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22 April 2016 HRFT Daily Human Rights Report

22 April 2016 Daily Human Rights Report

(04/123) Operations and Attacks in the Southeast…

The body of YPS-JIN member Sidar Ziyanek’in (16) who was killed during armed clashes in Nusaybin district of Mardin and kept in Şanlıurfa was identified on 21 April 2016.

One of the persons killed during the armed clashes in Şırnak and kept in Şırnak State Hospital was identified on 21 April 2016 as YPS member Azat Gün.

The bodies of YPS members Evin Akçelik and Talip Bartin who were killed during the armed clashes in Yüksekova district of Hakkari and kept in Erzurum were identified on 21 April 2016 by their families.

(04/124) Mazlum Turan Case…

Mazlum Turan (16) who did not obey the stop warning on a control point on 29 August 2015 in Kızıltepe district of Mardin was shot to death with a single bullet at his back of the neck and killed. Special Forces were conducting operations after the bomb attack against a police service and stopping vehicles for ID control. Since Mazlum Turan did not have a driving license, he did not want to stop.

Mardin Heavy Penal Court no 2 started on 21 April 2016 to hear the case against police officer who shot Mazlum Turan to death. The indictment wants the defendant to be sentenced for “intentional killing”. The police officer did not appear before the court. The court rejected the demand for the arrests of the police officer and ordered the police officer to be present at the following hearing. The court decided crime scene investigations and adjourned the hearing to 23 September 2016.

(04/125) Çayan Birben Case…

After the 5th chamber of the Court of Cassation had quashed the verdict of Yalova Heavy Penal Court not to be responsible for the case related to the death of Çayan Birben because of pepper gas that the police had used, the court continued to hear on 21 April 2016 the case against police officers Ercüment Küçükakça, İbrahim Baltacı, Serhat Ayhan Yeni and Tekin Ceyhan. In his opinion as to the accusations at the previous hearing, the Public Prosecutor demanded up to six years’ imprisonment for the police officers İbrahim Baltacı, Serhat Ayhan Yeni and Tekin Ceyhan and asked for acquittal of the police officer Ercüment Küçükakça.

Since the defence lawyers did not appear, the court adjourned the hearing to 23 June 2016.

On 27 May 2012, the police had used tear gas to break up a fight in Abdullah Baştürk Park in Yalova. Çayan Birben (31) who was suffering from asthma was hospitalized due to the use of tear gas and taken to Yalova State Hospital where he died on 30 May 2012.

During the investigation the Forensic Institute issued a medical report on 12 February 2013 certifying that the use of tear gas might have caused the death of Çayan Birben.

(04/126) Torture and Ill-treatment in Custody…

The police conducted operations on 14 April 2016 in Yüksekova district of Hakkari and detained 7 persons. Despite the arrest decision of the court on the allegations of “being member of an illegal organisation”, the persons kept in police custody for 4 days. According to the news appeared in the press on 21 April 2016, they were reportedly given electricity, beaten, insulted, stripped naked and beaten with truncheons in custody.

(04/127) Lütfullah Tacik Case…

Van Heavy Penal Court No 2 continued on 21 April 2016 to hear the case against police officers in connection with the death of Afghani refugee Lütfullah Tacik (17) as a result of beatings on 31 May 2015 in Van. The indictment wants the police officer Serdar Oran to be sentenced for “simple wounding and causing death by intentional wounding” and the police officer Hasan Özgür Özdemir for “misconduct of duty”.

The defendants did not appear before the court at the hearing. The court rejected the demand of lawyers to be intervening party with case and adjourned the hearing to 16 June 2016.

Lütfullah Tacik (17) who was detained by the soldiers on 16 May 2014 while trying to pass the border illegally in Iğdır and transferred to the Repatriation Centre of the Foreigner’s Department in Van on 26 May 2014 to be deported was beaten by a police officer for lying about his age.

Lütfullah Tacik had cerebral haemorrhage when the police officer Serdar Oran working at Illegal Migration and Human Trafficking Department of Foreigners Department beat him. He was hospitalised, but died on 31 May 2014.

(04/128) Pressures in Prisons…

According to the news appeared in the press on 21 April 2016, Mizgin Kırkağaç, Dilan Bakay, Ferda Avcı, Feride Kardaş, Berivan Erol and Democratic Regions Party (DBP) Co-Chair for Van province Caziye Duman incarcerated in Van M-type Prison were reportedly transferred to other prisons on the allegations of overcapacity.

(04/129) Unionists on Trial on the Allegations of “Insulting the State President”…

Mersin Penal Court of First Instance No 16 continued on 21 April 2016 to hear the case against 18 members of Labour and Democracy Platform launched after a demonstration staged in Mersin to protest in the Ankara Massacre on 10 October 2015. The indictment wants the defendants to be sentenced according to the Article 299 TPC for “insulting the State President”

After the testimonies of the present defendants, t adjourned the hearing to 16 June 2016 for the completion of deficient documents.

