Human Rights Foundation of Turkey Documentation Center[1][2][3][4][5]
5 July 2019 Daily Human Rights Report
(07/062) Operations and Attacks in Southeast…
It is learned from the news coverage of July 4, 2019 that, 2 HPG militants died due to an air bombardment of Turkish Armed Forces to Zap area in Iraqi Kurdistan Regional Government on July 3, 2019.
(07/063) Person Died in Prison…
Family of İrfan Kılıç (32), a prisoner who died in Kandıra F Type Prison No 2 on July 3, 2019, made a declaration and denied the suicide allegation stating that the family will make an official complaint for investigation.
İrfan Kılıç’s brother stated the following on the news coverage of July 4, 2019: “When we saw İrfan we noticed that there were no burn marks on his body, his body hair was even unburnt. Besides this, we noticed a fissure from his chin to the ear. We could not say whether it was due to stabbing or bullet. When we asked to the prison prosecutor, he told us that İrfan was at the yard with two friends who came in around 17.00 but İrfan did not get in and there happened a brawl at the yard. (…) Then we wanted to meet prison director but we could not. They told us to wait for the forensic medicine report. We found out that İrfan was tortured at the yard for hours. His fingers and his head was fractured at several parts. Yesterday they called us and said ‘We took İrfan to the hospital and his condition is serious’. After one and half an hour they called me and said that İrfan died. However, he has died two days ago. His dead body was kept in prison for a day.”
(07/064) Allegation of Abduction in Istanbul…
It is learned from the news coverage of July 4, 2019 that, People’s Democratic Party (HDP) Youth Assembly member İkram Doğan was abducted by people who claim themselves as members of national intelligence service, on June 29, 2019 in Kadıköy district of Istanbul and that he was subjected to torture and ill-treatment in the woods where he was taken by them. It is reported that İkram Doğan had a medical report evidencing torture and applied to Human Rights Association (IHD) Istanbul branch.
İkram Doğan stated the following: “I left my house in the morning on July 29, Saturday, I went to HDP’s Kadıköy district office. I had my breakfast there. Around noon, I left the party office to go to Ataşehir. 4 people on the wayside pushed my head down and forced me to get into a car. They insulted me. We travelled by the car around 1 hour while I had to keep my head in between my legs. They abducted me. After a one hour drive they took me somewhere in the seaside and took my personal belongings there. And forced me to get into a grey transporter car (…) And they took me to some forestland. They got me off the car and swooped down on me. They beat me, tortured me, and threatened to kill. They said ‘We have disappeared many people here so far’.”
(07/065) 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 968 days to regain their jobs, intended to be held in front of Human Rights Monument in Yüksel Street on July 4, 2019 at 13.30, and at 18.00.
It was reported that during police intervention against the press declaration which was planned to be held at 13.30 on July 4, 2019, 2 people (İlker Işık and Nazan Bozkurt) and at 18.00 2 people (Nazan Bozkurt and Merve Demirel) were detained.
Thus in total 4 people were detained due to press declaration intended to be held in Yüksel Street on July 4, 2019. It is learned that detainees were released the same day.
(07/066) The Cases Against Academics Who Are the Signatories of the Petition “We will not be a party to this crime!”…
The separate cases against 4 academicians (Professor Murat Cemal Yalçıntan from Mimar Sinan Fine Arts University, Professor Hacer Ansal from Işık University, research assistant Refet Ali Yalçın from Boğaziçi University and Professor Mesut Yeğen from Şehir University) for signing the petition “We will not be a party to this crime!” on Istanbul Heavy Penal Court No 37 for ‘making propaganda for an illegal organisation’ are held on July 4, 2019. The court adjourned the trials of the cases against Murat Cemal Yalçıntan and Mesut Yeğen to September 12, 2019; the trial of the case against Hacer Ansal to October 30, 2019 and the trial of the case against Refet Ali Yalçın to December 28, 2019.
The case against Assoc. Professor Anıl Duman from Yaşar University for the same reason on Istanbul Heavy Penal Court No 13 is held on July 4, 2019. The court decided to wait for Constitutional Court’s decision on the appeal of academics for peace.
The case against PhD Engin Kılıç from Sabancı University for the same reason on Istanbul Heavy Penal Court No 26 is held on July 4, 2019. The court adjourned the trial to December 10, 2019.
(07/067) Journalist and Others on Trial in Şırnak…
The case against 19 people 9 of which are arrested including Ziya Ataman, reporter of Dicle News Agency which was closed down by a state of emergency decree, is held on Şırnak Heavy Penal Court No 1 on July 4, 2019. After defence hearings witnesses were heard at the trial. Witness Aytaç Yalman stated that he did not read the statement he signed at the police station and signed it under torture.
Ziya Ataman did not make his defence due to not having a Kurdish translator in the court room. It is learned that the prosecutor’s office declared the legal opinion and demanded sentence for 9 arrestees on the charges of ‘disrupting the unity and integrity of the state’, ‘wilful and planned murder of a public official due to its office’, ‘wilful damage of public belongings using explosive material’.
