content tagged with terror crimes

The Constitutional Court ruled that Yunis Karataş who started the fire that caused the Sivas Massacre in 1993 has "committed a terror crime" but cannot be evaluated as a "terror convict" since the latter requires the presence of a definite terrorist organization.

A trial was opened against nine juveniles who are alleged of having thrown stones and explosives at the police in the course of a demonstration in Adana. The young defendants are facing 24 years in prison in total.

In a report stemming from visits to the provinces of Adana and Hakkari in March 2009, UNICEF Turkey demands to protect the right to life for children who attended demonstrations. The report furthermore recommends amendments of the Anti-Terror Law.

In the context of the "democratic initiative" the government has prepared a bill regarding children being prosecuted under charges of "terror crimes". The bill will abrogate equal prosecution standards for children and adults. Children's rights defenders evaluate the bill as insufficient, criticizing that children participating in protest actions can still be adjudged to long sentences.