27-31 October 2015 Daily Human Rights Report
(10/108) Journalists Killed in Şanlıurfa…
Syrian Journalists İbrahim Abdulkadir and Firas Hammadi were found beheaded on 30 October 2015 in Şanlıurfa. IS/ISIS claimed the executions.
(10/109) Operations and Attacks in the Southeast…
A militant was reportedly killed during the operations conducted on 30 October 2015 in Hakkari.
A militant was reportedly killed during the armed clash that broke out on 31 October 2015 nearby Alacak village of Tunceli.
(10/110) Suspicious Private Death in Muş…
Serdal Karapucak (20) who was serving for the compulsory military service in Malazgirt district of Muş allegedly committed suicide on 29 October 2015 by shooting himself.
(10/111) Ekrem Kaçeroğlu Case…
İzmir Heavy Penal Court No 8 continued on 27 October 2015 to hear the case against 4 persons without remand launched in connection with lynching Ekrem Kaçaroğlu (38). The indictment wants the defendants Reşit A. (29), Kubilay A. (19), Suat D. and Murat K. (27) to be sentenced to life imprisonment for “intentional killing” according to the Article 81 TPC.
Ekrem Kaçaroğlu (38) who was shot and heavily wounded by the police on 7 October 2014 during a demonstration in Bornova district of İzmir was lynched by civilians. He died on 19 October 2014 at the hospital.
The court rejected the demand for the arrest of the defendants, but ordered them to be forcibly taken to the next hearing. The court took the same decision at the previous hearing. The court adjourned the hearing to 12 January 2016.
(10/112) Medeni Yıldırım Case…
Lice (Diyarbakır) Heavy Peanl Court started on 27 October 2015 to hear the case against one soldier launched for the killing of Medeni Yıldırım on 28 June 2013 during a demonstration against the construction of a new gendarmerie outpost in the Kayacik village of Lice district in Diyarbakır.
The court adjourned the hearing to 8 December 2015 on the grounds that the judges did not examine the case files.
(10/113) Özgür Arda Case…
Diyarbakır Heavy Penal Court No 7 concluded to hear the case against the police officer Mehmet Fatih Korkmaz launched on charges of killing Özgür Arda (30). Though the indictment wanted the defendant to be sentenced for intentional killing, the court sentenced him to 1 year 4 months and 20 days’ imprisonment reckless killing after the final defence and the presentations of the lawyers. The court also suspended the sentence on the grounds that the court did not have the opinion that the convict would commit crime again.
According to the news appeared in the press on 29 October 2015, the Court of Cassation quashed the verdict relying on the demand of the Chief Public Prosecutor at the Court of Cassation. Chief Public Prosecutor argued that the defendants should have been sentenced to a term of imprisonment up to 25 years.
On 22 December 2012, Özgür Arda was shot to death from behind in Sur district of Diyarbakır for not obeying stop warning. He was on the run after escaping from Ceyhan (Adana) M-type Prison.
(10/114) Death in Prison…
According to the news appeared in the press on 31 October 2015, Mesut Orakçı (38) incarcerated in Kürkçüler (Adana) E-type Prison for an ordinary crime found dead in his cell. He allegedly had a heart attack.
(10/115) Person Convicted for Insulting the State President…
According to the news appeared in the press on 26 October 2015, Adana Penal Court of First Instance No 5 concluded to hear the case against Naim Yalçınel launched for insulting State President with a twit he shared on social media.
The court sentenced Naim Yalçınel to 1 year 2 months and 17 days’ imprisonment under the Article 299 TPC.
(10/116) Papers and TV Channels Seized…
The Turkish authorities appointed a trustee to take over management of Koza İpek Holding which owns media outlets that are critical of the government. After the decision, the police raided and seized the TV stations Bugün and Kanaltürk on 28 October 2015 in Mecidiyeköy quarter of İstanbul. The police also beat the workers when they objected the incident. The workers were also detained by being handcuffed from behind. The papers Bugün and Millet were also raided on the same day. The TV stations went off the air upon order of the trustee. The trustee also decided to stop publication of the papers for 29 October 2015.
(10/117) Children on Trial on allegations of Insulting the State President…
According to the news appeared in the press on 28 October 2015, a court case was launched against the children R.Y. (12) and R.T. (13) upon permission of the Ministry of Justice on charges of “insulting the State President” for tearing a poster of the State President in Diyarbakır.
