ESCALATION
• Guernica-style assault onto Lice
• Ciller-Güres
tandem's new threats
• Emergency rule
extended for four months
• Prison terms and
fines to be increased
• An anti-terror
fund to be set up
• Government asks
the execution of death sentences
• Unbearable
pressure on the media
The civil war in Turkey has gained greater
dimensions in October and November with a series of bloody assaults of
the military and new repressive measures taken by the government on the
one hand and with the bans on political parties and daily press imposed
by the PKK in Turkish Kurdistan. In a further move, the Turkish
Government decided to extend repressive operations to European
countries by sending there death squads.
In last three months,80 Kurdish villages have been
destroyed and their surviving inhabitants forced to move westward. So
the number of the Kurdish villages destroyed or depopulated since 1984
has reached to 850.
The most spectacular and dramatic one of the
military offensive against Kurdish towns and villages in lst two
monthswas no doubt the Guernica-style assault of the armed forces onto
the Lice township on October 22. After the occult assassination of
Diyarbakir gendarmerie commander, General Bahtiyar Aydin, in a military
zone by unidentified sharp-shooters, the military units launched a
destruction operation against this township, by using heavy artillery
and flame-throwers.
According to the Turkish Daily News of November 2,
"Lice was not subject to a security operation of a simple order but was
literally punished. This town, populated by 9,000 and rebuilt after a
major earthquake, has been hit by another tremor. For years, the people
of Lice have been accused by local security officials of supporting
terrorism and providing logistic supplies to the PKK. Hürriyet of
November 1 quoted a police officer saying: 'Everything has to be paid
for. Now Lice has had to pay for what it has been doing.' Those who
know the story of how Sirnak was destroyed in August 1991, know what
realities also lie behind Lice."
Daily Özgür Gündem of October 25 claimed that
380 people were killed and hundreds of others were hospitalised when
government troops used chemical weapons. The governor said that a total
of 398 houses and 242 shops suffered damage during incidents.
The destruction was so terrible that security forces
prevented even Premier Ciller from going to Lice in ruins.
As for the pretext of this operation, it was
practically impossible to shoot dead a military commander in a military
zone from a long distance. Later on, it was revealed. The hypothesis
that General Aydin was assassinated either for an accounting within the
army or for justifying the well-planned destruction operation against
Lice seems more convincing than the claim of a PKK murder. In fact,
just after the murder, the PKK immediately denied any responsibility in
the affair.
PKK'S DEMONSTRATION OF FORCE
The Lice operation may be interpreted as a
retaliation of the security forces to the PKK's recent demonstration of
force in Turkish Kurdistan.
First, on October 17, the PKK leadership issued an
order to Turkey's mass circulation dailies to close their offices in
Diyarbakir, charging them with remaining silent as regards the
repression in Kurdish provinces and to the oppression targeting the
socialist press and with acting so as the spokesman of the government.
The PKK's ban on the Turkish press followed a
ruthless clandestine campaign against Kurdish journalists in the region
that has left 14 newsmen assassinated.
The local representatives of the banned papers too confirmed that their
reports on the repression have systematically been thrown to paper
baskets.
In a second move, the PKK also banned the activities
of the political parties in Turkish Kurdistan and ordered them to close
down their local offices.
In fact, the PKK had already imposed its authority
in many Kurdish provinces. According to the daily Hürriyet of October
26:
- In many areas, the citizen does not refer his case
to a state court. Cases are deliberated by local PKK committees.
- People do not pay their electric, telephone or
water bills.
- The PKK collects taxes from small businesses.
- Shops close earlier. In many areas, a PKK ban on
alcoholic drinks and smoking is in force.
- Railway transportation has nearly stopped.
- Social activities have ceased. Wedding ceremonies
are held in the mornings.
- State investments have come to a halt, because
contractors have fled the region.
- Banks refuse to give loans to local people. When
they do give loans, they ask people to mortgage real estate in the
western parts of the country, if possible.
- Insurance agencies usually refuse to insure
property and real estate in the region.
- Educational activity in the region has become
almost impossible because of the closure of schools and lack of
teachers.
Reuter reports on November 9 that the cost of the
anti-PKK campaign in the south-east rises to more than TL 100 trillion
($ 7.5 billion) this year.
CILLER-GÜRES TANDEM'S THREATS
Instead of seeking a political solution to the
current regime, Prime Minister Tansu Ciller and Chief of Staff General
Dogan Güres continue to reinforce state terrorism. The following are
the recent declarations by the two principal responsibles of the state
of war:
Güres:
"We call all PKK militants to surrender or die. All
leaders of this separatist organization are to be killed. Turkey will
not give up or leave the South-eastern region." (October 27, 1993).
Ciller:
"We will retaliate with hit-and-run tactics. I am
sending special envoys to Iran, Iraq and Syria to ask them to close
down PKK camps." (October 31, 1993)
"We have no tolerance for the PKK in Parliament. I
will vote for the lifting of the immunity of DEP deputies." (November
14, 1993).
Following the Ciller-Güres tandem's directives, the
Turkish Parliament, on November 9, extended again for four months the
emergency rule in the provinces of Sirnak, Batman, Diyarbakir,
Bingöl, Bitlis, Tunceli, Van, Hakkari, Mardin and Siirt. The emergency
rule, a diluted version of martial law, has been in force since 1987
and empowers provincial governors to impose curfews, ban meetings and
rallies, halt strikes and issue search warrants. In practice, the
governors put in force all measures imposed by the military at the
National Security Council.
Despite its promise during electoral campaign, the
social democrat SHP, partner of the coalition, too voted for the
extension of emergency rule.
Beside the extension of emergency rule, the National
Security Council, at its meeting on October 26, asked the government to
modify the Anti-Terror Law in a view to increase jail terms and fines
on terrorism crimes and to create a fund to combat terrorism.
Accordingly, a bill that was submitted to Parliament
on November 10 foresees the establishment of a fund based on income
from cuts in various sectors. This anti-terrorism fund worth billions
of dollars will be freely used by the security authorities.
The fund's income will consist of:
- annual allocations to the budget of the Interior
Ministry,
- three percent of the annual profit of all public
enterprises,
- five percent of all income from commercial licence
plates,
- transfers from other funds upon proposal by the
Interior Minister,
- ten percent of all traffic fines,
- ten percent of all license fees to carry weapons,
to obtain driver's licenses, passports, residence documents and
registration documents,
- ten percent of all income from imported weapons,
- five percent of all revenues from sports
tournaments and horse races,
- five percent of national lottery incomes,
- interest rate incomes.
Moreover, all donations made to the fund by
individuals or corporations will be exempted from every kind of tax and
fees and deducted from corporate and income taxes.
In another move, on October 31, the government
demanded that all death sentences of which the execution has been
suspended since 1984 be carried out as a deterrent step against
terrorism. There are currently 11 death sentences that have been passed
by courts, but which are awaiting parliamentary approval.
Until 1984, during the four-year military power, 50
death sentences had been executed. Since then, the executions have been
suspended as a sign of "democratisation" in the country.
