RIGHTS - Bianet

RIGHTS

Page 191

"Police Settle old Scores with Avcı"

"Police Settle old Scores with Avcı"

Defendant Bozkurt admitted his membership in the Revolutionary Headquarters group and requested the release of the other defendants. Prosecutor Duran recommended to reject that demand and encountered Bozkurt's harsh reaction. None of the defendants was released.

7 February 2012 Işıl Cinmen

"General Staff and Government Bear Responsibility"

"General Staff and Government Bear Responsibility"

MP Kürkçü of the Uludere sub-commission said, "The operation was directed from Ankara. The General Staff bears responsibility and therefore also the political power". MP Gök stated that the operation was done with the knowledge of the Prime Ministry and the General Staff.

7 February 2012 Ayça Söylemez

"Universities Behave like Courts"

"Universities Behave like Courts"

Disciplinary penalties handed down to students of the Marmara, Selçuk and Pamukkale Universities recently evoked discussions on the Discipline Regulations of the Higher Education Council. Leading experts and academics evaluated the issue for bianet.

6 February 2012 Serhat Korkmaz

"Hate is an Attitude Rather than a Feeling"

"Hate is an Attitude Rather than a Feeling"

The Hate Crimes Law Campaign Platform started a series of information meetings. The first session on hate speech was done together with media representatives. Prof İnceoğlu warned that hate speech became more hidden and more dangerous at the same time.

6 February 2012 Işıl Cinmen

2011: Year of Publication Bans

2011: Year of Publication Bans

The annual report on the Marmara Region released by the Human Rights Association revealed, "Torture spilled over from detention centres to the street". Also in 2011 in the region, 81 publications were seized and banned, 71 more than in the previous year.

3 February 2012 Ayça Söylemez

Dev-Yol Trial Time-Barred

Dev-Yol Trial Time-Barred

The Dev-Yol main trial was closed by prescription after 30 years. The case started with 723 defendants in 1982. At last, procedures were continued against 21 defendants. Lawyer Mehdi Bekatş said that this decision was expected.

2 February 2012 Ekin Karaca

Proposal for Investigation of Unsolved Murders Dismissed!

Proposal for Investigation of Unsolved Murders Dismissed!

Bones belonging to 26 people were found right next to the building formerly used as JİTEM headquarters in Diyarbakır. The proposal for a research commission made by the BDP was rejected because the "cheque law was going to be discussed" in parliament.

2 February 2012

Law Proposal against "Unjustified Arrest"

Law Proposal against "Unjustified Arrest"

BDP deputy Aksoy submitted a law proposal to prevent unjustified arrests and avoid lengthy detention periods to be turned into punishment. Aksoy suggests to amend Article 100/3 of the Criminal Procedure Law related to catalogue crimes.

1 February 2012 Ayça Söylemez

First Surveillance of Twitter?

First Surveillance of Twitter?

A group of people who arranged for a dinner via Twitter for the protest action "Haydarpaşa should not get dark" encountered a police control. The police was informed due to a related notice on Twitter. In the opinion of lawyer Bolaç, the police are "closely following the internet".

1 February 2012 Ayça Söylemez

Commission Takes Action

Commission Takes Action

The sub-commission established for the investigation into the Uludere massacre is going to visit the region on 2/3 February in order to speak to the survivors of the bombardment and the relatives of the victims and to hold talks with pubic officials.

31 January 2012

104 Journalists and 30 Distributors in Prison

104 Journalists and 30 Distributors in Prison

104 journalists and 30 distributors went to jail until the end of 2011. The journalists are in prison under allegations of affiliations with illegal organizations in the scope of the Anti-Terror Law and the Turkish Criminal Law. 94 out of these 134 press workers are from Kurdish media outlets.

31 January 2012 Emel Gülcan

KCK Trial: 5 out of 104 Detained Defendants Released

KCK Trial: 5 out of 104 Detained Defendants Released

Five of the 104 detained defendants of the main trial about the Union of Kurdish Communities were released pending trial on 27 January. A total of 152 defendants stand trial in the Diyarbakır case that has been pending for 3 years.

30 January 2012 Abdullah Gümüştaş

Again no Releases in OdaTV Trial

Again no Releases in OdaTV Trial

None of the detained defendants of the Oda TV trial was released at the 10th hearing on 27 January. The following hearing was set for 12 March.

30 January 2012

140journos: A Counter Media Movement

140journos: A Counter Media Movement

140journos is a "counter media" movement using social media tools to provide real-time, independent and objective news reporting. 140journos claim, "We are against the main stream. For this reason, we recommend to use the social media effectively. That way, we make this counter movement a reality".

27 January 2012 Çiçek Tahaoğlu

Country with the most Convictions: Turkey

Country with the most Convictions: Turkey

The majority of judgements delivered by the European Court of Human Rights in 2011 concerned Turkey. Most of these decisions were related to violations of the right to a fair trial and to an effective investigation as well as long trial periods and ill-treatment.

27 January 2012

"So-called Journalists are Police Murderers and Molesters"

"So-called Journalists are Police Murderers and Molesters"

After the release of the RSF World Press Freedom Index, PM Erdoğan announced that his government had opened the way to freedom of expression. The PM said that people in the west were not able to understand the arrests of journalists because western journalists did not incite a coup.

