A sentence of revenge
A sentence of revenge
They came as peace messengers and they ended up in prison. A court in Turkey has sentenced seven people who were among the 34 members of the PKK (Kurdistan Workers' Party) who returned to Turkey from the Kandil Mountains and Makhmour refugee camp in northern Iraq, to up to 10 years in jail. They have been charged with being a member of and disseminating propaganda for an illegal organization.
This is a sentence of revenge. Revenge which shows the inability of the state and authorities to handle a legitimate request of peace by the Kurdish people. Indeed the peace groups were one of many examples of the genuine commitment of the Kurdish people to peace. But the door, once again, was slammed in the face of the Kurds, revealing the emptiness of the state policy. Indeed the ruling AKP government showed annoyance to the welcoming as heroes received by the peace messengers. Instead of turning the favourable climate in favour of peace, the government took this welcoming and celebrations as something personal against it and lashed out at the people and the peace groups by jailing them.
The prosecutor stated that the group had come to Turkey in October 2009 on orders from Abdullah Öcalan, the jailed leader of the PKK, and cannot benefit from Article 221 of the Turkish Penal Code (TCK), called the “active repentance” law (which stipulates the release of armed organization members who turn themselves in without any punishment as long as they have not been involved in any armed clashes with security forces or any other attack against Turkey).
The prosecutor asked for 20-year sentences for eight people who came from the Kandil Mountains for “being a member of an illegal organization” and “disseminating propaganda on behalf of an illegal organization.”
The court sentenced Mustafa Ayhan, Hüseyin Ýpek and Nurettin Turgut, who are currently under arrest, to 10 years, 10 months in prison each, while it handed down seven year, one-month prison terms for Haci Surgun, Kamil Ökten, Melekþah Soydan and Fatma Ýzer each, who were earlier released pending trial.
Ayhan wanted to deliver his defense in Kurdish, but the court said he was speaking “in a language that is not understood by the court.” Then he switched to Turkish saying: “We left the camp and our guns and returned to Turkey of our own will. All of these efforts are for achieving peace.”
Defense lawyer Fethi Gümüþ also said the defendants were in the Makhmour camp, which is under the protection of UN and have been accused of participating in an illegal organization. “If this is the case - he said - then a complain should also be filed against the UN”.
This is a sentence of revenge. Revenge which shows the inability of the state and authorities to handle a legitimate request of peace by the Kurdish people. Indeed the peace groups were one of many examples of the genuine commitment of the Kurdish people to peace. But the door, once again, was slammed in the face of the Kurds, revealing the emptiness of the state policy. Indeed the ruling AKP government showed annoyance to the welcoming as heroes received by the peace messengers. Instead of turning the favourable climate in favour of peace, the government took this welcoming and celebrations as something personal against it and lashed out at the people and the peace groups by jailing them.
The prosecutor stated that the group had come to Turkey in October 2009 on orders from Abdullah Öcalan, the jailed leader of the PKK, and cannot benefit from Article 221 of the Turkish Penal Code (TCK), called the “active repentance” law (which stipulates the release of armed organization members who turn themselves in without any punishment as long as they have not been involved in any armed clashes with security forces or any other attack against Turkey).
The prosecutor asked for 20-year sentences for eight people who came from the Kandil Mountains for “being a member of an illegal organization” and “disseminating propaganda on behalf of an illegal organization.”
The court sentenced Mustafa Ayhan, Hüseyin Ýpek and Nurettin Turgut, who are currently under arrest, to 10 years, 10 months in prison each, while it handed down seven year, one-month prison terms for Haci Surgun, Kamil Ökten, Melekþah Soydan and Fatma Ýzer each, who were earlier released pending trial.
Ayhan wanted to deliver his defense in Kurdish, but the court said he was speaking “in a language that is not understood by the court.” Then he switched to Turkish saying: “We left the camp and our guns and returned to Turkey of our own will. All of these efforts are for achieving peace.”
Defense lawyer Fethi Gümüþ also said the defendants were in the Makhmour camp, which is under the protection of UN and have been accused of participating in an illegal organization. “If this is the case - he said - then a complain should also be filed against the UN”.