TURKISH DEATH SQUADS IN EUROPE
Ciller-Güres tandem has also decided to extend state
terrorism to foreign countries where exist Kurdish organizations and
opposition groups.
The daily Aydinlik reported on November 16, 1993,
that death squads attached to the Turkish Chief of Staff office have
gone to Europe in the past month to assassinate Kurdish activists there.
According to the newspaper, at least 100 officers of
the Special War Department, which Turkey renamed the Special Forces
Command, have left for five European countries.
A large number of the assassins, said the paper,
headed for Germany and France, where senior leaders of the PKK are
located, while others travelled to Holland, Switzerland and Britain.
Aydinlik noted that the officers were selected among
those who speak several foreign languages and are specially trained for
the job. The decision was made after the National Security Council in
October to eliminate all leaders of the PKK in Turkey and abroad.
The paper further claimed that aside from the
assassinations, the teams would focus on activities aiming to alienate
the people of Europe from the PKK.
ANTI-KURDISH OPERATIONS IN EUROPE
As the Kurdish organizations in Europe were staging
various demonstrations against the climbing state terrorism in Turkey,
at the end of November 1993, French and German authorities,
yielding to the Turkish Government's pressure, started a repressive
campaign against Kurdish activists in Europe.
First, French police carried out a countrywide
operation and took into custody more than 100 alleged members of the
PKK. On November 22, French prosecutors charged 21 detainees with
membership of a "terrorist organization", gathering money for a
terrorist organization by violent means involving the use of weapons,
staging politically motivated attacks, and extortion.
French Interior Minister Charles Pasqua, renown for
his anti-migrant and xenophobic policies, said that certain
organizations were trying to transform France into a support base for
terrorism.
The French operation has led to protests among
60,000 Kurds living in France.
While the Turkish Government was applauding the
French operation, M. Daniel Jacoby, chairman of the International
Federation of Leagues for Human Rights, said: "The aim is to please the
Turkish Government which does not respect human rights. The charges are
extremely fragile and the case is fabricated artificially."
In fact, French Government's anti-PKK campaign came
just after a new profitable deal with the Turkish military. On October
8, a $253 million contract had been signed between the Turkish Defence
Industry Under secretariat (SSM) and Eurocopter, a French company for
the direct purchase of 20 general purpose helicopters for the Turkish
Armed Forces.
The AS 532 UL "Congar" type helicopters are to be
used by the Turkish land forces, mainly for troop deployment and
search-and-rescue operations.
Defence Minister Nevzat Ayaz said the purchase was
an indicator of Turkey's closer ties with Europe.
The French operation was followed by the German
decision to ban the PKK and 35 affiliated groups. German Interior
Minister Manfred Kanther said on November 26 that the PKK was an
organization that killed people and that Germany's doors would remain
closed to the terrorists.
The German decision came three weeks after
co-ordinated assaults on Turkish offices in which a Turkish man died
when a Wiesbaden restaurant was fire-bombed. Although Turkish and
German authorities blamed the assaults on the PKK, the latter denied
involvement in the attacks. Since Ankara has reportedly sent abroad
provocateur agents and death squads, it is possible that many acts of
violence be provoked or carried out by them in order to discredit the
PKK in Europe.
Currently, there are more than 400,000 Kurds living
in Germany. In many German cities, Kurdish groups objected to the
closure of their organizations and occupied again their locals despite
the ban. Women and children waving Kurdish banners crowded at the
windows while supporters shouted messages of support outside.
The Kurdistan National Liberation Front (ERNK), the
PKK's political wing, said in a statement that the crackdown would fuel
anger against Germany and German interests.
The French and German decisions have created an
atmosphere of victory in Ankara. Not only government officials but also
the big media warmly welcomed these decisions and announced it as a
success for the Turkish Government's shuttle diplomacy seeking
international isolation of the PKK as a "terrorist" organization.
According to the daily Cumhuriyet of November 29, in
turn for the steps they are taking, Western countries will be asking
the Turkish government to "facilitate" the extension of the Poised
Hammer -officially known as Provide Comfort- force's mandate.
Whatsoever be the apparent reason of the ban on PKK
in Germany, the Turkish authorities had been blackmailing Germany with
the menace of putting it in the Black List of the Turkish War Industry.
(See: Info-Türk, N°203, September 1993).
Encouraged by the French and German decisions,
Turkish Foreign Minister Hikmet Cetin said: "Other European countries
too should follow the German example. Those European countries who fail
to ban the PKK will see their own countries turn into hotbeds of
terrorism. "
Evidently the Turkish intelligence teams charged
abroad will not delay to stage some provocative actions in
European centres to obtain an extension of bans on Kurdish
organizations to other European countries.
CHRISTIAN VILLAGE DEPOPULATED
State paid village guards have driven 200
Christians from the village of Hassana in Mardin province on November
20, 1993. A Syriac Christian witness in the nearby town of Midyat said:
"An order came through Silopi security headquarters
last month, telling them to evacuate Hassana. It happened because a
local tribal leader said on television that it was an Armenian village.
Then immediately they were told to get out. Most of the entire
200-strong population of the village has been moved to homes in Oyunduk
village next door, some to Midyat and some to Mardin."
In a separate incident at the end of November,
village guards investigating an arson attack on electricity station in
Alagöz village in Mardin province seized seven Syriac shepherds, using
molten plastic to brand one of their victims with a cross.
BRITISH UNIONISTS DETAINED
Ten British trade unionists, a French and a Danish
national were detained by the military in south-east Turkey on November
26 as carrying out an investigation on the state terrorism at the
Kurdish village of Birlik .
After having being held overnight at an army
station in a neighbouring village, the group was driven in the morning
to a police station in Diyarbakir. Twenty-seven hours after their
detention they were given back their passports and told they could
leave.
Nine of the British trade unionists, after their
return to London on November 28, accused the Turkish authorities of
persecuting the region's Kurdish community.
Sarah Dally of the British Health Workers' Union and
Brenda Nixon of the National Union of Mineworkers said at the Heathrow
airport:
"Immediately we got the Birlik village we could see
that the houses were still burning. There was just decimation. We all
got out and started taking photographs when a Kurdish woman started
screaming 'Go away! The soldiers will shoot you. You'll be murdered!' A
group of soldiers surrounded us and marched us out of the village and
into a field."
TURKEY CONDEMNED BY THE UNO FOR TORTURE
On November 18, 1993, the United Nations Committee
Against Torture issued a report condemning the government of Turkey for
"widespread, habitual, deliberate" and "systematic" torture. The
committee's decision was taken unanimously.
The Committee Against Torture (CAT) was created in
1988 to monitor the implementation of the United Nations Convention
Against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman and Degrading Treatment, which
was adopted in 1984 and went into effect in 1987. Turkey ratified the
convention on August 2, 1988, and is bound by its provisions.
