Human Rights Foundation of Turkey Documentation Center[1][2][3][4][5]
14 March 2017 Daily Human Rights Report
(03/142) Human Rights Foundation of Turkey Cizre Representative Dr. Serdar Kuni on Trial…
Sırnak Heavy Penal Court No 2 started on 13 March 2017 hearing the case against Human Rights Foundation of Turkey Cizre Representative and former president of the Şırnak Medical Chamber Serdar Küni MD. Serdar Küni MD., who had been detained and tried with groundless allegations concerning his professional practices, participated the hearing via SEGBIS from Urfa T Type Prison.
Along with representatives of Turkish Medical Association and Medical Chambers of many cities, Trade Union of Public Employees in Health and Social Services, Human Rights Association, Bar and Lawyers Association; representatives of several human rights organizations from throughout the world, including Bjorn Oscar Hoftved from World Medical Association and Norwegian Medical Association, Susannah Sirkin from Physicians for Human Rights (PHR), Per Stadig from Stockholm-Red Cross Center for Tortured Refugees, Lutz Oette from School of Oriental and African Studies Law Department, Rudi Friedrich from War Resisters’ International (WRI) and Ernst Ludwig Iskenius from Physicians Group of Amnesty International Germany and International Physicians for the Prevention of Nuclear War (IPPNW) attended the hearing.
4 witnesses testified in the hearing. They stated that they were detained during curfew in Cizre, that they were subjected to torture and other ill-treatment in police custody to give false statement against Serdar Küni MD. and that they signed their statements without reading them.
Following the statements of the witnesses, the lawyers emphasized that he real target of this “trial” is national and international law and conventions, universal ethical principles of good medical practice and mainly human conscience and that a crime that cannot be committed is tried.
The court did not release Serdar Küni MD. on the grounds of “probability of escape” and adjourned the hearing to 24 April 2017. The secret witness will testify in the following hearing. The complaint of the lawyers about the ones who are responsible for the torture will be taken under consideration in the following hearing.
(03/143) Torture and other Ill-treatment in Prison…
Serafettin Yer and another prisoner, who are kept in Tekirdag F Type Prison No 2, were fined 2,500 TL and received a solitary confinement punishment for a week for breaking the camera which was placed in their room. They were also deprived of their right of communication. The prison prosecutor will, reportedly, sue them for harming public property.
Antalya Public Prosecutor’s Office give a decision of non-prosecution about the allegation of torture in Antalya L Type Prison. Prosecutor office gave Fuat Unver, Mehmet Aktas and Kazım Benek, the complainants, solitary confinement punishment for a day for ‘resisting naked search’
(03/144) Emergency Room Raided By the Police…
Police raided the emergency room of a hospital in Diyarbakır on 13 March 2017 to detain Mehmet Emin Aslan, a 67 years old man who had a heart attack and was being kept in the hospital. The police did not detain him due to the intervention of the doctor and started waiting at the entrance of the emergency room. No one, including his family members, was, reportedly, allowed to see him.
(03/145) Public Employee Detained in Istanbul…
Nazife Onay, who had been expelled via a Decree with the Force of Law, started a sit down action İstanbul. According to the news appeared in the press, a group, who were allegedly AKP members, attacked her and then she was detained by the police. During this incident, a Norwegian journalist was beaten because he was assumed to be Dutch.
(03/146) Detentions and Arrests…
13 members of Federation of Socialist Youth Associations (SGDF) were detained on 13 March 2017 in Canakkale. The names of the detainees are as follows: Devrim Karaca, Ozan Aksünger, Esra Gündoğdu, Neriman Uçak, Ali Haydar Aksu, Mustafa Yüce, Nazım Erip, Ayhan Metin, Zekiye Balık, Beser Yeklitaş, Bahar Sarıgül, Senem İgidücü and Aysel Masal.
(03/147) Persons Arrested for ‘Insulting the Head of State’…
I.V. was detained on 13 March 2017 in Nevsehir for ‘insulting the head of state’ in his social media shares. He was brought to court on the same day and was arrested.
H.H. was detained on 13 March 2017 in Tekirdag for ‘insulting the head of state’ in his social media shares. He was brought to court on the same day and was arrested.
