Statute of Limitations on Torturing High Schoolers in 1980

A statute of limitations has been issued to a case held by Kırklareli High Criminal Court on the torture allegations on high school students in a military facility during Turkey’s 1980 Military Court. The case would mark chronologically the first incident in Turkey’s military regime days. 

The ruling was issued on Friday during the third hearing of the case where defendants Oğuz Pamir, Akın Baysan, Cemal Düzen, Reyhan Kalfa and Şevket Özyılmaz were accused of torturing high school students who started a boycott at Kırklareli Pınarhisar High School. 

Court Panel Chairman Hakan Türkön asked prosector’s opinion on a possible statute of limitations. Upon prosecutor’s approval, Ömer Kavili left courtroom, demanding the rejection of court panel. 

“The ruling was issued even before” 

Kavili told bianet the following: 

“There was a different panel on the previous hearing. They postponed the hearing for cross-interrogation purposes. However, there were no cameras or other devices in the courtroom this time. 

“The panel judge asked for prosecutor’s opinion right after identifying the defendants, even before hearing other proposals. They didn’t have any aim to make an interrogation, the ruling was issued even before,” he said. 

The court, on the other hand, rejected the judge refusal proposal and issued a statute of limitations. Kavili said they have appealed to the ruling.

“We have written that ‘Such a decision violated the order of law’,” he said. (EA/BM)

* Click here to read the article in Turkish.