The CAT, made up of ten experts selected by states
that have signed and ratified the convention, has been monitoring
torture in Turkey since 1990. Its findings were based on information
received from non-governmental organizations and on its own 1992
mission to Turkey. Over the objection of the Turkish Government, the
CAT decided to release publicly a summary of its findings.`
The Committee concluded that "even though only a
small number of torture cases can be proved with absolute certainty,
the copious testimony gathered is so consistent in its description of
torture techniques and the places and circumstances in which torture is
perpetrated that the existence of systematic torture in Turkey cannot
be denied... [Torture is] seen to be habitual, widespread and
deliberate in at least a considerable part of the territory of the
country in question."
The committee went on to condemn acts of violence
perpetrated by armed groups against security forces in Turkey, but
emphasised that "under article 2, paragraph 2, of the Convention, no
exceptional circumstances whatsoever, whether a state of war or a
threat of war, internal political instability or any other public
emergency, may be invoked as a justification of torture."
The committee stated that certain measures must be
taken immediately:
- The use of a blindfold during questioning should
be expressly prohibited;
- legal assistance should be provided for any person
held in police custody;
- access for lawyers should be made easier; and
- all solitary confinement cells known as "coffins",
in which inmates can only stand or crouch, must be demolished.
The committee stated that at the maximum time limit
of thirty days for police custody for detainees suspected of crimes
against the state connected with terrorism, firearms or drugs is
"excessive" and "may leave room for acts of torture by the security
forces."
Moreover, the committee recommended that forensic
examinations of persons in police custody "should be completely
separate from the police," that detainees should be permitted to be
examined by doctors of their own choice, and that any resulting
certificate should be admitted into evidence before a court.
The committee recommended that prosecutor acts
"promptly and effectively" to investigate claims of torture, and that
"torturers should not feel that they are in a position of virtual
immunity from the law."
In December 1992, the other international body
responsible for investigating torture, the European Committee for the
Prevention of Torture and Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment
(CPT), issued a public statement sharply criticising the government of
Turkey:
"In the light of all the information at its
disposal, the CPT can only conclude that the practice of torture and
other forms of severe ill-treatment of persons in police custody
remains widespread in Turkey and that such methods are applied to both
ordinary criminal suspects and persons held under anti-terrorism
provisions."
The reports by the UN and European committees
substantiate Helsinki Watch findings Broken Promises: Torture and
Killings Continue in Turkey (December 1992).
A full copy of the 14-page UN report as well as
other reports mentioned above can be obtained from Helsinki Watch
- 485 Fifth Avenue - New York, N.Y. 10017-6104 - USA, Phone: (202)
371-6592, Fax: (202) 371-0124
APPEAL BY AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL
Amnesty International, in its new report issued on
October 20, put in evidence that since 1991 Turkey's security forces
have engaged in a campaign of extra judicial executions and killed a
number of civilians by firing indiscriminately on demonstrators and
residential areas.
The report entitled "Turkey: Responses to an
emerging pattern of extra judicial killings" said: "Governments
such as those of Iraq and Myanmar make no attempt to hide their
brutality. Others, for example India or Turkey, pay lip-service to
human rights on the one hand but kill on the other, relying on
cover-ups or blatant lies. While the prosecution service appears to
regard combating separatism as its primary task, movement is slow on
cases of mysterious deaths of alleged separatists. Some killings in the
[south-east] region could have been carried out by any of the security
force units, such as plainclothes members of the Anti-Terror Branch,
the Special Teams, the village guards, or a combination of elements
from the three, acting on their own initiative but with passive or
active collusion of other parts of the law and order system."
In another document, Amnesty also noted that the PKK
in Turkey, like the Communist Party of Peru (Shining Path) and the
Sudan People's Liberation Army had committed gross atrocities and
claimed thousands of lives."
Although the Amnesty reports were embargoed, the
official Anatolia Agency ran an early story quoting only Amnesty's
criticism of the PKK, implying the report merely carried condemnation
of that organization, and failed to mention the 12-page criticism on
the stance of the Turkish government and its security forces.
In its report, Amnesty made the following appeals:
"The situation calls for the establishment of an
independent expert commission of inquiry as laid down in the UN
Principles on the Effective Prevention and Investigation of Extralegal,
Arbitrary and Summary Executions, adopted by the UN Economic and Social
Council in 1989.
"To turn back the tide of killings, the Turkish
government must ensure that all levels in the judiciary, local
government and the military clearly understand that extra judicial
execution is illegal and must not be used as a tool in the conflict
with the PKK."
2-MONTH STATE TERRORISM
1.10, in Istanbul, a woman named Sibel Yildiz, 18,
says that she was tortured and raped by a policeman and a gendarmerie
sergeant during 10 days after her arrest on July 7.
1.10, tradesman Salim Sarikan (24) in Silvan, Sakir
Savas (23) and Selim Koyuncu (29) in Batman are shot dead by
unidentified gunmen.
2.10, farmer Abdülselam Ayabag was shot dead by
unknown persons in Batman.
3.10, a high school student named Nihal Zogurlu is
reportedly subjected to torture after her arrest in Diyarbakir on
September 30.
4.10, in Midyat, 26 persons, of whom 9 children and
5 women, fall victims of a mine explosion as they are travelling in a
minibus.
4.10, photographer Muzaffer Tekin (20) is shot dead
by unidentified gunmen in Diyarbakir. Same day, the dead body of Sirin
Akbas (30) is found assassinated in Hizan (Bitlis).
4.10, security forces arrest about 200 people in the
centre and districts of Batman. Among the detainees are also the SHP
Chairman of Kozluk, Abdurrahman Baltas, and the former mayor of the
same city, Burhan Ayhan.
5.10, in Cizre, a goldsmith named Haci Sansak (56)
dies in a police centre after being detained on October 3.
5.10, unidentified gunmen shoot dead Suat Sutsurup,
Omer Han, Hasan Altinkaya and Hanefi Yildiz in Silvan, Hayrettin Dal
and Mahmut Akay in Batman.
6.10, an Istanbul court begins to deal with a legal
proceeding in which the prosecutor asks closing down of the Istanbul
Section of the Human Rights Association (IHD) for separatist propaganda.
6.10, security forces arrest more than 250 people
during a one-week operation in Batman and its districts.
7.10, in Halfetli (Urfa), security forces raiding a
house shoot dead three alleged PKK sympathisers.
7.10, a member of the Silvan Municipal Council,
Mahsun Güvenc (44) is shot dead by unidentified gunmen in Diyarbakir.
Same day, a municipal worker, Ali Isik too is assassinated by
unidentified gunmen in the same city.
7.10, an official of the IHD, lawyer Yildiz Koluacik
is aggressed by unidentified assailants raiding his house.
8.10, a young woman, Nilüfer Koc, who was the
translator of a German delegation during their visit to the emergency
law region claims that she was detained in Sirnak on September 29 and
subjected to torture for six days at the interrogation centre.
8.10, unidentified gunmen shoot dead Esref Sengül,
Halit Güzel and Ihsan Kiran in Silvan, Yasar Karakutlu in Mersin.
9.10, in one day, four persons, Zeki Murat Yildirim,
Süreyya Gün, Aysun Gün and Sahabettin Kartal, are assassinated by
unidentified gunmen.
