Human Rights Foundation of Turkey Documentation Center[1][2][3][4][5]
20 April 2018 Daily Human Rights Report
(04/226) Operations and Attacks in Southeast…
It is learned from news coverage of April 20, 2018 that 3 militants died in a clash between security forces and HPG militants in Tunceli on March 31, 2018.
(04/227) Military Operation to Afrin…
It is learned that during the Turkish Armed Forces operation to Afrin 1 soldier died on April 19, 2018.
(04/228) Prisoner’s Right to Health Prevented in Prison…
It is learned from news coverage of April 19, 2018 that a prisoner named İbrahim Ertaş in Alanya L Type Prison was not taken to the hospital because he did not accept to carry prisoner ID card during transfers.
(04/229) Rejection of Meeting Request with Abdullah Öcalan…
It is learned that the appeal made on April 19, 2018 to chief public prosecutor’s office in Bursa by PKK leader Abdullah Öcalan’s lawyers in order to visit their client was rejected the same day on the grounds of limitations for prisoners in accordance with the law on the execution of sentences and security measures (law no 5275). With the last rejection, it was the 748th time that appeals for visiting Öcalan have been rejected so far. Abdullah Öcalan has met his lawyers on July 27, 2011 for the last time.
(04/230) Police Intervention Against “I Want My Job Back” Protest in Ankara…
The police intervened the press declaration of public labourers who had been dismissed by a state of emergency decree and have been struggling for a while to regain their jobs, intended to be held in front of Human Rights Monument in Yüksel Street on April 19, 2018 at 13.30 and 18.00.
It was reported that during police intervention against the press declaration which was planned to be held at 13.30 on April 19, 2018, 2 people (Nazan Bozkurt and Mehmet Dersulu) and at 18.00 5 people (Nazan Bozkurt, Gülnaz Bozkurt, Mehmet Dersulu, Deniz Yılmaz and Umutcan Aybak) were detained.
Thus in total 7 people were detained due to press declaration intended to be held in Yüksel Street on April 19, 2018. It is learned that detainees were released the same day.
(04/231) Detained Journalists in Istanbul…
Semiha Şahin and Pınar Gayıp, 2 of 3 journalists who were detained on April 12, 2018 through an investigation against Etkin News Agency editors and reporters, are arrested by the court for ‘being an illegal organisation member’ and ‘making propaganda for an illegal organisation’ on April 19, 2018. Adil Demirci, who was also detained was arrested on April 17, 2018.
(04/232) Detained and Arrested HDP and BDP Executives and Members…
9 of 12 people who were detained in Urfa on April 2 and following days, including former DBP Urfa co-chair, Rojava Fraternity and Solidarity Association (closed down by a state of emergency decree) executive, are arrested by the court for ‘being an illegal organisation member’ on April 19, 2018. 3 people are released on juridical control conditions. The names of arrestees are: Rojava Fraternity and Solidarity Association executive Adil Demir, former DBP Urfa co-chair Celal Babacan, İbrahim Kurt, İbrahim Şimşek, Mustafa Şeşen, Hüseyin Tonkut and 3 more people.
(04/233) Police Intervention Against a Protest in Istanbul…
Police intervened the workers including Construction Workers’ Union representatives, who protest their company for not paying their wages and detained 7 workers. It is learned that detainees are released the same day after procedures at the prosecutor’s office.
Police have intervened workers’ protest on April 17 and April 18 too and detained 14 people in total. Detained people on these days were also released the same days.
(04/234) Detentions and Arrests…
It is learned that 2 people who were detained in Geçimli village of Hakkari on April 15, 2018 are arrested by the court for ‘aiding and abetting an illegal organisation’ on April 19, 2018.
It is learned that 11 people are detained in house raids in Viranşehir district of Urfa on April 19, 2018. It is reported that 11 people are taken to the police headquarters in Viranşehir, however the reason for detention is unknown.
(04/235) Police Officers on Trial for Two Children’s Death by a Police Armoured Car in Silopi…
Muhammed Yıldırım (7) and Furkan Yıldırım (6) have died in Silopi district of Şırnak, when a police panzer hit their house and demolish the walls on May 3, 2017. The case against Ömer Yeğit who was driving the police panzer and police chief Murat Maden who assigned him as driver on Cizre Heavy Penal Court No 2 continued to be held on April 19, 2018. The indictment demands jail sentence between 2 years to 15 years for 2 defendants for ‘reckless killing’. Journalists were not allowed in the courtroom as it was the case in previous trials.
