RIGHTS - Bianet

RIGHTS

Page 239

Youtube Ban Going Before the ECHR

Lawyer Karslı explains how Turkish courts failed to overturn a restrictive law which took Turkish users from accessing the popular video-sharing site for over a year now.

Pacifists Support Conscientious Objectors

Pacifists Support Conscientious Objectors

Marking Conscientious Objection Day, pacifists staged a protest in front of a military site in Istanbul.

Colonel Öz' Statement: Everyone Guilty, Himself Innocent

Colonel Öz' Statement: Everyone Guilty, Himself Innocent

Colonel Öz, accused of negligence in not preventing the murder of journalist Hrant Dink, has denied any responsibility.

17 May 2009 Erol Önderoğlu

Relatives of Disappeared Will Form Justice Tribunal

Relatives of Disappeared Will Form Justice Tribunal

The International Week of the Disappeared will be marked with a two-week programme in Turkey. Rights activists will form justice tribunal.

15 May 2009 Bawer Çakır

Supreme Court Allows Compensation Claims Against Orhan Pamuk

Supreme Court Allows Compensation Claims Against Orhan Pamuk

Although a criminal case against him was dropped, the Supreme Court has decreed for the second time that people can claim compensation from the writer.

14 May 2009 Erol Önderoğlu

Writer Demands Annullment of Ministerial Permission to Prosecute Him

Writer Demands Annullment of Ministerial Permission to Prosecute Him

Writer Demirer is on trial under Article 301 after the Minister of Justice approved his prosecution. He went to an administrative court to have the approval revoked.

14 May 2009 Erol Önderoğlu

Names of 12,211 Villages Were Changed in Turkey

Names of 12,211 Villages Were Changed in Turkey

According to Ass. Prof. Tunçel, 35 percent of villages in Turkey have had their names changed since 1940.

14 May 2009 Tolga Korkut

“Indirect Negotiations with PKK Seem to Have Begun”

“Indirect Negotiations with PKK Seem to Have Begun”

According to Ass. Prof. Yeğen, utterances by Minister of the Interior Atalay and PKK leader Karayılan are sending similar messages.

14 May 2009 Tolga Korkut

Call for Release of Journalist Aylin Duruoğlu

Call for Release of Journalist Aylin Duruoğlu

The Contemporary Journalists’ Association (ÇGD) has called for the release of Aylin Duruoğlu, editor of the gazetevatan.com website.

13 May 2009 Erol Önderoğlu

Four Lawyers Taken into Custody

Four Lawyers Taken into Custody

Four lawyers, two of them members of the Human Rights Association, have been taken into police custody. Their office and homes have been searched.

13 May 2009 Bawer Çakır

“Monumental Opportunity” for Solution to Kurdish Question

“Monumental Opportunity” for Solution to Kurdish Question

The co-chair of the DTP said, “The public wants an end to violence. We are ready to meet the government on the path towards a solution.”

13 May 2009 Tolga Korkut

President Gül’s Speech “Has Created Hope in Diyarbakır”

President Gül’s Speech “Has Created Hope in Diyarbakır”

Lawyer Danış Beştaş has called Gül’s comments on the Kurdish question “positive”. In Prague, Gül had called the Kurdish question "Turkey’s priority".

13 May 2009 Bawer Çakır

“Many Reasons for The Massacre, Yet Root Cause is Denial of Kurds"

“Many Reasons for The Massacre, Yet Root Cause is Denial of Kurds"

Dr. Beşikçi argues that the massacre of 44 people in a village in Mardin cannot be blamed only on feudalism, the village guard system, ignorance or underdevelopment.

8 May 2009 Ismail Beşikçi

Score of Village Guards' Deeds

İHD releases a report, filing the rights abuses committed by village guards, who were armed by the state in 1992 to fight against the Kurdish rebel group PKK.

PKK Leader Karayılan Calls for End to Fighting

PKK Leader Karayılan Calls for End to Fighting

Karayılan says that the PKK will not lay down their arms without anything being offered in return, but he calls for arms to be silenced.

