8-10 July 2015 Daily Human Rights Report
(07/057) Journalists on Trial…
On 8 April 2015, Public Prosecutor in İstanbul indicted Ceyda Karan and Hikmet Çetinkaya, journalists with daily Cumhuriyet, for publishing cartoons of Charlie Hebdo on their columns on 14 January 2015
Çağlayan (İstanbul) Penal Court of First Instance No 2 started on 9 July 2015 to hear the case. The indictment wants the journalists to be sentenced according to the Article 216 TPC for “degrading religious values of people”. The defendants did not appear at the hearing and the court adjourned the hearing to 12 October 2015 to take the testimonies of the defendants.
(07/058) Worker’s Actions Intervened in Batman and Adana…
The workers who were fired for being members of the union in the oil sector Petrol-İş in Batman and Adıyaman occupied the drilling rigs on 9 July 2015. The police intervened the occupation and detained 7 workers.
(07/059) Worker’s Action Intervened in Bursa…
The workers who were fired from Nestle Factory for being members of the union in the food sector Tek Gıda-İş continued their action on 9 July 2015 in front of the factory in Karacabey district of Bursa.
The police intervened the tents of the workers and detained 14 workers.
(07/060) Investigations, Detentions and Arrests on the Allegations of Insulting State President…
Onur Ö. (27) and Yasin T. (32) were detained on 3 July 2015 in İzmir on the allegations of singing along an allegedly abusive football chant against Recep Tayyip Erdoğan. They were reportedly detained when someone send the video recordings of the incident to the police.
Onur Ö. (27) and Yasin T. (32) were arrested on the allegations of “insulting State President”.
(07/061) Death in Custody in Gaziantep…
According to the news appeared in the press on 8 July 2015, Mehmet Kelbakla who was detained on 21 June 2015 in Gaziantep for violence against his wife died in Şahinbey Police Station. The police reportedly denied Mehmet Kelbakla was detained before announcing his death.
Mehmet Kelbakla reportedly called his friends from the police station to inform them about the detention. When his friends came to the station, the police denied the detention. But the next day, the police called the family and that Mehmet Kelbakla died. Although he was very drunk, he was kept in police station instead of being taken to hospital.
(07/062) Protest Attacked in Hakkari…
The soldiers intervened the villagers who wanted to protest in the dispatching military troops on the border on 8 July 2015 in Çığlı village of Çukurca district in Hakkari. Soldiers used tear gas and real bullets to disperse the villagers. 20 villagers were detained during the intervention.
(07/063) Racist Attack in Ankara…
The racists attacks against far eastern related to the actions staged to protest in the pressures in Xingjian region of China continued all over the Turkey. Grey wolves gathered in front of Thailand Embassy in Ankara on 9 July 2015 to protest in the deportation of Uygurs from Thailand to China. A female far eastern tourist was also attacked by the group.
Thailand Honorary Consulate in İstanbul was also attacked on the night of 8 July 2015. The attackers entered the building and damaged goods and documents in the building.
(07/064) House Raids in Şanlıurfa…
The police conducted house raids on 8 July 2015 in Ceylanpınar district of Şanlıurfa and detained Democratic Society Congress (DTK) delegates Ayşe Bozan and Ahmet Özgür Dağ.
(07/065) House Raids in Van…
The police conducted house raids on 8 July 2015 in Edremit and İpekyol districts of Van and detained 8 persons on the allegations of “being member of an illegal organisation”.
(07/066) Death in Prison…
Altay Gökhan Gülsün (36) incarcerated in Bursa E-type Prison for being convicted in a murder case and suffering from lung cancer died on 6 July 2015 in Muradiye State Hospital.
(07/067) Person on Trial on the Allegations of Insulting State President…
According to the news appeared in the press on 7 July 2015, Bolu Penal Court of First Instance No 1 concluded to hear the case against the teacher U.K. launched for the expression s/he used against the State President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan.
The court acquitted the defendant on the grounds that the elements of crime were not materialised. The indictment wanted the defendant to be sentenced according to the Article 299 TPC for “insulting the State President”.