10.10, in Diyarbakir, unidentified gunmen shoot dead
Yalcin Yasa; Lokman Zugurlu and Zana Zugurlu who were kidnapped a day
ago are found assassinated. In Midyat, village headman Ali Akal falls
victim of a political murder.
11.10, in Cizre, Süleyman Dansiz is assassinated by
unidentified gunmen.
11.10, in Istanbul, a young woman named Cigdem
Olgun is shot dead by a policeman.
11.10, a 24-year old taxi driver, Bilen Cifci is
found dead at the Ankara Police Headquarters after being taken into
custody. Though police authorities claim that Cifci committed suicide
by throwing himself from the window of the fourth floor, the relatives
of the victim accuse the police of having assassinated Cifci.
13.10, the mayor of Kozluk (Batman), Abdullah Kaya
is placed under arrest by the Istanbul SSC for an interview he gave to
Özgür Gündem in protest against the assassination of DEP deputy Mehmet
Sincar.
13.10, in Nusaybin, unidentified gunmen shoot dead
Hasan Dündar and Hasan Yagizsoy. Same day, Yilmaz Acun and Nurettin
Akkurt fall victims of political assassination in Siverek.
14.10, the prosecutor of the Ankara SSC starts a
legal proceeding against 14 Kurdish mayors who recently adhered to the
DEP for their joint declaration. Accused of separatist propaganda,
Sukru Calli (Hakkari), Abdullah Kaya (Kozluk), Muslim Yildirim
(Nusaybin), Cemil Akgul (Kurtalan), Taladdin Uzum (Gökcebag), Nazmi
Balkas (Lice), Necdet Buldan (Yüksekova), Süleyman Aydogmus (Akarsu),
Yusuf Bayram (Agacli), Fadil Kilic (Onbirnisan), Mahsun Agaoglu
(Senyurt), Numan Demir (Uzundere) and Baki Duygu (Altinova) each face a
prison term of up to five years.
14.10, in Diyarbakir, unidentified gunmen shoot dead
tradesman Baki Karakoc (32).
14.10, the chairman of the Association for
Democratic Rights (DHD), Hasan Erdem is detained by police.
15.10, in Silvan, municipal worker Ihsan Günesli and
worker Selim Demirkan are shot dead by unidentified gunmen.
15.10, the chairman of the Anti-War Association,
Arif Hikmet Iyidogan is detained by police in Istanbul.
18.10, in Istanbul, security forces take into
custody eight people for carrying out some activities for an
underground religious organization.
18.10, in Diyarbakir, Bayram Demir (17) is
assassinated by unidentified gunmen and Ramazan Zengin (48) is found
beheaded.
18.10, in Izmir, two officials of the Association
for Rights and Freedoms (Özgür-Der), Hasan Aktas and Bekir Ercan
Ilhan were detained by police.
19.10, Özgür-Der official Cihan Arkan is detained in
Ankara by police raiding his house.
19.10, in Midyat, Resul Alpsoy is assassinated by
unidentified people.
21.10, the trial of 124 people accused of the
massacre of Sivas begins at the Ankara SSC. The tribunal bans the
presence in the court-room of the lawyers representing the families of
the victims. A group protesting against this ban in front of the
court-room is dispersed by police force. Ankara SHP deputy Salman Kaya
and some demonstrators are wounded by police.
22.10, unidentified gunmen shoot dead a 16-year old
student in Batman and worker Sedat Sümer in Diyarbakir.
22.10, the Istanbul SSC begins to try 11 Islamists
for illegal activities. The prosecutor demands capital punishment for
each defendant.
23.10, new victims of political murders: Sabri
Kaplan, Ramazan Yildirim, Cetin Gidici, Abdulmenaf Akto, Mustafa Kilic
and Abdulsemat Imrak in Batman; Ibrahim Karakuyu in Pazarcik.
23.10, a group of cadets of a military school in
Balikesir raid some night clubs and beat the clients on pretext that
"they were amusing themselves as the country was suffering from
separatist terror."
23.10, political refugee Sarp Kuray is taken into
custody at the Istanbul Airport when he returned from his self-exile in
Paris.
24.10, tradesman Ramazan Celik is assassinated by
unidentified gunmen in Batman.
25.10, security forces raiding a house in Ankara
shoot dead two alleged Dev-Sol militants, Tayyar Suna Sayar and Yasar
Yilmaz..
26.10, in Mersin, security forces detain DEP
official Fatma Savas and nine other people.
29.10, new victims of political violence: Hayati
Eren, Mazhar Celik and Muhittin Karaaslan in Diyarbakir, Hanifi Yaprak
in Silvan.
29.10, Tajdin Mendil, Haci Kayasiz, Nusret Selimoglu
and Serbest Sala are found assassinated on the road of Silopi-Cizre.
31.10, in Diyarbakir, farmer Fahri Coskun and worker
Abdulkadir Ozcan are assassinated by unidentified gunmen.
31.10, in Diyarbakir, security forces raiding the
village of Cavusoglu in the night destroys by burning 45 out of 65
houses and detained 11 people.
1.11, in Gaziantep, four detainees, Abidin Demir,
Ali Cengiz Demir, Hüseyin Solak and Bülent Türkmen claim to be tortured
during seven days.
1.11, in Ankara, high school student Rahsan Esen
claims to be tortured during his 3-day detention by police.
2.11, a meeting to commemorate the victims of the
Sivas Massacre organized by the students of the Middle East Technical
University in Ankara is banned by the governor's order.
2.11, in Eskisehir, a police operation results in
the arrest of more than 30 university students.
2.11, security forces raiding a house in Tarsus
shoot dead an alleged PKK militant, Sevinc Celik.
3.11, in Tarsus a 4-month pregnant woman, Leyla Ine
claims to be tortured during her 3-day police detention.
4.11, five IHD officials, Günseli Kaya, Dervis
Altun, Enver Basaraner, Salih Basaraner and Ramiz Saglam are
detained by police in Izmir.
5.11, new victims of political terror: pharmacist
and DEP member Eyup Gökoglu in Urfa, tradesman Can Sezgin in Batman.
6.11, in Cizre, three children, Mehmet Cevik, Hakan
Isik and Selim Uyanmaz are killed by the explosion of a mine laid by
security forces.
6.11, unidentified gunmen shoot dead Hatip Acar in
Kozluk (Batman).
8.11, the trial of 14 DEP officials begins at the
Ankara SSC. Accused of separatist propaganda in a communiqué they
published on September 1, DEP Chairman Yasar Kaya and his comrades face
prison terms of up to ten years and fines of up to TL 200 Million ($
13,793).
8.11, Mehmet Emin Bingöl, Yakup Tetik, Mehmet Acal,
Ali Can Öner and three other unidentified persons are found
assassinated under torture in Mus.
8.11, the Anti-War Association is closed down by a
tribunal in Izmir for its anti-militarist activities.
9.11, unidentified gunmen shoot dead Abdulkadir
Selcuk in Diyarbakir and Huseyin Ardic in Sirnak.
9.11, five officials of the Trade Union of Finance
Employees (Maliye Sen) are tried at a penal court of Eskisehir for
unauthorised meeting.