How Will New Minister of Justice Deal With Article 301?

How Will New Minister of Justice Deal With Article 301?

As investigation and prosecution under Article 301 depends on ministerial approval, a lot hinges on the attitude of new Minister of Justice Ergin.

ECHR Condems Turkey

Özer was given prison sentences with regard to two articles published in his Çağrı magazine.

Police Officer’s Court Case against Bianet Continues

Police Officer’s Court Case against Bianet Continues

A trial against bianet, based on the complaint filed by police officer Muhittin Zenit, is continuing.

5 May 2009 Erol Önderoğlu

Another Case Against Author Gürsel

During today's hearing, prosecution demands acquittal of Gürsel. Yet, another case is brought against his latest book on allegations of inciting hatred.

Ban on YouTube Enters 2nd Year

Activists urge the government to leave content control to citizens and NGOs. Courts can easily ban access to web sites, depending on the law 5651.

Lawyers Call for Revision of Penal Code and Fewer Arrests

Lawyers Call for Revision of Penal Code and Fewer Arrests

At a Freedom of Expression Conference in Istanbul, lawyers evaluated the legal basis of the protection and violation of freedom of expression in Turkey.

5 May 2009 Erol Önderoğlu

End of Hunger Strike: Call for Democratic Solution to Kurdish Question

End of Hunger Strike: Call for Democratic Solution to Kurdish Question

The two-day protest hunger strike in Diyarbakır ended yesterday with a call for a political solution to the Kurdish Question.

5 May 2009 Bawer Çakır

More than 400 Detained on May Day

More than 400 Detained on May Day

Lawyers say that more than 400 people were taken into police custody on May Day.

4 May 2009 Bawer Çakır

5,000 People on 2-Day Hunger Strike in Protest of DTP Arrests

5,000 People on 2-Day Hunger Strike in Protest of DTP Arrests

On Sunday, DTP politicians, members and supporters began a two-day hunger strike in Diyarbakır.

4 May 2009 Emine Özcan

In Three Months 110 People Tried for Their Thoughts

According to the quarterly Bia Media Monitoring Report, 26 people are on trial under Article 301.

4 May 2009 Erol Önderoğlu

Armed Left Group DHKC Attempts at The Life of Former MoJ

Hikmet Sami Türk is held responsible for the operations into prisons in 2000, which left 31 inmates and two soldiers dead. Two militants caught, Türk avoids the attack unharmed.

30 April 2009 Bawer Çakır

Journalist On Trial For Dink Murder Book

Nedim Şener of Milliyet daily faces up to 17 years in prison for allegedly disclosing classified information and rendering counter-terrorism forces target in his book on officials' misconduct regarding the killing of his Turkish Armenian colleague.

30 April 2009 Erol Önderoğlu,Emine Özcan

Pro-Kurdish DTP MP Questions Phone Tapping

Hasip Kaplan asks Minister of Justice if 70 thousand court orders for surveillance are legally intact or not. The issue remains controversial as experts criticize lack of effective control.

Governor Turns Down Union Demands for May Day in Taksim Square

Governor Turns Down Union Demands for May Day in Taksim Square

Governor Muammer Güler refused workers applicaation to gather in Taksim Square on 1 May.

30 April 2009 Bawer Çakır

Prison Sentences for 23 Children in Adana

Prison Sentences for 23 Children in Adana

The Human Rights Association has protested against the prison sentences handed down to children who took part in Newroz celebrations.

30 April 2009 Erhan Üstündağ

Peace Activists Support Kurdish DTP

Peace Activists Support Kurdish DTP

Joining a parliamentary group meeting of the DTP, peace activists expressed their support for the party. In a speech, Mater said that DTP was a necessary partner in a search for a solution to the Kurdish Question.

Prisoners Protest in Siirt

Prisoners Protest in Siirt

In Siirt, around 15 prisoners climbed onto the prison roof and shouted slogans.

28 April 2009 Erhan Üstündağ