TURKEY/DIYARBAKIR/STATE SECURITY COURTS TRIAL CONTINUES AGAINST 25 LAWYERS
Press Release: 23 June 1997
Court Hearings 17 June 1997, DGM 3, State Security
Court, Diyarbakir
Date of offence: The year 1993 and previously (Indicment
No. 1993/2170)
Charges: Article 168/2 (membership of an illegal organisation)
and Article 169 (aiding and abetting an illegal organisation ) of Turkish
Penal Code
Adjourned: 16 September 197, at 9am in DGM 3, Diyarbakir
On 17 June, a trial observer mission attended the adjournment proceesings in Diyarbakir State Security Courts in the case against twenty-five lawyers on trial for alleged separatist offences, in a case which begun over three years ago with a series of arrests and the detention of sixteen of these lawyers in late 1993.
The Bar Associations and Organisations represented were: The Bar Human Rights
Committee of England and Wales (Mr. Mark Muller, barrister and Ms. Jemima
Stratford, barrister) which also represented the International Bar Association;
the Kurdish Human Rights Project (caroline Nolan, lawyer) who also represented
the Lawyers for Lawyers Foundation (The Netherlands), Article XIX, International
Centre agianst Censorship (UK) and the Human Rights Committee of the Norwegian
Bar Association. An observer from the International Commission of Jurist,
Centre for the Independence of judges and Lawyers, (Mr. Fraoncoise Membrez)
was also present.
The case was adjourned as three witnesses required to give evidence had failed to appear in Court. One of these witnesses is the key State witness, Abdulhakim Guven, who is now working in Mardin police Headquarters. His evidence is requested again as four lawyers, previously indictd, were not formally joined to the case unitil April 1997 and so it is necessary to re-hear his evidence in relaion to their cases.
The lawyers, if convicted, face sentences which can range from 3-5 years under Article 168 (aiding and abetting) and 5-10 years under Article 169 (membership of an illegal organisation).
The names of the twenty-five lawyers charged in this case are: Sebahittin ACAR, Husniye OLMEZ, Tahir ELCI, Mesut BESTAS, Vedat ERTAN, Mehmet Selim KURBANOGLU, Iman SAHIN, Arzu SAHIN, Mehmet Arif ALTUNKALEM, Meral DANIS BESTAS, Fuat Hayri DEMIR, Baki DEMINHAN, Gazanfer ABBASSIOGLU, Nevzat KAYA, Sinasi TUR, Nizazi CEM, Sinan TANrikulu, Mehmet BIGEN, Feridun CELIK, Zafer GUR, Abdullah AKIN, Edip YILDIZ, Cabbar LEYGARA, Fevzi VEZNEDAROGLU and Sedat ASLANTAS.
A report, Due Process: State Security Courts and Emergency
Powers in Southeast Turkey provides a chronology of the case and details of
the proceedings against the Accused. It also seeks to examine the operation
of due process in relation to proceedings before the State Security Courts
in Diyarbakir, under the powers governing the State of Emergency in southeast
Turkey and provides an account of the changes to the legislation introduced
in March 1997. This report is published by the Kurdish Human Rights Project
in conjuction with Article XIX, International Centre against Censorship (UK),
Lawyers for Lawyers Foundation (The Netherlands), The Bar Human Rights Committee
of England and Wales and the Human Rights Committee, Norwegian Bar Associaton.
Copies are available from KHRP, cost £5+£1 postage.
For further information please contact: Kerim Yildiz, Executive Director / Fiona McKay, Deputy Director / Sally Eberhardt, Public Relations Officer Kurdish Human Rights Project on the address below.
Please e-mail KHRP at khrp@khrp.org,
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