29-30 April 2016 Daily Human Rights Report
(04/183) Curfew in Sur…
The curfew in 6 quarters of Sur district in Diyarbakır reached its 159th day as of 30 April 2016.
According to the news appeared in the press, the body of a person was taken from Sur district to Gazi Yaşargil Training and Research Hospital on 27 April 2016.
The body of a person who was taken from Sur on 26 April 2016 was alleged to be Mehmet Kaya (55).
(04/194) Curfew in Cizre…
The bodies of Servet Çurak and Rêber Çelik who was stuck in 3 basements during the night-curfew in Cizre district of Şırnak were identified after DNA tests. The bodies were taken by their families on 29 April 2016.
(04/183) Operations and Attacks in the Southeast…
2 gendarmerie soldiers who were wounded during the clashes in Şırnak and transferred to Ankara reportedly died on 29 April 2016 in the hospital.
1 gendarmerie soldier was killed during an armed clash on 28 April 2016 in İsmetpaşa quarter of Şırnak where curfew was imposed.
One of the YPS members who were killed during the armed clashes in Cizre district of Şırnak was identified as Mehmet Can and reportedly buried on 29 April 2016.
1 gendarmerie solider was killed, 2 police officers and 1 gendarmerie soldier were abounded when an armoured vehicle was attacked with rocket-launcher on 30 April 2016 in Nusaybin district of Mardin.
1 captain was killed and 3 gendarmerie soldiers were reportedly wounded during an armed clash in Nusaybin.
3 police officers and 3 gendarmerie soldiers were wounded when a bomb exploded during the operations conducted on 30 April 2016 in Nusaybin.
YS General Coordination announced on 29 April 2016 that YPS member Kadir Tanıt (Hamza Cudi) was killed during the clashes on 19 April 2016 in Şırnak.
YS General Coordination also announced on 30 April 2016 that following YPS members were killed during the clashes in Nusaybin: Resul İnan (Rêzan Baran) on 25 April 2016, Harun Korkmaz (Kendal Koçer) on 26 April 2016, Egîd Germira on 27 April 2016.
Temporary village guard Salih Babat (45) was organised an armed attack and killed on 30 April 2016 in Şenoba district of Şırnak. Curfew was imposed in the district following the incident.
(04/185) Ultra-nationalist Attack in Uşak…
Construction workers Eren Sömer (26) and Ufuk Çelik were attacked on 24 April 2016 by a group of 3 persons for talking in Kurdish in a public park in Uşak. The workers were stabbed and hospitalised.
(04/187) Suicide Bomb Attack in Bursa…
1 soldier was wounded when a bomb exploded during the passage of a military vehicle on 28 April 2016 in Soma district of Manisa. HPG claimed the attack.
(04/190) Kızıltepe JİTEM Case…
Ankara Heavy Penal Court No 5 continued on 28 April 2016 to hear the case against 9 persons including former Diyarbakır Gendarmerie Commander Colonel Eşref Hatipoğlu and former Kızıltepe Gendarmerie Deputy Commander Hasan Atilla Uğur launched in connection with the disappearances of 22 persons in detention and/or killings by unidentified persons in Mardin and its districts between the years 1992 and 1996. 4 soldiers and 5 village guards are on trial in this case.
Similar to the previous cases concerning disappearances in detention, killings by unidentified persons and extra-judicial executions, the lawyers of the defendants applied to the Court of Cassation to transfer the case to another province for security measures. The Court of Cassation decided to send the case to Ankara Heavy Penal Court No 5.
After the testimonies of the defendants, the court adjourned the hearing to 24 June 2016 for the completion of deficient documents.
(04/188) Columnists on Trial…
Çağlayan (İstanbul) Penal Court of First Instance No 2 concluded on 28 April 2016 to hear the case against Ceyda Karan and Hikmet Çetinkaya, journalists with daily Cumhuriyet, for publishing cartoons of Charlie Hebdo on their columns on 14 January 2015.
The indictment wanted the journalists to be sentenced according to the Article 216 TPC for “degrading religious values of people”. The court sentenced the defendants to 2 years’ imprisonment.
(04/189) Chief-Editors on Trial…
According to the news appeared in the press on 28 April 2016, a court case was launched against Fatih Polat, chief-editor of the daily Evrensel, and managing director of the paper Vural Nasuhbeyoğlu in connection with the news entitled “HPG: the police officer who claimed you will see the power of the Turks was abducted (HPG: Yüksekova’da Türk’ün gücünü göreceksiniz diyen polis alıkonuldu)”appeared in the paper on 9 October 2015.
The indictment wants the defendants to be sentenced for “making propaganda of an illegal organisation”. İstanbul (Çağlayan) Heavy Penal Court No 13 will start to hear the case on 6 October 2016.
