|
Eighty Kurdish children face jail after
Turkish riots
25.4.2006
|
|
|
|
DIYARBAKIR,
Kurdistan-Turkey (Reuters) - Eighty children who
took part in riots in Turkey's troubled, mainly
Kurdish southeast face up to 15 years in prison,
according to an indictment seen by Reuters on
Tuesday.
The riots, which began late last month, pitting
pro-Kurdish protesters against the security forces,
were the worst civil unrest in Turkey for more than
a decade and left 16 people -- including at least
three children, one aged 3, -- dead and hundreds
injured.
The indictment, prepared by prosecutors in
Diyarbakir, the city worst affected by the violence,
includes charges of belonging to a criminal
organisation, damaging state buildings and attacking
police vehicles with Molotov cocktails.
If convicted, the children, aged between 12 and 18,
face between 10 and 15 years in jail. They are
expected to go before a judge in the coming days.
The Diyarbakir Juvenile Serious Crimes Court has
dismissed similar charges against 36 other children
involved in the riots. A court in the capital Ankara
will now decide whether to press ahead with that
case or to let it drop.
Dozens of adults also face jail sentences for their
involvement in the protests, which lasted for days
and included the torching of public buildings and
the ransacking of shops.
Turkish officials have blamed the outlawed Kurdistan
Workers Party (PKK) for the riots and say the group
deliberately used women and children to hamper the
security forces' response.
Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan said on March 31, when
the riots were in full swing, that children were
being used as "pawns of terrorism" and said the
security forces could not guarantee their safety.
A draft anti-terrorism bill under discussion
envisages tougher penalties for parents who allow
their children to take part in illegal protests.
Turkey blames the PKK for the deaths of more than
30,000 people since the group began its armed
campaign for a Kurdish homeland in southeast Turkey
in 1984.
Turkey's southeast suffers high unemployment and
many Kurds want political autonomy and more cultural
freedoms. They feel the Turkish state is hostile to
them and many express sympathy for the PKK.
The European Union, which Turkey aims to join,
expressed concern over the clashes and urged Ankara
to improve Kurdish rights. Like Turkey, the EU views
the PKK as a terrorist group.
Reuters
Top |
Kurd Net
does not take credit for and is not responsible for the content of news
information on this page
|
® 