Sociologist Beşikçi and Lawyer Şimşek on Trial

Sociologist Beşikçi faces imprisonment because of an article written for the Contemporary Lawyers Association magazine. Magazine official Şimşek is also in the dock. The trial will start on 28 July.

Erol Önderoğlu

Sociologist Beşikçi and Lawyer Şimşek on Trial

The Istanbul Public Chief Prosecutor opened a trial against sociologist İsmail Beşikçi under charges of "spreading propaganda for the PKK", the outlawed Kurdistan Workers Party. The charges are based on an article Beşikçi wrote for the Contemporary Law and Society magazine, the publication of the Istanbul Branch of the Contemporary Lawyers Association (ÇHD).

Beşikçi and also the editorial manager of the magazine, Zeycan Balcı Şimşek, are each facing prison sentences of up to 7.5 years because of the article entitled "The right of nations to self determination and the Kurds".

First hearing on 28 July

The trial against Beşikçi and Şimşek will start on 28 July at the Istanbul 11^th High Criminal Court.

Istanbul Public Prosecutor Hakan Karaali pressed charges against Beşikçi on the grounds of the following statement: "The Kurds pay the price for a 200-year struggle for freedom and for a free fatherland. [...] Syria, Iran and Turkey govern the Kurds with oppression and cruelty. [...] The states that jointly kept the Kurds under oppression could always unite politics, ideology, military force and diplomatic power against the Kurds. This joint governance did not render law and justice. To the contrary, it very clearly crushed and offended a sense of law and justice. The resistance against this oppression and cruelty appears to be a legitimate right. [...]" The indictment was prepared on 11 May.

Beşikçi was also prosecuted for his article entitled "We did not talk, we were oppressed" published in the "Popular Culture Dark" magazine in December 2005. He was tried together with magazine owner Ferzende Kaya and editorial manager Mehmet Ali Izmir. The case was dropped by prescription.

İsmail Beşikçi released from prison upon conditional amnesty

In the 1990s, sociologist Beşikçi was facing imprisonment of more than 100 years for articles about the Kurdish question published in the Özgür Gündem newspaper and for books published by Yurt Publishing.

Most of his books were forbidden. Beşikçi was in jail for many years before he was released under the Conditional Amnesty Act no. 4304. According to this law, prosecutions and punishments related to crimes committed before 12 July 1997 shall be suspended if no criminal offences are committed within five years. (EÖ/VK)

Origin

BIA News Center

Erol Önderoğlu

[email protected]

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A graduate of the French Language and Literature Department at İstanbul University. He has served as the Turkey representative for the international organization Reporters Without...

A graduate of the French Language and Literature Department at İstanbul University. He has served as the Turkey representative for the international organization Reporters Without Borders (RSF), where he began as a reporter in 1996. Since 1999, he has worked at bianet, a project of the IPS Communication Foundation, as the coordinator of the Legal Support Desk, editor for freedom of expression, and editor-in-chief. He has authored more than 4,800 signed news articles and opinion pieces. He has also written for Bizim Gazete and the journal Güncel Hukuk. He currently prepares the Media Monitoring Reports at bianet.