(04/196) Former MP on Trial in Ağrı…
Ağrı Heavy Penal Court started on 29 April 2016 to hear the case against former Peoples’ Democratic Party (HDP) MP Halil Aksoy who was arrested on 21 January 2015 on the allegations of “being member of an illegal organisation” and “making propaganda of an illegal organisation” when he went to Ağrı Security Directorate to testify in connection with an investigation started after the raid of his house in İstanbul.
Halil Aksoy testified at the hearing through SEGBİS tele-conference system from Oltu (Erzurum) T-type Prison. The court decided to release the defendant to be tried without remand and adjourned the hearing to a later date.
(04/186) 1 May Celebrations…
A group of ultra-nationalists attacked the Anadolu University students with knives and sticks while distributing leaflets for 1 May on 28 April 2016 in Eskişehir. 4 students were wounded during the attack.
(04/192) KCK/TM Main Trial in Diyarbakır…
Diyarbakır Heavy Penal Court No 2 continued on 29 April 2016 to hear the case against 175 persons launched after an operation conducted in 2009. The indictment wants the defendants to be sentenced for founding the “Koma Ciwaken Kurdistan-Kurdistan Union of Communities/Turkish Assembly (KCK/TM)” and acting in the name of the organisation.
After the Public Prosecutor’s opinion as to the accusations, the court adjourned the hearing to 23 May 2016 for the preparation of the defence as to the accusations.
(04/193) Persons on Trial in Diyarbakır…
Diyarbakır Heavy Penal Court No 4 started on 29 June 2016 to hear the case against 21 persons including 2 remanded defendants launched for “taking part n the self-governance declaration” on 15 July 2016 in Yenişehir district of Diyarbakır.
After the identification of the defendants and reading the indictment, the court decided to release the defendants Türkan Uzun Avşin and Hikmet Aralan to be tried without remand and adjourned the hearing to 30 June 2016.
(04/195) Persons on Trial in İstanbul…
According to the news appeared in the press on 29 April 2016, Public Prosecutor in İstanbul concluded the investigation against 50 lawyers including 9 members of Libertarian Lawyers Association (Özgürlükçü Hukukçular Derneği – ÖHD) who were detained during the house raids conducted on 16 March 2016 in 16 districts of İstanbul.
Public Prosecutor demanded the lawyers to be sentenced for “being member of an illegal organisation”, “making propaganda of an illegal organisation”, and “aiding an illegal organisation”. ÖHD member lawyers’ appeals to the ECtHR were also cited as evidence in the indictment. İstanbul Heavy Penal Court No 14 will start to hear the case on 22 June 2016.
(04/184) Detentions and Arrests…
15 persons who were among 19 persons detained during the operations conducted against the premises of Peoples’ Democratic Party (HDP), Democratic Regions Party (DBP), Human Rights Association (HRA) and several unions in Bingöl were arrested on 29 April 2016 on the allegations of “being member of an illegal organisation”.
Erciş Co-Mayor Abdurrahman Çağan who was detained on the grounds that there was an arrest warrant against him issued on the allegations of taking part in the self-governance declaration on 12 October 2015 in Erciş district of Van was arrested on 29 April 2016 on the allegations of “disrupting the unity and territorial integrity of the state”.
During the operations conducted against HDP and DBP on 28 April 2016, DBP Co-Chair for Tuşba district of Van province Harika Uyar in Tuşba and 12 persons in Xirvate town of Yüksekova district in Hakkari were detained. HDP Co-Chair for Edirne province Hazal Köysüren was arrested on the allegations of “being member of an illegal organisation”.
Tahir Demirtaş, Binali Gülmez, Yılmaz Gürgül and Serhat Boztaş who were among 7 members of Democratic Rights Federation (Demokratik Hakları Federasyonu) detained during the raid of the Hozat Culture and Art Association (Hozat Kültür ve Sanat Derneği) in Tunceli were arrested on 28 April 2016 on the allegations of “being member of an illegal organisation”.
9 persons including 4 children who were among 24 persons detained during the house raids in Mersin were arrested on 29 April 2016 on the allegations of “being member of an illegal organisation” and “making propaganda of an illegal organisation” relying on the demonstrations they took part.
4 persons including DBP Co-Chair for Mardin province Ömer Öcalan who were detained during the raids in Kızıltepe and Dargeçit were arrested on 29 April 2016 on the allegations of “being member of an illegal organisation”.
The police conducted house raid on 30 April 2016 in Bahçelievler district of İstanbul and detained İMC TV news editor Hamza Aktan on the allegations of “making propaganda of an illegal organisation”.
Provincial General Assembly member in Muş province Sıracettin Çiftçi who was detained during a raid in Bulanık district of Muş was arrested on 29 April 2016 on the allegations of “being member of an illegal organisation”.