RIGHTS - Bianet

RIGHTS

Page 155

Turkey Bans Bitly, Turns Out to be By Accident

Turkey Bans Bitly, Turns Out to be By Accident

Turkey's Telecommunication Authority (TİB) banned access to URL shortening service Bitly. The site does not feature content and the reason for the ban is unknown.

Constitutional Court: Magazine Ban in Prison Violates Freedom of Expression

Constitutional Court: Magazine Ban in Prison Violates Freedom of Expression

The Constitutional Court ruled that barring an inmate’s access to magazine does not comply with democratic social order nor cohere with legitimate purposes.

16 April 2015 Beyza Kural

Erdoğan Finds Fine Too Little in “Faggot” Case, Gets 10 Thousand Liras Extra

Erdoğan Finds Fine Too Little in “Faggot” Case, Gets 10 Thousand Liras Extra

LGBTI activist and lawyer Levent Pişkin was sentenced to 10 thousand liras more in fines because of his “fag” tweet. Lacking the means to pay the fine, Pişkin plans to start a solidarity campaign.

16 April 2015 Çiçek Tahaoğlu

EP Recognizes Armenian Genocide, Urges Turkey to Confront It

EP Recognizes Armenian Genocide, Urges Turkey to Confront It

The European Parliament recognized the Armenian Genocide with the resolution adopted yesterday. Turkey’s Foreign Ministry called decision “laughable” saying, “Europe should confront its own history.”

ECHR: Turkey Cannot Take Back The Severance Paid to Veli Saçılık

ECHR: Turkey Cannot Take Back The Severance Paid to Veli Saçılık

ECHR gave its verdict on Veli Saçılık whose severance pay for getting his arm torn off in a prison operation was recalled after the case at the Council of State: Turkey cannot ask Saçılık to give back the indemnity paid him. The ECHR also warned Turkey to take its verdicts seriously.

14 April 2015 Ayça Söylemez

The Ministry’s New Mission: Exposing Reporters

The Ministry’s New Mission: Exposing Reporters

The Ministry of National Education targeted Cumhuriyet newspaper for its piece titled “Bilal’s Goal Reached in One Year”: “We will continue to make public the media organs and reporters leading smear campaigns.”

The Kobané Case: 23 Defendants, 513 Plaintiffs and the Bayık Tweet

The Kobané Case: 23 Defendants, 513 Plaintiffs and the Bayık Tweet

A case was filed under 10 different charges against 23 people who attended the protests in support of Kobané. The defendants were accused in the bill of indictment of taking after appeals made through tweets. The only evidence for the accusations is the police report.

Verdict to be given April 13th in Geerdink Case

Verdict to be given April 13th in Geerdink Case

The court postponed its verdict on Dutch journalist Frederike Geerdink’s case where the prosecutor demands an acquittal due to lack of “violence” in writings. “I am a woman, I’m Dutch and I live in Diyarbakır, but first and foremost I am a journalist,” said Geerdink.

8 April 2015 Erol Önderoğlu

Twitter, YouTube, Facebook Censored Despite Constitutional Court Ruling

Twitter, YouTube, Facebook Censored Despite Constitutional Court Ruling

166 websites including Twitter, Facebook and YouTube have been blocked in Turkey on the grounds that they have published the photos of Mehmet Selim Kiraz during Istanbul Courthouse hostage crisis.

6 April 2015 Elif Akgül

Students Speak Up After Being Handcuffed For 9 Hours

Students Speak Up After Being Handcuffed For 9 Hours

18 students who were detained last night after running away from the clashes in Istanbul Police Headquarters told bianet that they have been handcuffed in reverse fashion for 9 hours.

2 April 2015 Beyza Kural

Grup Yorum Musicians Detained in Okmeydanı Police Raid

Grup Yorum Musicians Detained in Okmeydanı Police Raid

Anti-Terror police stormed several apartments and offices early morning in Istanbul’s Okmeydanı neighborhood, detaining scores of individuals including musicians from the protest band Grup Yorum.

ECHR: Violation Despite Commuted Sentence

ECHR: Violation Despite Commuted Sentence

The European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) convicted found Turkey in the case of Öner and Türk where two Kurdish politicians were sentenced to prison within Anti-Terror Act.

31 March 2015 Erol Önderoğlu

Traces Found For “Disappeared” Children in Dargeçit

Traces Found For “Disappeared” Children in Dargeçit

Another mass grave was discovered in the southeastern district of Dargeçit. Families of the disappeared people applied to court for further investigation.

31 March 2015 Ayça Söylemez

Turkey Didn’t Implement 1,241 ECHR Rulings: Council of Europe

Turkey Didn’t Implement 1,241 ECHR Rulings: Council of Europe

The Council of Europe General Secretary announced that Turkey didn’t apply respect 1,241 ECHR rulings including the one on Hrant Dink case.

Roboski Villagers, Animal Activists Outraged After Mule Killings

Roboski Villagers, Animal Activists Outraged After Mule Killings

İHD’s Şırnak Province Office released a report on the killing of mules in Roboski by Turkish Army soldiers, saying that the attitude was hostile and urged the government for action.

