Prison Sentence for "Azadiya Welat" Distributor Altay

In the hearing on 22 October the Diyarbakır 6^th High Criminal Court handed down a 10 months prison sentence to Ayadiya Welat newspaper distributor Mehmet Altay because of "propaganda for an organization". Subject of the conviction was the newspaper's publication of a photograph showing imprisoned Abdullah Öcalan, leader of the militant Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK), holding an issue of the daily with both of his hands above his head.

Altay was found guilty on the grounds of selling the newspaper, which is published in Kurdish, in the city of Siirt in the predominantly Kurdish region of eastern Turkey. The decision was based on article 7/2 of the Anti-Terror Law (TMY).

Prosecutor: Öcalan held the paper above his head with both hands

Defendant Fehime Ete, prosecuted together with Altay, was handed the same sentence. The reason was Ete's unfolding of pieces of cloth with the organization's emblem in an opening ceremony of an election office prior to the local elections on 29 May earlier this year. Both of the defendants were tried un-detained and did not attend the hearing. They were represented by their lawyer Şakir Demir.

Upon his final request the prosecutor stated that Altay had been among a group of people shouting slogans in favour of Öcalan during the opening ceremony of the office. "The commitment of an offence was specified with the photograph of Abdullah Öcalan holding the Azadiya Welat newspaper above his head with both hands".

Lawyer Demir could not persuade the court with his defence, claiming that his clients did not act with criminal intentions and legal elements of crime did not occur. Both defendants were sentenced to 10 months imprisonment each. (EÖ/VK)