(07/068) Uğur Kantar Case…
Turkish Peace Forces Military Court in Cyprus concluded on 8 July 2015 to hear the case against the guards Ayhan Arslan, Fırat Keser, Süleyman Özdoğan, Özkan Belmen, Ahmet Yurdusevdi, and Warden of the Prison Ayhan Şentürk concerning the killing of the private Uğur Kantar on 12 October 2011 under torture in Cyprus while he was serving for compulsory military service. Uğur Kantar lost his consciousness on 25 July October 2011 after the torture he was subjected in Cyprus and died on 12 October 2011 in GATA military hospital in Ankara.
The court sentenced Ayhan Arslan and Fırat Keser, who were guards of the correction prison, to life imprisonment for “heavy torture considering consequences”. The court acquitted the guards Süleyman Özdoğan, Özkan Belmen, Ahmet Yurdusevdi and Recep Tekin.
In his opinion as to the accusations at the previous hearing on 13 May 2015, the Public Prosecutor demanded Ayhan Arslan and Fırat Keser to be sentenced to life imprisonment for “heavy torture considering consequences”, the guards Süleyman Özdoğan, Özkan Belmen, Ahmet Yurdusevdi and Recep Tekin to be sentenced to terms of imprisonment for “misconduct of duty”, and Warden of the Prison Ayhan Şentürk to be sentenced to terms of imprisonment for “neglect of duty”. Lawyers of Uğur Kantar’s family objected the demands of the Public Prosecutor at the hearing.
(07/069) Persons Beaten by the Police…
According to the news appeared in the press on 8 July 2015, Eyhan İlhan who objected police officers for beating his son Kadir İlhan on the grounds of not having an ID was also beaten by the police.
(07/070) House Raids in Diyarbakır…
F.Ç.who was detained during house raids conducted in Sur district of Diyarbakır was arrested on 8 July 2015 on the allegations of “being member of an illegal organisation”.
(07/071) Case of Disappearances in Kulp…
On 8 July 2015, Ankara Heavy Penal Court No 7 continued to hear the case against retired Major General Yavuz Ertürk launched in connection with the disappearances of 11 villagers after having been detained in October 1993 in villages of in Muş and Diyarbakır provinces.
The only defendant of the case Yavuz Ertürk testified at the hearing to the effect that he had been ordered “to clean the region”. Bolu Commando Brigade which was asked to provide documents related to the operations rejected the demand of the court on the grounds that all the documents were damaged during a flood.
The court rejected the demand for the arrest of the defendant and adjourned the hearing to 8 December 2015.
The case was transferred to Ankara upon demand of the defendant retired Major General Yavuz Ertürk’s lawyer for security reason. Yavuz Ertürk had been the Commander of Bolu 2nd Commando Brigade on the day of the incident and the Brigade had conducted operations between 8 and 25 October 1993 against the Kepir, Gurnik, Mezire, Pireş and Şuşan hamlets of Kulp district in Muş and Licik hamlet of Muş.
(07/072) MP and Journalists Beaten in Şırnak…
Ferhat Encü, People’s Democratic Party (HDP) MP for Şırnak, was beaten by the soldiers on 7 July 2015 when he went to Roboski village in Uludere district of Şırnak to monitor the recent developments and pressures in the village. The soldiers reportedly called Ferhat Encü “terrorist, bandit” and “You are not our MP, we did not vote for you”. The soldiers also beat Mahmut Oral, journalist with the daily Cumhuriyet, for recording the incident.
The soldiers reportedly opened fire and threw tear gas against a vehicle. Ferhat Encü, Dicle News Agency correspondents Özgür Aksoy and Faruk Encü, journalists İbrahim Yaylalı and Meral Geylani were in the vehicle.
(07/073) Protesters Acquitted…
Çağlayan (İstanbul) Heavy Penal Court concluded on 15 June 2015 to hear the case against Ş.C.S. (19) and B.K. (20) launched on charges of “making propaganda of an illegal organisation” and “violating the Law on Meetings and Demonstrations”.
The defendants were among 3 persons who opened a placard on Taksim Square on 5 January 2015 on the birthday of Berkin Elvan who was killed by the police with a tear gas canister during Gezi Park demonstrations.
The court acquitted the defendants on the grounds of lack of evidence. At the previous hearing, the court asked the General Directorate of Security whether Revolutionary High School Students (DEV-LİS) was an illegal organisation as it was described in the indictment.