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18 March 2016 HRFT Daily Human Rights Report

18 March 2016 Daily Human Rights Report

(03/137) Curfew in Bağlar…

The curfew in Kaynartepe quarter of Bağlar district of Diyarbakır reached its 4th day as of 18 March 2016. The curfew was imposed after the clashes on 14 March 2016.

Security Forces continued operations in the quarter with tanks. The bodies of 3 persons were found on 17 March 2016, the persons were shot at head to death. 2 of the persons were reportedly identified as Ömer Altun and Bedrettin Tuğrul. The third person was alleged to be mentally retarded person called “Deli Hiko (Hiko the Lunatic)”.

(03/138) Curfew in Şırnak…

The curfew in Şırnak imposed at 11.00pm on 14 March 2016 and the operations with tanks continues.

Naif Tatar (65) was reportedly wounded when a house was bombed by a tank on 17 March 2016 in Dicle quarter. Naif Tatar could not be hospitalised due to the on-going clashes

(03/139) Curfew in Cizre…

The night-curfew in in Cizre district of Şırnak reached its 18 day as of 18 March 2016.

21 bodies including 12 unidentified ones were buried on 17 March 2016 in the cemetery in Yasef quarter.

Hüseyin Kayaalp (16) whose body was kept in the temporary Forensic Institute in Habur Border Gate was identified by his family on 17 March 2016. His body was taken to Cizre for funeral.

4 more bodies were reportedly identified and taken by their families on 17 March 2016. The names of the persons were announced as Aydın Güner, Abdullah Özgül, Meryem Akyol, Ramazan Biriman.

(03/140) Curfew in Sur…

The curfew in Sur district of Diyarbakır reached its 99th day as of 18 March 2016.

Sub-Governorate of Sur imposed curfew on 17 March 2016 on Buzcular street, Buzcular-1 street, Eski Yoğurt Pazarı street, Çiftehan street in Savaş quarter; partially on Bıyıklı Mehmet Paşa street and Orta Karataş street in Dabanoğlu quarter.

(03/141) Person Killed by the Police in Batman

According to the news appeared in the press on 17 March 2016, 2 women who were killed by the Security Forces during the operations on 15 March 2016 in Aydınlıkevler quarter of Batman were announced as Dicle University Medical School student Ruşen Altun and Menekşe Ergün (Roza Botan).

After the identification of the person as Menekşe Ergün, the body which was previously identified as Menekşe Ergün in Cizre and taken by her family turned to be someone else.

(03/142) House Raids in Diyarbakır…

According to the news appeared in the press on 17 March 2016, the person who was killed during a house raid on 14 March 2016 in Kayapınar district of Diyarbakır was announced to be HPG militant Beşti Tasalı (Rizgar Çewlik).

Mahmut Zerif was also wounded when Security Forces opened fire during the raid was reportedly hospitalised.

(03/143) Lice Massacre and Bahtiyar Aydın Cinayeti Case…

İzmir Heavy Penal Court No 1 continued on 17 March 2016 to hear the case launched in connection with the killings of 14 civilians, one soldier and Gendarmerie Regional Commander Brigadier General Bahtiyar Aydın. Retired Colonel Eşref Hatipoğlu who was gendarmerie commander in Diyarbakır on the day of the incident is the only defendant in this case, since the other defendant Lieutenant Tünay Yanardağ died.

The defendant testified at the hearing to the effect that he only carried out the orders just like the commanders of the on-going operations. After the cross-examination, the court adjourned the hearing to 23 June 2016.

Gendarmerie Regional Commander Brigadier General Bahtiyar Aydın went to Lice district of Diyarbakır for investigation right after the incident which led to killing of 14 civilians and 1 soldier in 1993. He was shot to death in the garden of the gendarmerie station by an unidentified assassin.

The case launched in connection with the killing of Brigadier General Bahtiyar Aydın was transferred to Eskişehir Heavy Penal Court No 1 for security reasons. Eskişehir Heavy Penal Court No 1 took the decision of non-jurisdiction on the grounds that the court was not specially authorized court. 5th Penal Chamber at the Court of Cassation sent the files of the case to İzmir Heavy Penal Court on 24 February 2014.

İzmir Heavy Penal Court No 1 decided on 13 June 2014 to suspend to hear the case of Bahtiyar Aydın’s killing to ask for permission from Ministry of Justice to investigate retired Colonel Eşref Hatipoğlu and Lieutenant Tünay Yanardağ. The Supreme Board of Judges and Prosecutors denied on 29 January 2015 the court’s decision to suspend the trial.

(03/144) Pressures in Prisons…

According to the news appeared in the press on 17 March 2016, 12 prisoners incarcerated in Diyarbakır D-type Prison were transferred to Şakran (İzmir) L-type Prison.

(03/145) Web Site Banned…

On 17 March 2016, Telecommunication Communication Directorate (TİB) banned access to the new domain of Dicle News Agency (DİHA). The number of the banned domains of DİHA reached 33.

On 17 March 2016, Telecommunication Communication Directorate (TİB) banned access to the new domain “sendika10.org” of the web portal sendika.org. The number of the banned domains of sendika.org reached 11.

According to the news appeared in the press on 17 March 2016, access to the domain “demokrathaber.net” of the web portal Demokrat Haber was also banned.