27 January 2012

"Our Language, our Eyes, our Ears"

"Our Language, our Eyes, our Ears"

Eutelsat suspended the broadcast of the Kurdish television channel Roj TV. As of 22 January, it can be watched via the internet only. Reporters Without Borders condemned Eutelsat's decision. Bianet asked the viewers what Roj TV meant to them.

27 January 2012 Nilay Vardar

Judge and Prosecutor of Dink Trial Face Investigation

Judge and Prosecutor of Dink Trial Face Investigation

A probe has been launched about judge Eryılmaz and Prosecutor Usta of the Hrant Dink murder trial which resulted in a much disputed decision on 17 January. Investigating Judge Kakilli told bianet about the reasons for the investigation.

26 January 2012 Işıl Cinmen

Number of Skulls in JİTEM Mass Grave Rose to 23

Number of Skulls in JİTEM Mass Grave Rose to 23

23 skulls have been found in the mass grave next to the former JİTEM building in Içkale/Diyarbakır. According to Bilici from the Human Rights Association, it would be possible to find the people responsible for these unsolved murders within 24 hours if wanted.

26 January 2012 Abdullah Gümüştaş

Legal Amendment: Illegal Workers Out

Legal Amendment: Illegal Workers Out

The Law Related to Residence and Travels of Foreign Subjects will be amended. Göç-Der President Gürbüz evaluated the amendment as a "threat to Armenian people".

25 January 2012 Işıl Cinmen

Journalists Sue the Media

Journalists Sue the Media

Journalists Demir and Kepenk were taken into custody and released in the course of a KCK operation. They now sue the newspapers Zaman, Star, Sabah and Yeni Şafak because of their news about the journalists published during their time in custody.

25 January 2012

Access to Agos Website Denied "by the System"

Access to Agos Website Denied "by the System"

Access to the website of the Armenian Agos newspaper was temporarily denied to students of schools affiliated with the Ministry of National Education on 23 January. The Turkish Telecom blamed an error of the system for the filtering of the website.

24 January 2012

Şener: Dink Decision Confirmed my Arguments

Şener: Dink Decision Confirmed my Arguments

"I worked on anti-terror duties for 20 years and I have never seen a document as plain as this one", said former Chief of Police Avcı at the Oda TV trial hearing. Journalist Şener stated, "The Dink decision confirmed what I wrote".

24 January 2012 Nilay Vardar

19 Skulls Found in JİTEM Mass Grave

19 Skulls Found in JİTEM Mass Grave

The number of skulls found in the excavations at the JİTEM Group Command in the historical Saraykapı district of Diyarbakır rose to 19.

24 January 2012 Abdullah Gümüştaş

Request for Samast's Release Dismissed

Request for Samast's Release Dismissed

The Court of Appeals rejected the request of Ogün Samast to benefit from the regulation that the upper limit for the period of arrest for defendants of heavy crimes is five years. Samast, convicted murder of Turkish-Armenian journalist Dink, will remain in prison.

24 January 2012

"Journalists are in Prison Because of their Writings"

"Journalists are in Prison Because of their Writings"

Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights Hammarberg found the decision of the Hrant Dink murder trial "disappointing" and questioned why the forces behind the murder have not been investigated. In his opinion, journalists in Turkey are being jailed on the grounds of their critical writings.

23 January 2012 Ayça Söylemez

Books of Killed Writer Musa Anter Investigated

Books of Killed Writer Musa Anter Investigated

Ten books published by the Aram Publishing Company became the subject of investigation on charges of "propaganda for an illegal organization via the media". The investigation also includes works of slain Kurdish writer Musa Anter.

23 January 2012

"Efforts to Silence the Press"

"Efforts to Silence the Press"

Three people were released pending trial at the initial hearing of the Yürüyüş magazine and Ozan Publishing employees. 11 detained defendants were at court for the first time after 13 months of pre-trial detention.

23 January 2012 Serhat Korkmaz

Chief Prosecutor Files Appeal

Chief Prosecutor Files Appeal

The Istanbul Public Chief Prosecution filed an appeal against the decision of the Hrant Dink murder trial in order to reach a verdict in accordance with the indictment of the prosecution and the final plea.

20 January 2012

Violation of Soldiers' Rights

Violation of Soldiers' Rights

The Soldiers' Rights group submitted 22 petitions related to rights violations experienced at the military to the Parliamentary Human Rights Commission. The group requested to establish a sub-commission on this issue.

20 January 2012

Thousands of People Commemorate Hrant Dink

Thousands of People Commemorate Hrant Dink

Thousands of people walked from Taksim to the office of the Agos newspaper in Şişli to commemorate Turkish-Armenian journalist Hrant Dink at the place he was killed five years ago. Two days after the Dink trial was concluded, banners reading "This trial will not end that way" were dominating the scene.

20 January 2012

Hopa Demonstrations: Stones Considered as Weapons

Hopa Demonstrations: Stones Considered as Weapons

The second indictment was prepared about citizens of Hopa who attended anti-government demonstrations on 32 May. Stones thrown during the protest are considered as "weapons". The demonstrators face up to 12 years in jail.

19 January 2012