel, which should broadcast for public interest, has violated the principles of objectivity and accuracy of The Supreme Electoral Council.
[1] The reports on the human rights violations of the Documentation Center are claims unless they are certified. The claim of violation either is certified through thoroughly investigations of HRFT Documentation Center, including by judicial verdicts, and becomes a definite data or it is not included to the annual report.
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[5] Daily Human Rights Reports are prepared on the information gathered by the Documentation Center from its own network and the following dailies and internet portals: Vatan, Milliyet, Hürriyet, Habertürk, Evrensel, Birgün, Cumhuriyet, Fırat Haber Ajansı, ETHA, Dihaber, Yurt, Özgürlükçü Demokrasi, Ntv, Bianet.org, Halkinsesi.tv, Cnnturk, Alinteri, Kızılbayrak, Özgür Radyo, Sendika.org, El Cezire, BBC, Yüksekova Haber, T24, Diken, Gazete Karınca, Gazete Duvar.