Acquittal for All Defendants in Temizöz Trial

49th trial regarding 21 people forcefully made disappear and be killed in unsolved murder in Turkey's southeastern Cizre district of Şırnak province was seen today at Eskişehir 2nd Heavy Penal Court.

Then Cizre District Gendarmerie Commander, retired Gendarmerie Senior Colonel Cemal Temizöz, former Cizre Mayor and Chief Village Guard Kamil Atağ, Kukel Atağ, Tamer Atağ, Adem Yakın, Fırat Altın (Abdülhakim Güven), Hıdır Altuğ and Burhanettin Kıyak who were charged with making 21 people forcefully disappear, forming organization for the purpose of committing crime and illegal arbitrary execution have acquitted.

"They had white Toroses"

Relatives of the lost ones participated the trial today. Hamit Özmen taking the floor after Harun Padır who talked about disappearance of his father and uncle, said "Cemal Temizöz and his men had white Toroses".

While Şevkiye Aslan says "May god not acquit them", Ömer Candoruk's wife Hanım Candoruk said these: "I'm begging you not to acquit. If he had made any mistake, he would be in jail, not under soil".

Names of those killed are as follows: Ramazan Elçi, Ramazan Uykur, Abdullah Efelti, İbrahim Adak, Mehmet Gürri Özer, İbrahim Danış, Abdurrahman Afşar, Abdurrahman Akyol, İhsan Arslan, Beşir Bayar, Abdurrezak Binzet, İzzet Padır, Abdullah Özdemir, Mustafa Aydın, Süleyman Gasyak, Abdulaziz Gasyak, Ömer Candoruk, Yahya Akman, Abdulhamit Düdük and an unidentified man.

Lawyers: There are detailed testimonies, evidences

Güray taking the floor after the families spoke said these:

"Anonymous witnesses gave so detailed testimonies that only someone who is in the incident/work can know about. Ramazan Elçi getting killed by arm rather than a heart attack came to light by anonymous witness testimony".

One of the family lawyers Rıvdan Dalmış asked "We cannot reach personal conviction in an abstract way but with concrete evidences. Can you the persistence, intensity in killing?"

Temizöz complained about his "reputation"

Defendant Cemal Temizöz defended himself as follows:

"I totally agree with prosecution's dictum. I have lived for years fighting terror organizations with their threats.

"There are Soros-based foundations behind perception manipulation like Human Rights Monitoring Group. They wanted to swoop on people by setting it as prejudication, made execution of reputation".

Victim Temizöz

Defendant lawyer Mustafa Olcay Özhan started his speech saying "I agree that this is a political trial.

"This prosecution has been brought to Temizöz for solving criminal cases in Kayseri and GATA. Temizöz's promotion to General was obstructed with this case and he retired."

The prosecutor demanded the acquittal on June 18, 2015 of then Cizre District Gendarmerie Commander, retired Gendarmerie Senior Colonel Cemal Temizöz who was charged with making 21 people forcefully disappear, forming organization for the purpose of committing crime and illegal arbitrary execution. (AS/TK)

Click here to read the article in Turkish