1 June 2016 Daily Human Rights Report
(06/001) Curfew in Nusaybin…
42 persons who were detained in Nusaybin district of Mardin after YPS’ announcement of withdrawing from the armed clashes were arrested on 31 May 2016 on the allegations of “being member of an illegal organisation” and “attempting to disrupt the unity and territorial integrity of the state”.
The names of the persons were announced as follows:
Fatma Aslan, Nurcan Aslan, Simanur Pamuk, Dilan Aslan, Çeçan Kilkaya, Baran Eman, Ercan Dolaşır, Deniz Kılıç, Heja Alğan, Şükrü Eybek, Barış Mutlu, Emre Topçuoğlu, Nurşan Demir, Yasemin Elkol, Medya Çınar, Azize Yıldırım, Bevar Başar, Hamit Acu, Tufan İlbaş, Dilber Tanrıkulu, Ramazan Eroğlu, Şeyhmus Koç, Mehmet Ziriğ, Abdulkadir Baybars, Recep Yel, Sadık Tan, Bayram Sevgim, Zübeyir Taylan, Mehmet Faruk Engin, Osman Bozkurt, Ömer Karataş, Fırat Dari, Mahsun Çay, Enes Taşkın, Mazlum Yaşa, İbrahim Halil Ildız, Rojhat Aydın, Mehmet Tahir, Özgür Sevim, Hicran Berna Ayverdi, Nubahar Özdemir, Akar İkbal.
Fırat Çiftçi, İbrahim Halil Karataş, Resul Ergün, Osman Uçar, Melis Teksan, Oktay Gül, Akar İkbal, Erkan Benli, Onur Yılmaz, Nurullah Akyüz whose interrogations were completed on 1 June 2016 were also arrested for the same allegations.
25 persons were arrested in Nusaybin on 28 May 2016 for the same allegations.
(06/002) Operations and Attacks in the Southeast…
The bodies of 2 YPS members were found buried during the operations conducted on 31 May 2016 in Yenişehir quarter of Nusaybin district in Mardin.
2 soldiers were reportedly wounded during the armed clashes on 1 June 2016 in İdil district of Şırnak.
1 soldier who was heavily wounded during an armed clash in Şemdinli district of Şırnak died on 1 June 2016 in the hospital.
(06/003) Uğur Kurt Case…
Çağlayan (İstanbul) Heavy Penal Court No 14 continued on 31 May 2016 to hear the case against the police officer Sezgin Korkmaz launched for killing Uğur Kurt in Şişli district of İstanbul. The indictment wants the defendant to be sentenced to a term of imprisonment up to 25 years for “possible intentional killing”.
After the presentations of the lawyers and examination of crime scene footages, the court rejected the arrest of the defendant and adjourned the hearing to 25 October 2016.
On 22 May 2014, the police intervened a group of protesters in Okmeydanı quarter of Şişli district in İstanbul. Uğur Kurt who was in the garden of Djemevi for a funeral was shot at his throat during the intervention. He was hospitalised, but died in the hospital in the evening. The Forensic Institute issued a report certifying that the bullet which killed Uğur Kurt was fired from the weapon of the police officer Sezgin Korkmaz who was in charge at Anti-Terror branch.
(06/004) Torture and Ill-treatment in Custody…
76 persons who were detained in Nusaybin district of Mardin after YPS’ announcement of withdrawing from the armed clashes were reportedly subjected to torture and ill-treatment in custody.
The detainees announced that they were given food while the cameras were recording, but the police took all the food back when the recording was over. They were reportedly put bags on their heads; they were subjected to hair tear and their fingers were broken. The detainees were also forced to testify against themselves. An official complaint was issued against the security forces.
(06/005) Children on Trial in Antalya…
Antalya Heavy Penal Court No 2 started on 31 May 2016 to hear the case against 15 children launched after the house raids conducted in August 2015 in Antalya. The indictment wants the children to be sentenced for “making propaganda of an illegal organisation”.