After defence and witness hearings the court decided to continue detention of 9 people and adjourned the trial to September 24, 2019.
Ziya Ataman was arrested on April 11, 2016.
(07/068) Journalist on Trial in Istanbul…
The final trial of the case against Cumhuriyet newspaper’s columnist Işıl Özgentürk, for her article “New generation head scarfed women” which was published on January 13, 2019, is held on Istanbul Penal Court of First Instance No 2 on July 4, 2019. The court sentenced Işıl Özgentürk to 1 year and 6 months for ‘inciting hatred and hostility among public and insulting public’ and did not suspend the verdict.
(07/069) Lawyer on Trial in Urfa…
The final trial of the case against lawyer Cemo Tüysüz on Urfa Heavy Penal Court No 6 is held on July 4, 2019. The court acquitted Cemo Tüysüz.
Cemo Tüysüz was arrested on December 12, 2018, on the grounds of ‘being an illegal organisation member’ and was released from prison on May 11, 2018.
(07/070) Medicine Faculty Students on Trial in Ankara…
The final trial of the case against 43 students of Hacettepe and Ankara universities, on the charge of ‘being an illegal organisation member’ is held on Ankara Heavy Penal Court No 4 on July 4, 2019. The court acquitted all defendants.
(07/071) Ankara JİTEM Case…
The case known as “Ankara JİTEM case” continued to be held on Ankara Heavy Penal Court No 1 on July 4, 2019.
The indictment demands jail sentence for defendants Mehmet Ağar, İbrahim Şahin, Korkut Eken, Ayhan Çarkın, Ayhan Akça, Ziya Bandırmalıoğlu, Ercan Ersoy, Ahmet Demirel, Ayhan Özkan, Seyfettin Lap, Enver Ulu, Uğur Şahin, Alper Tekdemir, Yusuf Yüksel, Abbas Semih Sueri, Lokman Külünk, Mahmut Yıldırım, Nurettin Güven, Muhsin Korman, on the charge of “committing murder as a part of activities of an armed organisation with the purpose of committing offences” for unidentified murders committed in an around Ankara between 1993 and 1996.
It is learned that another prosecutor is assigned for the case. The court adjourned the trial to September 20, 2019.
(07/072) Aladağ Dorm Fire Case…
The final trial of the case against 18 people, for the fire broke out in a school dorm of Aladağ Students’ Welfare Association (Aladağ Kurs ve Okul Talebeleri Yardım Derneği) where 11 children and 1 dorm staff died and 24 people were injured, is held on Kozan Heavy Penal Court on July 4, 2019. The fire has broken out in the dorm in Aladağ district of Adana on November 29, 2016.
The court sentenced İsmail Uğur, chair of the association, to 12 years and 2 months and 20 days; Cuma Ali Genç, principal of the dorm, to 11 years and 1 month and 10 days; and dorm employees Mahmut Deniz to 10 years, Mahir Kılıç, Mustafa Öztaş, Ramazan Dede and Ramazan Keleş to 8 years and 10 months and 20 days on the charge of ‘causing death or injury of more than one person with conscious negligence’. The court sentenced officials Bayram Aydın, Cihan Ünal, Davut Gökçeli, Mehmet Aktaş and Ramazan Arı from District Directorate of National Education, to 7 years and 15 days each for ‘misuse of public duty’ and deferred the announcement of the verdict. The court acquitted 6 defendants.
(07/073) Detentions and Arrests in Alleged Link to Coup Attempt…
On July 4, 2019, 16 people are detained in operations covering 14 cities through an Ankara based investigation on allegation of infraction and fraud in Police College Entrance Exam in 2009; 13 people are detained in operations covering 17 cities through an Ankara based investigation on allegation of infraction and fraud in Administrative Law Judge Exam in 2013; 11 people including military members on active duty are detained in operations covering 7 cities through a Konya based investigation.
(07/074) Trials in Alleged Link to Coup Attempt…
The case against Ahmet Taşkın, former member of The Supreme Court is held on July 4, 2019 on Penal Department No 9 of The Supreme Court. The court sentenced Ahmet Taşkın to 7 years and 6 months for ‘being an illegal organisation member’.
(07/075) Labor Killings…
Worker Health and Worker Safety Council (ISIG) revealed on July 4, 2019 that at least 124 workers including 6 children, 17 women, and 13 asylum seekers died while working in June 2019. According to ISIG data at least 840 workers died due to labor killings/labor accidents within the first 6 months of 2019.
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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, Jinnews, ETHA, Mezopotamya Ajansı, Yurt, Yeni Yaşam, NTV, Yeni Asya, Bianet, Halkinsesi.tv, Cnnturk, Tr724, İleri Haber, Siyasi Haber, Alınteri, Kızılbayrak, Sendika.org, Yüksekova Haber, T24, Diken, Gazete Karınca, Gazete Duvar. Haber Sol, El Cezire, BBC, Deutsche Welle, Reuters, AFP.