(04/130) Investigations, Detentions and Arrests on the Allegations of Insulting State President…

The police conducted operations on 21 April 2016 in Antalya and detained 11 persons on the allegations of “insulting the State President” on the internet. 3 of the detainees were arrested on the same day.

Kazım Akpolat was also detained in Erzincan for the same reason.

(04/131) Journal Confiscated…

On 21 April 2016, Public Prosecutor in Diyarbakır ordered the confiscation of the 3rd issues of the bi-monthly journal Kovara Jinen Azad published by Kongreya Jinen Azad/Free Women Congress (KJA) on the allegations of “making propaganda of an illegal organisation”.

(04/132) 1 May Celebrations…

The police detained 4 persons when they were distributing leaflets for the 1 May celebrations in Kadıköy district of İstanbul.

(04/133) Gezi Park Trials…

Ankara Heavy Penal Court No 12 continued on 21 April 2016 to hear the case against 9 persons launched in connection with the Gezi Park demonstrations in Ankara. The indictment wants the defendants to be sentenced for “making propaganda of the illegal organisation Socialist Workers Movement (Sosyalist İşçi Hareketi)”.

After the testimonies of the defendants, the court adjourned the hearing to 7 September 2016 for the examination of the footages of the demonstrations by an expert.

(04/134) Protesters on Trial in Artvin…

According to the news appeared in the press on 21 April 2016, a court case was launched against 48 persons in connection with the protests on 16 and 17 February 2016 in Artvin against the mining licence and destruction of the environment on Cerrattepe region of Artvin. The indictment wants the defendants to be sentenced for “violating the Law on Meetings and Demonstrations”.

Artvin Penal Court of First Instance will start to hear the case on 23 September 2016.

(04/135) Protest Intervened in Ankara…

On 20 April 2016, the police intervened a group of women in the campus of Kocaeli University who wanted to protest islamist scholar Ömer Tuğrul İnançer for his expression on 26 September 2013 concerning women. 8 women were detained during the police intervention.

(04/136) Persons on Trial in Erzurum…

Erzurum Heavy Penal Court No 2 started on 21 April 2016 to hear the case against 36 persons including Karayazı district Co-Mayor Memet Sayit Karabakan and Democratic Regions Party (DBP) Co-Chair for the district Salih Altaylı launched after the operations conducted in Karayazı district.

The indictment wants the defendants to be sentenced for “being member of an illegal organisation”. After the identification and testimonies of the defendants, the court adjourned the hearing to 23 June 2016 for the completion of the testimonies.

(04/137) Persons on Trial in Ankara…

Ankara Heavy Penal Court No 2 started on 21 April 2016 to hear the case against 6 remanded persons launched after operations conducted on 8 December 2015 against Peoples’ Democratic Party (HDP) in Ankara.

The indictment wants the defendants to be sentenced for “being member of an illegal organisation”. After the identification and testimonies of the defendants, the court decided to release the defendants Barış Ceyhan, Mehmet Azat Yılmaz, Aynur Özcan, Burhan Dara, Erkan Kara and Edip Öztürk to be tried without remand adjourned the hearing to 9 June 2016.

(04/138) Political Party Premises Raided in Şanlıurfa…

The police raided on 21 April 2016 the premises of Democratic Regions Party (DBP) in Viranşehir district of Şanlıurfa and searched the premises without declaring a reason.

(04/139) Detentions and Arrests…

During the operations conducted by the police on 21 April 2016, 2 persons in Giresun, Peoples’ Democratic Party (HDP) Co-Chair for Viranşehir district Ayşe Sürücü in Viranşehir district of Şanlıurfa, 6 persons in Siirt and 1 person in Hakkari were detained. And Basri Gülenç who was detained in Şırnak was arrested on the allegations of “being member of an illegal organisation”.

On 21 April 2016, the police stopped the vehicle of Afif Durğaç, Municipality Assembly member in Silvan district of Diyarbakır, on the grounds that it was a bomb vehicle. 5 persons in the vehicle were detained.

During the house raids conducted on 21 April 2016 in Şırnak province, Feride Benzer and Zeytin Akman were detained in Cizre district; Muhyettin Mete and his son Hasan Mete were detained in Silopi district.

Nevzat Şahin, Yaşar Şahin and Sürmeli Eşsiz who were detained in Doğubayazıt district of Ağrı were arrested on 21 April 2016 on the allegations of “being member of an illegal organisation”.

Dicle News Agency (DİHA) correspondent Doğan Akdamar was detained in Karlıova district of Bingöl on the grounds that there was an search warrant issued against him.