Bulletin de liaison et d'information - Institut kurde de Paris
Bulletin de liaison et d'information - Institut kurde de Paris
Bulletin de liaison et d'information - Institut kurde de Paris
You also want an ePaper? Increase the reach of your titles
YUMPU automatically turns print PDFs into web optimized ePapers that Google loves.
REVUE DE PRESSE,PRESS REVIEW,BERHEVOKA ÇAPÊ.RIVISTA STAMPA,DENTRO DE LA PRENSA,BASIN ÖZETi<br />
Turkish Probe May 5,1995<br />
19<br />
Human Bights Diary<br />
Minister halts inquiry on Kemal- The Minister for<br />
Justice Mehm<strong>et</strong> Mogultay, in a rare move on May 3, by<br />
using powers vested in him, halted a judicial inquiry by the<br />
public prosecutor into the famous author Ya~ar Kemal over an<br />
interview he gave to the. German Der Spiegel on Turkey's Kurdish<br />
problem. The inquiry opened by the prosecutor of the State Security<br />
Court against Kemal will, however, continue and, while there was no clarification<br />
on the matter, it is thought that Mogultay took the action because the<br />
justice minister has no powers over the DGM. The inquiries against Kemal were<br />
opened on allegations that he had promoted separatism with his remarks to Der<br />
Spiegel when responding to questions concerning Kurds in Turkey. Mogultay, a <strong>de</strong>puty<br />
from the junior coalition partner the Republican Peoples Party (CHP), which is currently<br />
locked in a <strong>de</strong>ep <strong>de</strong>bate with the senior. coalition partner the True Path Party (DYP) on the issue<br />
of freedom of expression, cancelled the permission given by his ministry for the inquiry by the public<br />
prosecutor in Istanbul. As the reason for his <strong>de</strong>cision, Mogultay cited the steep penalty that will be<br />
sought by the Istanbul State Security Court if Kemal is charged un<strong>de</strong>r Article 8 of the Anti-Terrorism Law.<br />
Mogultay saidthat the penalty that will besought un<strong>de</strong>r Article 159 of the penal co<strong>de</strong> if the public prosecutor<br />
<strong>de</strong>ci<strong>de</strong>s to charge Kemal is much less than what would be sought by the State Security Court. But the public<br />
prosecutor's penalty would non<strong>et</strong>heless be ad<strong>de</strong>d to a potentially heavy DGM sentence if both inquiries were<br />
to continue. Mogultay reportedly indicated that the public interest will not be served un<strong>de</strong>r such circumstances<br />
and issued his or<strong>de</strong>r to halt the inquiry against Kemal. (Turkish Daily News, May 4)<br />
Family says missing Journalist held by PKK- Ferit Demir, the only local reporter in Tunceli, is thought to<br />
have been abducted by the outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), local sources told the TON on May 2.<br />
Demir had been covering clashes in Tunceli b<strong>et</strong>ween Turkish security forces and the PKK for a number of<br />
news and TV n<strong>et</strong>works as well as for the Reuters agency. He went missing on Sunday and members of his<br />
family are claiming that he was abducted by the PKK. Local security officials have disclaimed any knowledge<br />
of Demir's disappearance and have also said that they have not <strong>de</strong>tained anyone with that name. The PKK<br />
last week released two Turkish journalists, one working for the French AFP and the other for Reuters, after<br />
having abducted them some weeks ago in southeast Anatolia shortly after Turkey launched a massive anti-<br />
PKK cross-bor<strong>de</strong>r operation in northern Iraq on March 20. (Turkish Daily News, May 2)<br />
Lawyers for DEP file appeal- Lawyers for the banned pro-Kurdish Democracy Party (DEP) presented on<br />
April 2B a <strong>de</strong>tailed 1DB-page appeal to the Appeals Court. According to the DEP appeal, the trial process of<br />
DEP <strong>de</strong>puties Ahm<strong>et</strong> Türk, Hatip Dicle, Leyla Zana, Orhan Dagan, Selim Sadak, Sim Saklk and in<strong>de</strong>pen<strong>de</strong>nt<br />
Mahmut Ahnak, was unjust and the imprisoned <strong>de</strong>puties should be released. DEP was closed down by the<br />
Constitutional Court in June 1994 and the <strong>de</strong>puties' memberships in the Turkish Parliament were revoked.<br />
Seven DEP <strong>de</strong>puties were then imprisoned, but six others fled to Europe to avoid prosecution. Pro-Kurdish<br />
but in<strong>de</strong>pen<strong>de</strong>nt <strong>de</strong>puty Mahmut Alinak's parliamentary immunity was also lifted at the <strong>de</strong>mand of the state<br />
prosecutor and he was tried with the DEP <strong>de</strong>puties. The DEP members and Ahnak were sentenced to<br />
b<strong>et</strong>ween three and 15 years of imprisonment. (Turkish Daily News, May 1)<br />
Journalists testify at court- Five journalists out of the 1,080 people who signed and republished the book<br />
"Freedom of Thought" which had been confiscated and outlawed by the state testified at the Istanbul State<br />
Security Court on April 28 following their self-accusation and surren<strong>de</strong>r, the Anatolia news agency reported.<br />
The <strong>de</strong>cision takenwas that the 1,080 people may be presented with a lawsuit for "publishing banned books"<br />
according to Article 1B2 of the Turkish Penal Law. The prison terms they might receive vary b<strong>et</strong>ween two<br />
and six years. (Turkish Daily News, April29)<br />
Missing HADEP executive found <strong>de</strong>ad- Hüseyin Koku, HADEP chairman in the<br />
Southeastern town of Elbistan, was found <strong>de</strong>ad in the nearby town of Poturge, in Malatya<br />
province on April 28. He had been missing since Oct. 20, 1994. The office of the local<br />
prosecutor or<strong>de</strong>red that Koku's body be taken to a local coroner for an autopsy.<br />
Sources told the TON that when the body was found, i<strong>de</strong>ntification was only possible<br />
through an electricity bill bearing Koku's name and address that was found<br />
in his pock<strong>et</strong>. Reports allege that Koku was taken into custody last October<br />
while shopping with his wife in Elbistan by two men in civilian clothing<br />
who were driving a white Renault car. They were carrying radios<br />
and introduced themselves as un<strong>de</strong>rcover police officers and<br />
requested that he accompany them to give testimony at the<br />
police station. Koku told his wife to go home and said he<br />
would join her later, but never did. (April29, Turkish<br />
Daily News)<br />
40