Public Prosecutor stated wearing local clothing during wedding celebrations as evidence in the indictment.
After the identification of the defendants, the court adjourned the hearing to 27 September 2016 for the completion of testimonies.
(06/006) Person on Trial on the Allegations of Insulting the State President…
According to the news appeared in the press on 31 May 2016, İstanbul Penal Court of First Instance No 2 concluded to hear the case against retired Rear Admiral Türker Ertürk launched on charges of “insulting the State President” on his column published in the daily Aydınlık on 4 March 2015. The court sentenced the defendant to 11 months and 20 days’ imprisonment. The sentence was commuted to TL 10,500.
(06/007) Protest Intervened in İzmir…
The police prevented a group of People’s Houses (Halkevleri) members who wanted to open a placard saying “We will not let a thief to eat the bread which Berkin could not buy (Berkin’in alamadığı ekmeği hırsıza yedirtmeyiz)” to protest in the visit of State President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and Prime Minister Binali Yıldırım to İzmir on 31 May 2016. 6 persons were detained during the intervention. Berkin Elvan was shot at his head with a tear gas canister during Gezi Park demonstrations in İstanbul when he was going to buy bread for breakfast and died on 11 March 2014 after 9 months of being in coma.
(06/008) Gezi Park Trials…
Antalya Juvenile Court No 13 concluded on 31 May 2016 to hear the case against 9 children launched in connection with a Gezi Park demonstration staged in Antalya.
After the final defence as to the accusations, the court acquitted all the defendants on the grounds that elements of crime were not materialised. The indictment wanted the defendants to be sentenced for “violating the Law on Meetings and Demonstrations”, “damaging public property” and “revisiting security forces”.
(06/009) Protesters on Trial in Ağrı…
Ağrı Heavy Penal Court continued on 31 May 2016 to hear the case against 14 public servants launched for taking part in a demonstration staged in Ağrı to protest in the Massacre in Suruç. The public servants were dismissed from duty by the Governor of Ağrı. The indictment wants the defendants to be sentenced for “committing crime in the name of an illegal organisation without being a member of the organisation” and “making propaganda of an illegal organisation”.
After the testimonies of the defendants, the court adjourned the hearing to 23 June 2016 for the preparation of Public Prosecutor’s opinion as to the accusations.
(06/010) Persons on Trial in İstanbul…
İstanbul Heavy Penal Court No 13 started on 31 May 2016 to hear the case against 37 persons including 10 remanded defendants including bookkeepers of Peoples’ Democratic Party (HDP) İstanbul and several district organisations. The case was launched after the operations conducted on 18 January 2016 in İstanbul and the indictment wants the defendants to be sentenced for “financially supporting PKK”.
After the identification and first testimonies of the defendants, the court decided to release the defendants Ömer Aşkara, Abubekir Bakır, Osman Nuri Baymaz, Mustafa Demir, Gani Önal, Sıddık Koçgürbüz, Zeki Çelik, Hüseyin Gök, Cuma Yaşar, Burhanettin Büdüş to be tried without remand with judicial control decision. The court adjourned the hearing to 25 October 2016.
(06/011) Detentions and Arrests…
Socialist Party of the Oppressed (ESP) Party Assembly member Münevver İltemur was detained on 31 May 2016 in Kürecik village of Akçadağ district in Malatya on the grounds that there was an arrest warrant issued against her.
The police conducted raids on 31 May 2016 against the premises of Peoples’ Democratic Party (HDP) and several houses. 11 persons were detained during the operations.
Free-lance journalist Emin Demir was arrested on 31 May 2016 on the allegations of “making propaganda of an illegal organisation” with the messages shared on facebook and twitter.
2 persons were detained during a road control on 31 May 2016 in Yüksekova district of Hakkari where night curfew was imposed.
Musa Çelen (61) who was detained on a control point in Pülümür district of Tunceli was arrested on 31 May 2016 on the allegations of “aiding an illegal organisation” relying on the foodstuff he was possessing