When Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan visited the city of Van in the east of Turkey on 1 November 2008, people gathered in protests and riots.
A child who was arrested at the time, alleged to have "participated in terrorist activities" has now been released to be tried without detention.
Up to 18 years imprisonment
At the hearing on 24 June, the court case was postponed to 30 September. Two children, aged 17 and 15 are on trial. They stand accused of "committing crimes in the name of the PKK without being members of the organisation", of "spreading propaganda" and of damaging public property and resisting the police "during an activity of the terrorist organisation."
According to the Turkish Penal Code and the Anti-Terrorism Law, they face up to 18 years imprisonment.
The 17-year-old child has been held at the Van F-type prison for around eight months.
Delegation in Van
A delegation of the Initiative Justice for Children (ÇİAG) was in Van from 23 to 25 June in order to attend the court hearing and speak to authorities in the province.
The initiative is made up of rights activists, trade unionists, families, bar associations, and professional associations.
The delegation met with the officers at the police department, the anti-terrorism branch and the children's branch, as well as with the medical assocation, the bar association and the mayor of Van.
The problems discussed were that the children were exposed to a long period of maltreatment after their arrest before being taken to the prosecutor, that they were taken to the anti-terrorism branch rather than the children's branch first, despite their age, and that they were prevented from seeing their lawyers during this time. The delegation also criticised the fact that the province child prosecutor was not at the child court, as well as the conditions of the children's imprisonment.
The initiative has carried out similar visits in Diyarbakır and Adana.
Rise in prosecution of children
Changes in the Anti-Terrorism Law in 2006 have made it more common for children to be tried for "terrorist crimes".
According to authorities, there has been a steady rise of arrests of children in Van province since 2006. There were 42 children taken into custody in that year, 50 in 2007, 114 in 2008 and 29 up to now in 2009. Of these children, 12, 10, 21 and three were arrested respectively.
When the pro-Kurdish Democratic Society Party (DTP) organised a protest at the Prime Minister's visit to Van in November 2008, the police intervened. According to the Human Rights Association (İHD), five people were injured and 33 taken into custody.
During 8 May celebrations, the police again intervened. One person was killed and over 100 taken into custody.
In 2008, the Newroz celebrations were forbidden in the city; three people died in ensuing protests, and 162 people were taken into custody.
In the 29 March local elections, the DTP took over local government from the Justice and Development Party (AKP) that the Prime Minister leads.
According to the Ministry of Justice, 1,572 children were put on trial for "terrorist crimes" in 2006 and 2007. 174 children were convicted, 92 of them in Diyarbakır. (EÜ/AG)