Penguen Humor Magazine Reacts “Erdoğan” Punishment

Penguen Humor Magazine Reacts “Erdoğan” Punishment

Penguen humor magazine reacted to the court ruling that its caricaturists were punished, wishing it to be the “last example of efforts to turn down free thought”.

Instagram Censors Journalist Ahmet Şık’s Newroz Photos

Instagram Censors Journalist Ahmet Şık’s Newroz Photos

Instagram closed the account of prominent journalist Ahmet Şık after receiving massive complaints over the photos he shared during Newroz celebrations in Diyarbakır province on March 21.

Caricaturist Fined For “Insulting Erdoğan”

Caricaturist Fined For “Insulting Erdoğan”

Caricaturist Bahadır Baruter has been convicted to pay a fine of 7,000 liras for insulting Recep Tayyip Erdoğan with a caricature.

25 March 2015 Erol Önderoğlu

Turkey Convicted of Violating Union Rights

Turkey Convicted of Violating Union Rights

The European Court of Human Rights found Turkey guilty of violating union rights in the case of Ismail Sezer.

24 March 2015 Erol Önderoğlu

Every Caricaturist in Turkey Will Face A Complaint By Erdoğan!

Every Caricaturist in Turkey Will Face A Complaint By Erdoğan!

After a “sympathizer”s complaint, Penguen magazine caricaturists Baruter and Aydoğan face trial for charges related to insulting the “prime minister. Here is the timeline…

20 March 2015 Erol Önderoğlu

Armenian Genocide Museum Director: “My Grandma Has Been Deported Twice”

Armenian Genocide Museum Director: “My Grandma Has Been Deported Twice”

“For me, the most dramatic story about the Genocide is my family’s. My grandmother’s,” Armenian Genocide Museum Director told bianet.

20 March 2015 Elif Akgül

Police Attacks Newroz Celebrators in Batman Province

Police Attacks Newroz Celebrators in Batman Province

Police assaulted Newroz celebrators in the southeastern province of Batman yesterday with tear gas, rubber bullets and cannoned water. Several injuries were reported.

“Demonstration Penalty” Cleared After 10 Years

“Demonstration Penalty” Cleared After 10 Years

Following an ECHR ruling that their rights were violated, a retrial of 9 defendants who were jailed for attending a protest in the southeastern district of Cizre ended with an acquittal.

19 March 2015 Ayça Söylemez

Children's Channel in Kurdish To Air on March 21

Children's Channel in Kurdish To Air on March 21

A children's channel in Kurdish language’s Kurmanji, Zazaki and Sorani subdivisions will start airing on March 21 - the Newroz Day.

Police Torture Convicted After 15 Years

Police Torture Convicted After 15 Years

The European Court of Human Rights found Turkey guilty of violating torture and inhuman or degrading treatment ban in the case where police officers were acquitted for torturing Şükrü Yıldız on the grounds of “self-defense”.

17 March 2015 Ayça Söylemez

ECHR Punishes Turkey For "Unclaimed Mine Explosion"

ECHR Punishes Turkey For "Unclaimed Mine Explosion"

The European Court of Human Rights ordered Turkey to pay damages for failing to fair trial in the case where 3 children were affected by a mine explosion in Diyarbakır province in 1999.

17 March 2015 Ayça Söylemez

3 Different Case Procedures For “Hitler-Seeming” Erdoğan Banner

3 Different Case Procedures For “Hitler-Seeming” Erdoğan Banner

A banner depicting Recep Tayyip Erdoğan in a Hitler-like mustache resulted in 3 insult cases across Turkey with different procedures.

16 March 2015 Ayça Söylemez

PKK Leader to Have a “Secretariat”

PKK Leader to Have a “Secretariat”

5 inmates convicted to life sentence within PKK case is reportedly to serve as the secretariat of PKK leader Abdullah Öcalan in the upcoming days of Turkey’s resolution process.

Advocate Applies to Ministry to Find Brother’s Missing Body

Advocate Applies to Ministry to Find Brother’s Missing Body

Turan Ece, an advocate who lost his PKK guerrilla brother in 1994, officially urged authorities to return his brother’s grave and confiscated personal belongings.

13 March 2015 Ayça Söylemez

Gazi Incident Victims Commemorated in 20th Anniversary

Gazi Incident Victims Commemorated in 20th Anniversary

A commemoration ceremony has been held for the 20th anniversary of Gazi Massacre - an incident that left 22 people dead in Istanbul’s predominantly Alevi Gazi neighborhood after a series of riots on March 12, 1995.

Turkey’s Conscientious Objectors Unable to Become Deputy

Turkey’s Conscientious Objectors Unable to Become Deputy

Even though two conscientious objectors have so far declared for pre-candidacy in the upcoming elections in Turkey, existing elections law bar them from being elected.

12 March 2015 Ekin Karaca

Turkey’s Romanis Sue Columnist Over Discrimination

Turkey’s Romanis Sue Columnist Over Discrimination

Romani People’s Rights Association submitted a complaint against columnist Emin Çolaşan over discrimination due to his definition of Romanis as people who “take life on the light side” and “have nothing to do with religion”.

10 March 2015 Nilay Vardar