Governor suspends Şırnak Medical Chamber Chair Küni’s contract
* Photo: Serdar Küni's Twitter account
Click to read the article in Turkish
Over a court case filed against him 7 years ago, the Governor's Office of Şırnak has suspended the Family Medicine Labor Contract of Şırnak Medical Chamber Chair Serdar Küni for a period of 2 months.
Küni has announced the suspension of his contract on his social media account. He has said, "With a file which is currently pending before the Court of Cassation and is nothing but nonsense cited as a reason, my Family Medicine Contract has been suspended by the Governor's Office of Şırnak in such a way to aggrieve me and, more importantly, my patients".
Further in his statement about the issue, Dr. Serdar Küni has stated that "he does not accept the attitude taken up against physicians, who are the guarantees of human life" and he has "strongly condemned the attitude undermining the right to health". The physician has announced that "all legal means will be used" about the issue and he will "resolutely stand against this unfair and unlawful attitude as he always does".
CLICK - Dr. Serdar Küni sentenced to 4 years, 2 months in prison, again
About the judicial process and chargesHuman Rights Foundation of Turkey (TİHV) Cizre Representative Dr. Serdar Küni was arrested on October 19, 2016. Two indictments brought against the physician accused him of "treating the 'members of the organization' who had been injured in the operations carried out during the curfew in Cizre." The only evidence in the file was an anonymous witness named "Vatan" (Homeland) and the statements made by some people who had been allegedly in Cizre in that period. However, except for "Vatan", all other witnesses said that they had given their statements under torture and had been forced to sign them. They withdrew their all statements and said that they did not know Dr. Küni. Anonymous witness "Vatan" said in his/her statement that "the protesters wounded in social incidents were treated at the health center where Küni was working." The only charge brought against Küni is about his practice of medicine; however, the related health center where he was working was closed on the indicated date. About Dr. Serdar KüniHe was born in 1972. He went to primary, secondary and high school in Cizre, Şırnak. He graduated from the Faculty of Medicine of Dicle University. He got married in 1997 and has four children. He worked in the Emergency Service of Cizre State Hospital and healthcare centers. He was one of the founders of the Şırnak Medical Chamber, which was established on February 7, 2007. He was the Chair of the Chamber from 2010 to 2012. He is still a delegate of the Turkish Medical Association (TTB) Central Congress. He is also the Cizre Representative of the Human Rights Foundation of Turkey (TİHV). Küni was also working as a physician at the Bişeng Health Center, which was founded by the Cizre Municipality to protect public health. Speaking about the center, Dr. Küni previously said, "Since March 14, 2011, we have been offering services as the Bişeng Health Center under the roof of Cizre Municipality. Our aim is to give equal, free and accessible healthcare to all." The institution was especially providing women and children with preventive healthcare services in the mother language. Bişeng had to close down during the curfews and operations. |
(RT/SD)