The indictment wants the children to be sentenced a term of imprisonment up to 2 years and 4 months. The indictment also wanted the children to be placed in a foster home according to the Law on Children Protection. Diyarbakır Juvenile Court No 1 will start to hear the case ob 8 December 2015.
(10/118) Persons on Trial on allegations of Insulting the State President…
Eskişehir Penal Court of First Instance No 2 started on 20 October 2015 to hear the case against the students Yusuf Sami Özten and Çağla Safyürek in connection with the placard “Dictators are overthrown on the streets” they put up on 23 September 2014 in Eskişehir Anadolu University campus.
After the identification of the defendants, the court acquitted the defendants on the grunds that the placard was within the limits of political criticism. The case was launched upon permission of the Ministry of Justice and the indictment wanted the defendants to be sentenced according to the Article 299 TPC for “insulting State President”.
(10/119) Protest Intervened in İstanbul…
The police prevented 4 persons who wanted to open a placard on 27 October 2015 in front of the Prime Minister’s Office in Dolmabahçe Palace to protest in the massacre in Ankara on 10 October 2015. Protesters were detained under beatings.
(10/120) Political Party HQ Attacked in İstanbul…
People’s Republican Party (CHP) headquarters in Ankara was organised an armed attack by on 26 October 2015. The attack caused material damage. The attacker was detained after the attack, but released after testifying with the Public Prosecutor.
(10/121) Operations throughout Turkey…
The police conducted house raids on 26 and 27 October 2015 in several cities against the executives and members of Peoples’ Democratic Party (HDP) and Democratic Regions Party (DBP). 13 persons n Elazığ, 13 persons in Aydın, and 7 persons in İzmir were detained during the operations.
Mehmet Serhat Polatsoy who detained in Diyarbakır for twits he shared and released after testifying was detained again during a house raid. A police dog reportedly bit his wife’s leg during the raid. Mehmet Serhat Polatsoy was arrested afterwards.
HDP Co-Chair for central district in Elazığ province Ramazan Demirel was arrested on 27 October 2015 on the allegations of “aiding an illegal organisation” and “making propaganda of an illegal organisation”. 3 persons including a child were arrested in Adana on 27 October 2015 on the allegations of “being member of an illegal organisation” and “making propaganda of an illegal organisation”. Ozan Şen, Kadir Emre and Yunus Emre were arrested in Ağrı on the allegations of “being member of an illegal organisation”.
5 persons who were among 8 persons detained during the operations on 28 October 2015 in Tatvan district of Bitlis were arrested on the allegations of “being member of an illegal organisation” and “making propaganda of an illegal organisation”. Zana Çoban was also arrested in Bulanık district of Muş for the same reasons.
3 persons including 2 Italians were detained during the operations in Silvan district of Diyarbakır on 28 October 2015. In Mardin, 3 persons in Midyat district, 4 persons in Nusaybin district, 4 persons in Dargeçit district and 4 persons in Artuklu district were also detained on the same day. 8 persons n Bursa, 1 person in Bingöl, 3 persons in Digor district of Kars, 9 persons in Erzurum, 22 students in Mersin, and 1 person in Iğdır were detained during the operations.
4 detainees were arrested in Mardin on 31 October 2015 on the allegations of “being member of an illegal organisation”.
23 persons who were detained during operations in Siirt were arrested on 28 October 2015 on the allegations of “being member of an illegal organisation”. 4 persons were also arrested for the same reason in Tuzla district f Iğdır.
5 persons who were among 8 persons detained in Bursa were arrested on 29 October 2015 on the allegations of “being member of an illegal organisation”.
Gazi Duran, Ahmet Özer and İbrahim Cengiz were arrested in Van on 28 October 2015 on the allegations of “being member of an illegal organisation”.
Erciş Co-Mayor Diba Keskin who was arrested on 15 October 2015 on the allegations of “disrupting the unity and territorial integrity of the state by taking part in the declaration of self-governance” and transferred to Sincan (Ankara) Women’s Prison was suspended from duty on 28 October 2015 by the Ministry of Interior Affairs.
9 persons in Bulanık district of Muş and 8 persons in Gaziantep were arrested during the operations conducted on 31 October 2015.
Deniz Aytaç was arrested on 31 October 2015 in İzmir on the allegations of “being member of an illegal organisation”. 7 students who were among 22 students detained in Mersin, 3 persons in Uludere distict of Şırnak, and Düzgün Akçiçek in Tunceli were also arrested on 31 October 2015 on the allegations of “being member of an illegal organisation.