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Turkish Kurd, 15, jailed for eight years over 'terror' crimes
at protest rally |
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Turkish Kurd, 15, jailed for eight years
over 'terror' crimes at protest rally
3.2.2010 |
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February
3, 2010
DIYARBAKIR, Kurdish Southeastern
region of Turkey, — A 15-year-old Turkish girl who
was arrested at a demonstration in support of a
banned Kurdish group has been jailed for nearly
eight years after being convicted of "terrorist"
offences, including allegedly throwing stones at
police.
The case comes amid renewed scrutiny of Turkey's
human rights record after it was named as the worst
violator of the 47 signatory states to the European
convention of human rights.
The girl, who has been named only as Berivan, was
detained in the south-eastern city of Batman last
October at a rally for the banned Kurdistan Workers'
Party (PKK), which is considered a
'terrorist' organization by Ankara, U.S., the PKK
continues to be on the blacklist list in EU despite
court ruling which
overturned a decision
to place the Kurdish rebel group PKK and its
political wing on the European Union's terror list. |
Berivan, a 15-year-old Turkish girl who was arrested
at a demonstration in support of a banned Kurdish
group has been jailed for nearly eight years after
being convicted of "terrorist" offences, including
allegedly throwing stones at police. Photo: presstv
ir |
A court in Diyarbakir
found her guilty of "crimes on behalf of an illegal
organisation" after prosecutors alleged she had
hurled stones and shouted slogans. She was also
convicted of attending "meetings and demonstrations
in opposition to the law" and "spreading propaganda
for an illegal organisation" despite claiming in
court that she did not know what the word propaganda
means.
In her defence, the girl denied throwing stones or
being part of the demonstration but said she had
only stopped to watch it out of curiosity, while on
her way to visit an aunt. She was arrested after
police mistook her for a demonstrator, she said. She
had confessed to the crimes only after being beaten
in custody.
In an emotional letter published by the Turkish
newspaper, Star, the girl said she had been visiting
Batman on a family holiday and pleaded to be
released. "I want to get out of here. I want to be
with my family. I always cry here. I cannot get
used to this," she wrote. "I have been in jail since
9 October. My heart hurts and I miss my family so
much."
As she heard her daughter being sentenced,
Berivan's mother exclaimed in court: "Did she
murder? The murderers are not sentenced to such a
long prison term."
The initial 13-and-a-half-year sentence was later
reduced on appeal to seven years and nine months
because of her age.
The conviction highlights Turkey's practice of
jailing children for terror-related offences under
counter-terrorism legislation introduced in 2006.
The law allows courts to try juveniles as adults and
to jail them for up to 50 years. Recent official
figures revealed that there are currently 2,622
minors in Turkish prisons.
Some 737 minors have been charged under the
counter-terrorism legislation since its
introduction, according to the Diyarbakir Human
Rights Association. Out of 267 tried in the city
last year, 78 were given extended jail terms. Last
November, a prosecutor demanded sentences of 23
years each for six youths, aged 13 and 14, who were
charged with throwing stones and Molotov cocktails.
Campaigners say many of those jailed have been
wrongly accused and condemn the convictions as a
breach Turkey's obligations as a signatory to the UN
Convention on the Rights of the Child.
While most of those jailed are boys, an additional
building was recently opened at a prison in
Diyarbakir to hold girls aged under 18 who are
convicted of participating in banned demonstrations.
Last week, Turkey was identified as the worst
violator of the European convention on human rights
between 1959 and 2009. According to figures released
by the European court of human rights, the country
accounted for almost 19% of all violations,www.ekurd.netwith
2,295 judgements issued against it. Turkey also had
the highest proportion of violations in 2009, making
up 347 out of 1,625 negative rulings. The most
common violation was the denial of the right to a
fair trial. Turkey also had 30 rulings against it
following complaints of inhumane or degrading
treatment.
Since 1984 PKK took up arms for self-rule in the
mainly Kurdish southeast of Turkey
(Turkey-Kurdistan) which has claimed around 45,000
lives of Turkish soldiers and Kurdish PKK
guerrillas. A large Turkey's Kurdish community
openly sympathise with the Kurdish PKK rebels.
The PKK demanded Turkey's recognition of the Kurds'
identity in its constitution and of their language
as a native language along with Turkish in the
country's Kurdish areas,www.ekurd.net
the party also demanded
an end to ethnic discrimination in Turkish laws and
constitution against Kurds, ranting them full
political freedoms.
Turkey refuses to recognize its Kurdish population
as a distinct minority. It has allowed some cultural
rights such as limited broadcasts in the Kurdish
language and private Kurdish language courses with
the prodding of the European Union, but Kurdish
politicians say the measures fall short of their
expectations.
Last August, the government announced plans to expand
Kurdish freedoms in a bid to erode popular support
for the PKK and end the insurgency.
Copyright,
respective author or news agency,
guardian co.uk | Agencies
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