10.11, the female political detainees at the Sakarya
Prison have reportedly been on hunger-strike in protest against inhuman
prison conditions.
11.11, in Adana, 75-year old Hüseyin Kahraman claims
having been tortured by police after his arrest on October 7. He is
still in prison.
11.11, the Diyarbakir Martial Law Court, in a trial
against PKK continuing for 13 years, sentences 15 defendants to capital
punishment, 14 to life-prison and 54 others to prison terms of up to 24
years.
11.11, in Batman, Mehmet Aritürk is assassinated by
unidentified gunmen.
12.11, in Patnos (Agri), 14 out of 30 people
detained in October are placed under arrest by a tribunal.
13.11, in Hakkari, the local DEP is destroyed by a
bomb explosion.
14.11, in Diyarbakir, 27-year old Kemal Canpolat is
found dead at the Police Headquarters where he has been under custody.
Medical experts certified many traces of torture on his body.
14.11, unidentified gunmen assassinate Hüseyin
Yagmur in Diyarbakir and Ekrem Oner in Batman.
15.11, in Istanbul, an alleged member of the Islamic
Movement, Ekrem Baytap claims to have been tortured for 11 days after
his detention.
15.11, DEP official Kemal Bilget is taken into
custody when he goes to the Police Department for receiving his
passport.
15.11, new victims of political killings: Bayram
Inci in Adana, Abdullah Uzunbas in Diyarbakir and Hüseyin Alkis in Urfa.
16.11, the prosecutor of the Ankara SSC indicts 25
alleged militants of the People's Revolutionary Party (TDHP). Two
defendants face capital punishment and others heavy prison terms of up
to 30 years.
16.11, the Malatya SSC sentences a PKK defendant to
20 years in prison and another one to six years.
16.11, in Eskisehir, 15 alleged Dev-Sol members are
placed under arrest by a tribunal.
16.11, Cemal Süslü falls victim of a political
murder in Diyarbakir.
17.11, it is for the first time since 1984 that the
Justice Committee of the National Assembly approves the execution of a
death sentence. Seyfettin Uzundiz was sentenced last year by a criminal
court to capital punishment for murder and armed robbery.
17.11, in Diyarbakir, Kurdish lawyers Meral Bestas
Danis, Mesut Bestas, Sebahattin Acar, Baki Demirhan, Hüsniye Ölmez,
Sinasi Tur, Nevzat Kaya, Vedat Erten and Arif Altunkalem are taken into
police custody on charges of aiding to the PKK and giving shelters to
PKK militants.
17.11, the Izmir SSC sentences seven PKK militants
to prison terms of up to 12 years and 6 months.
17.11, in Mersin, security forces detain Municipal
Council member Ali Bozkurt and 19 other people for sheltering PKK
militants.
17.11, the Istanbul SSC sentences three youths to
imprisonment of up to four months for having distributed May Day tracts.
18.11, in Diyarbakir, Esref Pervari falls victim of
a political murder.
18.11, in Istanbul, police disperse by force a group
of municipal workers holding a protest action and wounds of the
protesters.
19.11, raiding a house in Istanbul, police shoot
dead a young woman, Sevtap Macit Kolukirik, and wounds three persons.
19.11, the Istanbul SSC sentences three persons to
15-year imprisonment and another to 4 yeas and 2 months for having
carried out activities in favour of the Revolutionary Communist Party
of Turkey (TDKP) in Bursa.
19.11, the Ankara SSC sentences two alleged Dev-Sol
militants to 15-year imprisonment each and another to 12 years and six
months.
19.11, unidentified gunmen shoot dead Mustafa
Yildirim in Batman.
21.11, a solidarity festival that the Democratic
Women's Association (UDKD) organised is forbidden by the Istanbul
Governor. Same day, in Diyarbakir, a meeting of trade unions,
associations and professional organizations is banned by the governor.
22.11, raiding a house in Diyarbakir, police shoot
dead a person inside.
22.11, police announce the arrest of 36 alleged PKK
militants during recent operations in Izmir.
22.11, new victims of political murders: Süleyman
Tezcan in Midyat, Batil Simsek, Ahmet Halic, Mehmet Sevinc, Salih Eser
and Ubeydullah Can in Diyarbakir.
22.11, in Kiziltepe, police shoot dead Mahsun Kaymaz
and a 12-year old boy, Turgut Berzan Kahraman.
23.11, the Izmir SSC sentences a PKK member, Kasim
Karatas, to capital punishment and five others to imprisonments of up
to 22 years and 6 months.
23.11, the Constitutional Court decides to close
down the Freedom and Democracy Party (ÖZDEP) on charges of adopting a
separatist programme.
24.11, the Istanbul SSC places under arrest 18
people for PKK activities.
24.11, political murders: Mehmet Dogru, Aydin Tirmak
and Mahmut Kavut in Diyarbakir; Ramazan Budak, Abdurrahman Budak and
Selim Rüzgar in Batman.
24.11, in connection with the detention of nine
lawyers in Diyarbakir, lawyer Niyazi Cem too is taken into custody in
Istanbul.
24.11, the Istanbul SSC sentences three alleged PKK
militants to 12 years and 6 months in prison, two others to three years
and nine months each.
24.11, in Edirne, 16 university students are taken
to police custody during a home raid. In Adana, the number of the
people taken into custody in relation with PKK reaches 200.
25.11, a meeting for defending the women against
violence in Ankara is banned by the governor.
25.11, the Izmir SSC sentences three alleged PKK
militants to 12 years and 6 months in prison and a minor defendant to 8
years and 4 months.
25.11, in Diyarbakir, university student Sertip
Bilek falls victim of political murder.
26.11, in Istanbul, security forces raiding a house
shoot dead an 18-year old high school student, Selma Dogan, and another
unidentified youth.
26.11, in Tatvan, local DEP Chairman Sevket
Epözdemir who had been kidnapped a few days ago is found assassinated
in Güroymak.
26.11, security forces detain DEP Chairman Veysi
Karagül and IHD official Mehmet Gokalp together with eight other people
in Derik. Three people too are detained in Kusadasi.
26.11, the Izmir SSC sentences two alleged members
of the Union of Revolutionary Communists of Turkey (TIKB) to 12 years
and 6 months in prison and five other defendants to 3 years and 9
months.
26.11, the Malatya SSC sentences four alleged PKK
members to 12 years and 6 months in prison each.
26.11, the house of lawyer Eyüp Duman, Chairman of
the Agri Bar Association, is destroyed with bomb by unidentified
people. Ten shops in the quarter are damaged as well.
26.11, new victims of political murder: Nuri Coban
and Sahin Elikci in Batman.
27.11, two more victims in Batman: Mehmet Gökmen and
Raci Degirmenci.
29.11, university student Ulas Culduz claims during
a press conference at the Human Rights' Association (IHD) in Ankara
that he was tortured for three days after his detention.
29.11, in Istanbul, police raiding some associations
supporting the periodical Taraf detain six people.
30.11, the Constitutional Court decides to close
down the Socialist Turkey Party (STP) for adopting a separatist
programme.