(03/146) Academic on Trial in Ankara…

Ankara Penal Court of First Instance No 35 continued on 17 March 2015 to hear the case against academician Sibel Özbudun launched on charges of “inciting people to commit crime”. The case was launched for sharing a poem of Can Yücel on social media: “I want this country to separate into two: lickspittle, arsehole, and partisan people on the one side; honourable, dignified, labourer, and patriotic people on the other. (Ülke bölünsün istiyorum; yandaş, yalaka ve yavşaklar bir tarafa; onurlu, şerefli, emekçi ve vatansever insanlar bir tarafa)” The court acquitted the defendant on the grounds that the elements of crime did not materialise.

(03/147) Columnist on Trial on the Allegations of Insulting the State President…

Çağlayan (İstanbul) Penal Court of First Instance No 2 continued on 17 March 2016 to hear the case against Ender İmrek, columnist with the daily Evrensel, launched in connection with expressions he used against State President in a column he wrote concerning the ban on publications regarding the parliamentary commission for corruption allegations dating 29 November 2014. The indictment wants the defendant to be sentenced according to the Article 299 TPC.

After the testimony of Ercan İmrek, the court adjourned the hearing to 16 June 2016 for the preparation of final defence as to the accusations.

(03/148) Columnist on Trial on the Allegations of Insulting the State President…

Bakırköy (İstanbul) Penal Court of First Instance No 2 started on 17 March 2016 to hear the case against Ertuğrul Özkök, columnist with the daily Hürriyet, launched on charges of “insulting the State President through media” with his column dating 3 September 2015.

Ertuğrul Özkök testified at the hearing to the effect that he did not intend to insult the State President and he referred to Beshar Assad in his column with the word “dictator”. The court adjourned the hearing to later date for completion of deficient documents.

(03/149) Newroz Celebrations…

Bans on Newroz celebration continued on 17 March 2016.

Governorates and Sub-governorates of İzmir, Gaziantep, Ardahan, Antalya, Eruh (Siirt), Kurtalan (Siirt), Baykan (Siirt) and Şirvan announced on 17 March 2016 that Newroz celebrations were banned.

The police intervened the Newroz celebration of Akdeniz niversity students in Antalya and detained 15 students under beatings.

The police also prevented Anadolu University students in Eskişehir who wanted to gather for Nerwroz celebration. 2 persons were detained during the police intervention.

(03/150) Unionists on Trial for 1 May Celebrations…

Çağlayan (İstanbul) Penal Court of First Instance No 21 concluded on 17 March 2016 to hear the case against 3 unionists launched after the police attacks during 1 May celebrations in İstanbul on 1 May 2015

After the Public Prosecutor’s opinion as to the accusations, the court acquitted the defendants DİSK Genel Sekreteri Arzu Çerkezoğlu, KESK Eş Genel Başkanı Lami Özgen, ve TTB Merkez Konseyi üyesi Hüseyin Demirdizen

The indictment wanted the defendants for “violating the Law on Meetings and Demonstrations”.

(03/151) Persons on Trial for Self-Governance Declaration…

Diyarbakır Heavy Penal Court No 4 continued on 17 March 2016 to hear the case against 8 persons including remanded defendants Co-Mayor in Silvan district of Diyarbakır province Yüksel Bodakçı, İsa Yanık and Hayati Cesur. The case was launched in connection with the self-governance declarations.

The indictment wants the defendants to be sentenced to life imprisonment for “disrupting the unity and territorial integrity of the state” according to the Article 302 TPC. After the testimonies of present defendants, the court decided to release 3 defendants to be tried without remand and adjourned the hearing to 10 May 2016.

The defendants were arrested on 23 August 2015 after the self-governance declaration. Co-Mayor of Silvan district Yüksel Bodakçi and Co-Mayor of Sur district Seyid Narin were dismissed from duty on 24 August 2015 by the Ministry of Interior Affairs.

(03/152) Mayor on Trial for Self-Governance Declaration…

Co-Mayor of Çatak district in Van province Evin Keve was reportedly dismissed from duty on 17 March 2016 by the Ministry of Interior Affairs. The Mayor was arrested on 3 January 2016 in connection with self-governance declaration.

(03/153) Detentions and Arrests…

The police raided a hotel on 17 March 2016 in Kars and detained Democratic Regions Party (DBP) Co-Chair Kamuran Yüksek who was in Kars to take part in the Newroz celebrations. After testifying in connection with an investigation, Kamuran Yüksek was released.

The police raided Peoples’ Democratic Party (HDP) premises and several houses in Van and reportedly detained 19 persons including DBP Co-Chair for the province Caziye Duman and Ökkeş Kava.

9 persons including HDP and DBP Co-Chair for the province were detained during the operations in Adıyaman.

Mehmet Kılıçtepe, Abbas Yıldız and Hüseyin Yılmaz who were among 4 persons detained during house raids in Elazığ were arrested on 17 March 2016 on the allegations of “being member of an illegal organisation”.

During the operations throughout Turkey on 17 March 2016, HDP Co-Chair for Şehzadeler district in Manisa Province Sami Bilgir and HDP Co-Chair for Yunus Emre district Yıldırım Polat; 8 students in Salihli district of Manisa, 8 persons in Muş; 5 persons in Bursa; father of KJA activist Berjin Demirkaya who was killed in Cizre district Mevlüt Demirkaya and her sister Mehtap Demirkaya in Tekman district of Erzurum were detained.

The police conducted house raids in Bingöl and detained 11 DBP members. 6 detainees were arrested on 17 March 2016 relying on the testimonies of “anonymous witness”.

3 members of Sarya music group Kadir Kuş, Yılmaz Tekeş and Hamza Atagan were arrested on 17 March 2016 on the allegation of “making propaganda of an illegal organisation”. They were detained after a concert organised as a part of Newroz celebration on 15 March 2016 in Şirinevler quarter of Yıldırım district in Bursa.