(03/148) Detentions and Arrests in Connection with the Coup d’État Attempt…
14 persons, including academics from Sakarya University, who had been detained in Sakarya for using ByLock, were brought to court on 13 March 2017 and 9 of them were arrested.
(03/149) Dargecit JITEM Case…
Adiyaman Heavy Penal Court continued on 13 March 2017 hearing the case against 18 persons. The indictment wants the defendants to be sentenced for murder in the first degree.
In the hearing brothers of Seyah Dogan, Miskan Dogan and Kadri Dogan,brother of Nedim Akyon, Akyon, brother of Abdurrahman Coskun, Mehmet Coskun, daughter of Suleyman Seyhan, Fehime Celik, testified as witnesses.
The defendant Mehmet Tire, the then commander of the district gendarme, participated the hearing via SEGBIS. Although they were called the then Public Prosecutor and the then sub-governor of the district did not participate the hearing.
After the defenses and the testimonies, court judged that the prosecution will continue in case 2014/367 of the Ankara Heavy Penal Court No 5.
An investigation was opened about 18 persons, including the then District Gendarme Commander Mehmet Tire for the disappearances of 8 persons, including 3 children, who had been detained in Dargecit district of Mardin between 29 October 1995 and 8 March 1996 and of Bilal Batır, a sergeant who had informed their relatives.
(03/150) HDP MPs on Trial…
Urfa Heavy Penal Court No 5 continued on 13 March 2017 hearing the case against HDP Co-Chair Figen Yüksekdag. The indictment wants the defendant to be sentenced for a speech she had delivered at Suruc. Yuksekdag participated the hearing via SEGBIS from Kandıra F Type Prison. After the defenses, the court adjourned the hearing to 12 June 2017.
Urfa Heavy Penal Court No 5 continued on 13 March 2017 hearing the case against HDP Urfa MP Dilek Ocalan. The indictment wants the defendant to be sentenced for attending a funeral. Ocalan did not participate the hearing. The court adjourned the hearing to 12 June 2017.
Urfa Heavy Penal Court No 5 continued on 13 March 2017 hearing the case against HDP Urfa MP Ibrahim Ayhan. The indictment wants the defendant to be sentenced for his social media shares. Ayhan did not participate the hearing. The court adjourned the hearing to 12 June 2017.
(03/151) Co-Mayors on Trial…
Ercis Heavy Penal Court continued on 13 March 2017 hearing the case against 39 persons, including Co Mayors of Ercis. The indictment wants the defendants to be sentenced for attending the declaration of self-governance. Court sentenced the Co-Mayor to 13 years and 9 months imprisonment for ‘being a member of illegal organization’, ‘making propaganda of an illegal organization’ and ‘inciting people to commit a crime publicly.’ 24 defendants sentenced to imprisonment between 1 year and 5 years. 13 defendants were acquitted.
Diyarbakir Heavy Penal Court No 8 continued on 13 March 2017 hearing the case against Mehmet Ali Aydın, Co-Mayor of Kayapinar district of Diyarbakir. The indictment wants the defendant to be sentenced for ’being a member of an illegal organization’ and ‘making propaganda of an illegal organization.’ Aydin participated the hearing and testified. The court did not release him and adjourned the hearing to April 2017.
(03/152) Operations and Attacks in Southeast…
Hakkari Governorate declared on 13 March 2017 24 regions in Central District, Çukurca, Şemdinli and Yüksekova districts of Hakkari as “Special Security Regions” between 14 March 2017 and 28 March 2017.
(03/153) Constitutional Referendum…
Kocaköy District Election Board relocated on 13 March 2017 8 ballot boxes upon the request of Kocakoy Sub-Governorate.
A group which was, allegedly, from AKP attacked on 13 March 2017 a “No Stand” in the Ozgurluk Square in Bakırkoy district of Istanbul.
According to the news in press, the activities of Anatolian Youth Association, an association which is close to Felicity Party, were not permitted by governorates and sub-governorates. Felicty Party announced that they would vote for No in the upcoming constitutional referendum.
[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.