30.11, security forces detain 93 alleged PKK members
in Antalya and eight in Gaziantep.
2-MONTH PERSECUTION OF THE MEDIA
1.10, the former editor of the daily Özgür Gündem,
Isik Yurtcu, is sentenced by the Istanbul SSC to 10 months in prison
and LT 83,333,000 ($5,952) in fine for separatist propaganda in an
article. The owner of the paper, Yasar Kaya too is sentenced for the
same article to TL 832 Million ($ 55,466).
1.10, the Istanbul SSC confiscates the daily
Aydinlik and the second edition of a book entitled The Revolution
of Turkey by virtue of the Anti-Terror Law.
1.10, the editor of the political review Odak, Hidir
Ates, is sentenced by the Istanbul SSC to 10 months in prison and TL 83
Million ($5,928) in fine for having praised an outlawed organization.
2.10, the fortnightly Özgür Gelecek N° 13 and the
monthly Direnis N°22 are confiscated by the Istanbul SSC for having
praised outlawed organizations.
4.10, the Istanbul SSC issues an arrest warrant for
Kurdish writer Recep Marasli and DEP official Cabbar Gezici for an
interview they gave to a private TV on June 6. Marasli was one of the
victims of the 12 September regime and Amnesty International adopted
him as a prisoner of conscience.
5.10, former editor of the monthly Partizan, Kemal
Boztas, is sentenced by the Istanbul SSC to a two-year imprisonment for
having instigated the people to revolt in an article he published in
1992.
5.10, The Court of Cassation approves a 20-month
imprisonment and a fine of TL 42 Million ($3,000) for sociologist
Ismail Besikci for his book entitled Some Reflections on the PKK. He
was earlier sentenced by the Istanbul SSC in virtue of the ATL.
6.10, the Istanbul SSC confiscates the daily
Aydinlik of Oct 5, 1993 in virtue of the ATL.
6.10, the Adiyaman correspondent of Özgür Gündem,
Ercan Aslan who was taken into custody 15 days ago is arrested by a
local court for aiding the PKK.
7.10, the Prosecutor of the Ankara SSC opens a legal
proceeding against Yasar Kaya, Chairman of the DEP and owner of the
daily Özgür Gündem, for having made separatist propaganda in a speech
he gave at the Congress of the Democratic Party of Kurdistan in Iraq.
He faces a prison term of up to five years and TL 100 Million ($ 7,142)
in fine. He was already arrested on September 15.
7.10, journalist-author Günay Aslan is arrested as
he was trying to leave Turkey for Greece. He was sentenced by the
Istanbul SSC to two years in prison and TL 55 Million ($3,929) in fine
for his book entitled 33 Bullets. The tribunal also banned him to leave
the country.
7.10, the former editor of the Islamist review
Taraf, Esma Turan is tried by the Istanbul SSC for having made
propaganda in favour of an outlawed organization.
7.10, six university students who were detained as
they were distributing the tracts of a new review, Alinteri, alleged
that they were tortured during their 4-day detention.
9.10, the Court of Cassation approves the
condemnation of four intellectuals for some articles in the defunct
monthly Demokrat. Writer Ömer Agir and lawyer Ahmet Zeki Okcuoglu were
sentenced by the Istanbul SSC to 20 months in prison and TL 42 Million
($3,000) each for their interviews to the review. The editor of the
review, Engin Güney was sentenced to six months in prison and TL 50
Million ($3,571) in Fine and the owner, Hikmet Kocak, to TL 100 Million
($7,143) in fine.
9.10, a 28-year old vendor of the daily Özgür
Gündem, Adil Baskan is shot dead in Mardin by unidentified gunmen in
Nusaybin. A 16-year old vendor of the same journal, Recep Demirtas, is
stabbed in Diyarbakir.
11.10, a writer of the review Medya Günesi, Osman
Aytar is sentenced by the Istanbul SSC to two years in prison and
TL 50 Million ($3,571) in fine for separatist propaganda. The editor of
the review, Salih Bal is sentenced to six months in prison and TL 50
Million ($3,571) in fine and the owner Cemal Özcelik to TL 100 Million
($7,143) in fine.
12.10, two PKK defendants, Fevzi Yetkin and Mehmet
Tanboga, are sentenced by the Istanbul SSC to two years in prison and
TL 50 Million ($3,571) in fine for a book containing their defence in
the same tribunal.
12.10, the Diyarbakir correspondent of the daily
Aydinlik, Zeynel Karak is taken into custody by police raiding his
house. He is accused of having a gun that he was carrying to defend
himself.
12.10, the Mus correspondent of Özgür Gündem, Samet
Yakti who has been under police detention for ten days is placed under
arrest by a local tribunal.
13.10, the recent issue of the daily Aydinlik and
the monthly Devrimci Proleter Genclik N° 6 are confiscated by the
Istanbul SSC respectively for making propaganda of an outlawed
organization and for instigating the people to revolt.
14.10, the editor of the review Odak, Hidir Ates is
sentenced by a criminal court of Istanbul to 10 years in prison for
having insulted the Parliament in an article.
14.10, the owner of Umut Publishing House and the
review Özgür Gelecek, Nergiz Gulmez is arrested by the Istanbul SSC for
a book she published.
15.10, the recent issues of the daily Aydinlik and
the periodicals Yeni Demokrat Genclik and Devrimci Cözüm are
confiscated by the Istanbul SSC by virtue of the ATL.
15.10, a former editor of the daily Özgür Gündem,
Isik Yurtcu is sentenced by the Istanbul SSC to TL 48 Million ($3,429)
for a news about the PKK. The owner of the daily, Yasar Kaya too is
sentenced to TL 96 Million ($ 6,857) for the same accusation.
16.10, the recent issues of Aydinlik and the monthly
Birikim are confiscated by the Istanbul SSC by virtue of the ATL.
17.10, a meeting organized in Istanbul by the
periodical Mücadele is banned by the governor.
18.10, writer Yalcin Küçük is sentenced by the
Kayseri SSC to two years in prison and TL 250 Million ($17,857) for a
speech he made at a meeting of the defunct HEP. At the same trial, DEP
Kirsehir Chairman Esref Odabasi too is sentenced to same punishments.
18.10, the Istanbul SSC issues arrest warrants for
the editor of Özgür Gündem, Bulent Balta) and the editor of the weekly
Azadi, Zana Sezen, for separatist propaganda. Same day, the owner of
Azadi, Ikramettin Oguz, and a distributor of Özgür Gündem, Fesih
Sackar, are taken into custody respectively in Istanbul and Adana.
18.10, the Istanbul SSC orders the confiscation of
the recent issues of the daily Aydinlik, the periodicals Gencligin
Sesi, Iscinin Yolu and Azadi.
19.10, the editor of the weekly Azadi, Zana Sezen,
is arrested on the warrant of the Istanbul SSC
19.10, the prosecutor of the Ankara SSC issues a new
arrest warrant for Yasar Kaya, chairman of DEP and owner of Özgür
Gündem.