After hearing witness police officers’ statements, the court decided on investigation of the crime scene again and adjourned the trial to July 12, 2018.
(04/236) Police Officer on Trial for Death of Ömer Barış Topkara in Istanbul…
11 years and 8 months’ jail sentence given to police officer H.D.S. about death of Ömer Barış Topkara (16) for ‘killing with an eventual intention under unjust provocation’ is reversed by Penal Department No 1 of Istanbul Regional Court. Penal Department sentenced H.D.S. to 15 years and decided on continuation of detention.
Ömer Barış Topkara and a friend of him were detained in a shopping mall in Esenyurt district of Istanbul on February 16, 2017 and were handcuffed to each other. Upon their attempt to run away after exiting the hospital where they were taken for health check the police have fired a warning shot into the air and the children have stopped afterwards. The police officer H.D.S. has hit Topkara at the head with his gun and the child has died due to gunfire after the impact.
(04/237) The Cases Against Academics Who Are the Signatories of the Petition “We will not be a party to this crime!”…
The case against 3 academicians (Assoc. Professor Z. Y., PhD student Burcu Kaya, Professor İsmail Kuban Altınel) for signing the petition “We will not be a party to this crime!” on Istanbul Heavy Penal Court No 14 for ‘making propaganda for an illegal organisation’ continued to be held on April 20, 2018. After defence hearings the court adjourned the trials to June 28, 2018.
The case against 3 academicians (PhD Emre Alper, Asst. Professor Kerem Eksen and Asst. Professor Canan Şahin) on Istanbul Heavy Penal Court No 36 for the same reason continued to be held on April 19, 2018. After defence hearings the court adjourned the trials to October 2, 2018.
The case against research assistant Ozan Çağlayan on Istanbul Heavy Penal Court No 34 for the same reason continued to be held on April 19, 2018. After defence hearings the court adjourned the trial to October 2, 2018.
(04/238) Trials of HDP PM’s…
The final trial of the case against HDP Mardin PM Gülser Yıldırım on Mardin Heavy Penal Court No 3 is held on April 19, 2018. The court sentenced Gülser Yıldırım to 7 years and 6 months for ‘being an illegal organisation member’.
(04/239) HDP PM’s Being Relieved of PM Duties…
HDP Şırnak PM Selma Irmak and HDP Urfa PM Osman Baydemir are relieved of PM duties after the Prime Minister’s Office’s missive about finalized court verdicts given to them are read in The Grand National Assembly of Turkey (TBMM) General Assembly on April 19, 2018.
The total number of HDP PM’s being relieved of PM duties raised up to 11. HDP co-chair Figen Yüksekdağ, Nursel Aydoğan, Besime Konca, Faysal Sarıyıldız, Tuğba Hezer Öztürk, Leyla Zana, Ferhat Encü, Ahmet Yıldırım and İbrahim Ayhan were relieved of PM duties previously.
(04/240) Detentions and Arrests in Alleged Link to Coup Attempt…
On April 19, 2018, 15 people including 13 military members on active duty in operations covering 11 cities through a Malatya based investigation, 3 people through an Ankara based investigation (total number of detentions are 21), 14 people in operations covering 2 cities through an Antalya based investigation, 8 people including 7 former employees of State Council in operations covering 6 cities through an Ankara based investigation, 2 people in Adana and 5 people in Ankara are detained.
3 people (Osman Özpınar, İbrahim Akbaş and Adnan Demiröna) who were detained in Libreville, Gabon by a national intelligence operation on April 10, 2018 have been taken to Turkey and arrested by the court on April 19, 2018.
A person detained in Samsun on April 17, 2018 is arrested by the court for ‘making propaganda for an illegal organisation’ and ‘insulting the President’ on April 19, 2018.
(04/241) Trials in Alleged Link to Coup Attempt…
The final trial of the case against academician Koray Çalışkan on Istanbul Heavy Penal Court No 24, is held on April 19, 2018. The court sentenced Koray Çalışkan to 1 year 6 months and 22 days for ‘making propaganda for an illegal organisation’ and deferred the announcement of the verdict on 5 years of probation conditions.
The final trial of the case against 18 defendants for killing of Sergeant Ömer Halisdemir on Ankara Heavy Penal Court No 14 is held on April 19, 2018. The court sentenced 18 defendants to heavy life penalty (4 times for each defendant) for ‘wilful murder’, ‘violation of the Constitution’, ‘attempt to demolish The Grand National Assembly’, ‘attempt to demolish Republic of Turkey’.
[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.