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Turk court acquits Kurdish mayor in
ambulance case
27.9.2006 |
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DIYARBAKIR,
Kurdistan-Turkey, September 27,-- A Turkish court
acquitted a Kurdish mayor on Wednesday of charges he
had abused his authority by sending an ambulance to
transport the body of a Kurdish rebel killed in a
clash with troops.
Osman Baydemir, mayor of Diyarbakir, the largest
city in Turkey's mainly Kurdish southeast, faced a
jail sentence of up to one year for improper use of
public vehicles if found guilty.
Prosecutors said use of the ambulance had incurred
losses of 16.8 lira ($11) for the city council in
Diyarbakir.
The court dismissed the case against him in its
first hearing.
Baydemir is a senior official in the Democratic
Society Party (DTP) which favours more autonomy and
cultural rights for Turkey's Kurdish minority. He
had said his use of the ambulance was legal and
represented a "duty of humanity".
The dead rebel was one of two killed in a clash with
security forces near Diyarbakir on March 25, 2005.
Baydemir faces several other court cases. He is
among 56 mayors being tried for opposing Turkey's
efforts to close down a Denmark-based television
station that Ankara says is a mouthpiece of the
Kurdish rebels.
Ankara blames rebels of the outlawed Kurdistan
Workers Party (PKK) for the deaths of more than
30,000 people since the group launched its armed
struggle for an independent ethnic homeland in
southeast Turkey in 1984.
Clashes between the PKK and security forces have
increased over the past year. On Wednesday, a
soldier was hurt when he stepped on a mine laid by
the rebels, security sources said.
Reuters
The use of the term "Kurdistan" is vigorously
rejected due to its alleged political implications
by the Republic of Turkey, which does not recognize
the existence of a "Turkish Kurdistan".
Others estimate as many as 40 million Kurds live in
Big Kurdistan (Iraq, Turkey, Syria, Iran, Armenia),
which covers an area as big as France, about half of
all Kurds which estimate to 20 million live in
Turkey.
The Kurdish flag flown officially in Iraqi Kurdistan but
unofficially flown by Kurds in Armenia. The flag is
banned in Iran, Syria, and Turkey where flying it is
a criminal offence"
Southeastern Turkey:
North Kurdistan (
Kurdistan-Turkey) wikipedia
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