20.10, DEP Chairman Yasar Kaya is sentenced by the
Ankara SSC to two years in prison and TL 50 Million ($3,571) for a
speech he delivered at the HEP Congress in December 1991. Two HEP
officials, Muhsin Melik and Selahattin Cicek, too are sentenced to same
punishments.
21.10, the former editor of Özgür Gündem, Isik
Yurtcu is sentenced by the Istanbul SSC to 11 months in prison and TL
92 Million ($ 6,571) in fine for two articles he published in 1992. At
the same trial, the daily's owner Yasar Kaya too is sentenced to TL 192
Million ($ 13,714) in fine.
21.10, the recent issue of Aydinlik is confiscated
by the Istanbul SSC for a reportage with TIKKO militants.
22.10, the responsible editor of Özgür Gündem, Gülay
Celik is arrested by the Istanbul SSC in virtue of the ATL.
22.10, the recent issue of Aydinlik is confiscated
by the Istanbul SSC. The number of confiscated Aydinlik Issues last 21
days rises to 10. Besides, the weekly Gercek N°29 and the periodical
Özgür Gelecek N°14 too are confiscated for propaganda of some outlawed
organization.
22.10, the owner and editor of the local newspaper
Mezopotamya in Kiziltepe (Mardin), Cemil Aydogan is detained by police.
24.10, police raids and searches the house of the
Cizre correspondent of Özgür Gündem, Salih Tekin, who has been in
custody for month.
25.10, the editor of Aydinlik, Hale Soysü is
sentenced by the Istanbul SSC to two years in prison and TL 135 Million
($ 9,643) in fine for some articles she published in the defunct weekly
2000e Dogru two years ago. The owner of the weekly, Mehmet Sabuncu too
is sentenced in the same trial to a fine of TL 342 Million ($ 24,429)
for same articles.
26.10, the Moscow correspondent of Aydinlik, Özkan
Güçtekin is detained at the Istanbul airport as he is returning to
Russia after his holidays in Turkey.
27.10, the Istanbul SSC confiscates the recent
issues of Aydinlik and the weekly Gercek for separatist propaganda.
27.10, a former editor of Özgür Gündem, Kamil
Celikten is sentenced by the Istanbul SSC to a fine of TL 3 Million for
two articles he published.
28.10, a former editor of the periodical Özgür
Gelecek, Kemal Boztas is sentenced to a total of 12 months in prison
and TL 150 Million ($ 10,714) in fine for praising some outlawed
organizations. The tribunal also decides to ban the publication of the
review for 15 days.
1.11, the weekly Azadi N°77 is confiscated by the
Istanbul SSC for separatist propaganda.
2.11, the first issue of a new periodical, Alinteri,
is confiscated by the Istanbul SSC for separatist propaganda.
3.11, the former responsible editor of the
periodical Partizan, Kemal Boztas is sentenced by the Istanbul SSC to
two years in prison and TL 75 Million ($ 5,172) for separatist
propaganda.
4.11, the prosecutor of the Istanbul SSC opens a
legal proceeding against IHD Chairman Ercan Kanar and the responsible
editor of the IHD's newsletter Insan Haklari Bulteni, Izzet Eray, for
separatist propaganda.
4.11, the responsible editor of the periodical
Devrimci Cözüm, Hatice Onaran is arrested for four different articles
considered separatist propaganda.
7.11, the recent issue of the daily Aydinlik, the
weekly Azadi N°78 and the periodical Devrimci Cözüm are confiscated by
the Istanbul SSC for separatist propaganda.
9.11, the responsible editor of the periodical
Mücadele, Namik Kemal Cibaroglu is sentenced by the Istanbul SSC to six
months in prison and TL 375 Million ($ 25,862) in fine, the owner of
the review, Gulten Sesen, to TL 750 Million ($ 51,724) for a news
concerning Dev-Sol. The tribunal also decides to ban the review's
publication for three days.
9.11, IHD Kütahya chairman Ruset Aydin is indicted
for an interview published in the local newspaper Ilk Haber. He faces
imprisonment of up to five years for separatist propaganda. The editor
of the newspaper, Arslan Aric too will be published for having
published the interview.
9.11, the owner of t local newspaper Mezopotamya in
Mardin, Cemil Aydogan is placed under arrest together with two DEP
officials by a tribunal. Aydogan was detained by police on October 22.
10.11, the Court of Cassation approved the
punishment to sociologist Ismail Besikci for his book The Republican
People Party 1931 - The Kurdish Question. He was sentenced by the
Istanbul SSC to 20 months in prison and TL 42 Million ($ 2,897) in fine
for separatist propaganda.
10.11, the periodical Iscinin Yolu N° 17 is
confiscated by the Istanbul SSC for separatist propaganda.
10.11, the editor of the local newspaper Sabah in
Gaziantep, Nurgül Balcioglu is wounded by unidentified persons at
her in her house.
11.12, the Adana section of the Mesopotamian
Cultural Centre is searched by police and six persons inside detained.
12.11, Tokat correspondent of Özgür Gündem is
arrested for a news concerning Grey Wolves aggressions in Amasya.
12.11, the office of the Zagros Publishing House in
Istanbul is searched by police and an employee detained.
12.11, sociologist Ismail Besikci is taken into
custody in Iskilip for serving his 30-month imprisonment to which he
was sentenced for his two books.
14.11, the Istanbul SSC confiscates the weekly Azadi
N°79 and the monthly Newroz Atesi N°13 for separatist propaganda.
14.11, singer Fevzi Kurtulus is detained by police
during his concert in Istanbul and placed under arrest by the Istanbul
SSC for having sung Kurdish ballads.
15.11, the Court of Cassation approves the
punishment of two journalists from the periodical Newroz. Chief editor
Celal Albayrak was sentenced by the Istanbul SSC to five months
in prison and TL 41 Million ($ 2,828) in fine, and publisher Hüseyin
Alatas to TL 83 Million ($ 5,724) in fine.
15.11, the daily Özgür Gündem announces that 134 out
of its 198 issues published between April 26 and November 11, 1993 have
been confiscated. Besides, prosecutors opened 119 legal proceedings
against Özgür Gündem journalists in 1993.
16.11, the Istanbul SSC confiscates journalist Oral
Calislar's book entitled The Kurdish Question and the periodical Hevdem
N°2 for separatist propaganda.
16.11, the Adana Section of the Mesopotamian
Cultural Centre is searched again by police and five people inside
taken into custody. After their release, the detainees say to have been
tortured for 24 hours.
17.11, the Istanbul SSC confiscates the monthly
Hedef N°25 for separatist propaganda.
18.11, the owner of the Pele Sor Publishing House,
Abidin Kizilyaprak is sentenced by the Istanbul SSC to six months in
prisons and TL 50 Million ($ 3,448) in fine for a book entitled How did
we fight against the Kurdish People - A Soldier's Memoirs.
18.11, the prosecutor of the Istanbul SSC starts a
legal proceeding against popular Kurdish singer Ibrahim Tatlises and
businessman Besim Tibuk by virtue of the ATL. Tatlises is accused of
having claimed that he might act as a mediator for the solution of the
Kurdish Question and Tibuk for having said that a Kurdish State might
be founded in toe South-Eastern Turkey.
18.11, the Cizre correspondent of Özgür Gündem,
Salih Tekin is released at his first trial by the Diyarbakir SSC. He
was detained on August 19 for separatist propaganda. However, his trial
will be carried on and he faces imprisonment of up to five years.
19.11, in Urfa, newspaper vendor Kadir Ipeksümer who
was wounded by hatchet two weeks ago dies in hospital.
19.11, the responsible editor of the periodical
Emegin Bayragi, Bülent Genc is sentenced by the Istanbul SSC to two
years in prison and TL 250 Million ($ 17,241) in fine. The tribunal
also decides to close down the review for three days.
19.11, the former editor of the periodical Yeni
Demokrat Genclik, Kemal Boztas is sentenced by the Istanbul SSC to one
year in prison and TL 100 Million ($ 6,896) in fine.
19.11, the fortnightly Medya Günesi N°38 is
confiscated by the Istanbul SSC for instigating the people to crime.
22.11, two weeklies, Azadi N°80 and Deng N°25, are
confiscated by the Istanbul SSC for separatist propaganda.
23.11, a former responsible editor of the daily
Özgür Gündem, Özgür Aslan is placed under arrest by the Istanbul SSC
for having published some separatist articles.
23.11, the owner of the Yurt Publishing House, Ünsal
Öztürk is sentenced by the Istanbul SSC to one year in prison and TL
100 Million ($ 6,897) in fine for Abdullah Öcalan's book entitled The
12 March Fascism and the PKK Resistance.
23.11, the first issue of the first periodical in
Laz, a language of the Black Sea region, Ogni is confiscated by the
Istanbul SSC on charges of separatism.
24.11, a former editor of the periodical Iscinin
Yolu, Süleyman Bas is sentenced by the Istanbul SSC to TL 3.7
Million ($ 255) in fine. The tribunal also decides to close down the
review for 15 days.
24.11, the editor of the periodical Newroz Atesi,
Nedime Tunc is sentenced by the Istanbul SSC to six months in prison
and TL 50 Million ($ 3,448) in fine.
24.11, the responsible editor of Özgür Gündem, Erkan
Aydin is placed under arrest by the Istanbul SSC for some articles he
published between November 9 and 23. He is accused of nine different
proceedings by virtue of the ATL.
25.11, the last issue of the daily Tercüman and the
monthly Alternatif are confiscated by the Istanbul SSC for separatist
propaganda.
25.11, a former editor of Özgür Gündem, Isik Yurtcu
is sentenced by the Istanbul SSC to two years in prison and TL 75
Million ($ 5,172) in fine. The owner of the journal, Yasar Kaya too is
sentenced to TL 150 Million ($ 10,344). In another trial at the same
tribunal, Isikci is sentenced to TL 20 Million ($1,379) and Kaya to TL
41 Million ($ 2,828).
26.11, the editor of the periodical Isciler ve
Politika, Ferro Firat is sentenced by the Istanbul SSC to 20 months in
prison and TL 50 Million ($ 3,448) in fine. The journal's owner,
Muteber Yildirim too is sentenced to TL 100 Million ($ 6,896). The
tribunal also decides to close down the periodical for one month.
26.11, the former editor of the periodical Genc
Kurtulus, Erdal Cinar is sentenced by the Istanbul SSC to two years in
prison and TL 250 Million ($ 17,241) in fine. The tribunal also decides
to close down the periodical for one month.
26.11, the former editor of the weekly Azadi, Sedat
Karakas is sentenced by the Istanbul SSC to 18 months in prison and TL
230 Million ($ 6,896) in fine. The review's owner, Ikramettin Ogus too
is sentenced to TL 250 Million ($ 17,241) in fine. The tribunal also
decides to close down the weekly for 15 days.
26.11, the editor of the monthly Kurtulus is placed
under arrest by the Istanbul SSC.
26.11, Kurdish author Recep Marasli is sentenced by
the Istanbul SSC to two years in prison and 100 Million ($ 6,896) for
having published his defence text he read at the Diyarbakir Martial Law
Court. He had been sentenced after the 1980 Coup and remained in prison
for years. Marasli who had been adopted as a prison of opinion by
Amnesty International again found himself in prison. In the same
trial, the Istanbul SSC also sentences the owner of Komal Publishing
House that printed Marasli's book to 100 Million ($ 6,896).
26.11, the Istanbul SSC confiscated the weekly
Panorama N°33 and the periodical Yeni Demokrat Genclik N°14 for
separatist propaganda.
27.11, in Van, Özgür Gündem's local distributor
Adnan Isik is shot dead by unidentified gunmen.
27.11, author Numan Bektas is sentenced by the
Istanbul SSC to 20 months in prison and TL 208 Million ($ 14,345) in
fine for his book entitled The Law of Resistance and Renewal in which
he describes inhuman conditions of the Diyarbakir Prison.
27.11, the fortnightly Emegin Bayragi N°103 and the
periodical Gencligin Sesi N°6 are confiscated by the Istanbul SSC for
separatist propaganda.
28.11, the weekly Azadi N°81 and the monthly
Devrimci Cözüm are confiscated by the Istanbul SSC by virtue of the ATL.
30.11 the responsible editor of the defunct weekly
2000e Dogru, Adnan Akfirat is sentenced by the Istanbul SSC to TL
25 Million ($ 1,724) in fine. The weekly's owner, Mehmet Sabuncu too is
sentenced to TL 50 Million ($ 3,448).
30.11, the periodical Devrimci Proleter Genclik N°7
is confiscated by the Istanbul SSC for separatist propaganda.
SCANDAL OF FICTITIOUS EXPORTS
A 399-page report issued on December 30 by the
Parliamentary Commission on Fictitious Exports lists 256 firms involved
in fraudulent operation in exports. According to the report, the
unjustified incentives received by such firms total TL 45 trillion ($ 3
billion), based on 1993 prices, this comes to one-third of the year's
proposed budget deficit. Between January 1, 1984, and December 31,
1990, the report says 48 percent of the incentives granted to export
merchants were paid to firms engaged in fictitious exports. These firms
collectively received incentives 43 times more than their total capital.
TURKISH BANKS IN EUROPE
Hürriyet of December 27 reports that seven Turkish
banks are expanding their banking activities in the European Union
countries. The major attraction for Turkish banks in the German
financial market is apparently the 2 million Turkish residents in the
country. At the moment, there are five Turkish joint-venture banks in
Germany: Deutsche-Schweizerische Bank of Ahmet Özal (son of the late
President Turgut Özal), Is Bankasi GMBH of Türkiye Is Bankasi, Deutsch
Turkische Bank of the state-run Ziraat Bankasi, Kreiss Bank of Cukurova
Holding and Express Trade Bank of Yasar Holding's Tütünbank.
Kentbank, Demirbank, Alternatifbank, Esbank,
Egebank, Halkbank and Bankekspres too have been seeking opportunities
to establish joint-venture banks in Germany.