Swedish Court passes sentence on Turkish nationalist Barbaros Leylani because of his statements to kill Armenians

December 16, 2016 By administrator

The Stockholm District Court made a formal judgement on the case of the former Deputy Chairman of the Turkish National Association of Sweden Barbaros Leylani, who made xenophobic, anti-Armenian statements containing clear expressions of incitement to violence, hatred and racial discrimination, website of the regional socio-political newspaper Sydsvenskan» reports.

Besides, the court sentenced Leylani to fine in an amount equal to his 40-day income.

However, it is noted that according to Arshak Gavafyan, Chairman of the Armenian National Committee of Sweden, the decision of the court was too soft.

An anti-Armenian demonstration was organized by the Coordination Center of Azerbaijani Associations in Sweden in the square Sergels, Stockholm, on Saturday, April 9. Over 100 people took part in the demonstration. Representatives of local Azerbaijani and Turkish organizations were among the protesters. The Armenian embassy in Sweden reported in a statement that during the demonstration, the vice chairman of the Coordination Center of Turkish Associations in Sweden, Barbaros Leylani, made a speech

in Turkish coming up with anti-Armenian and nationalistic statements.
“It is time for uniting the Turkish nation. The Turks will wake up putting an end to the Armenian dogs. Death to the Armenian dogs! Death! Death!” – Barbaros Leylani stated.

It was noted that the protesters also shouted “Death to the Armenian dogs, death, death, death!” Leylani’s speeches were widely spread in Sweden, as a result, the reaction of the central media followed. V4, a local TV channel, presented the video during its evening news program.

Swedish MP Fredrik Malm and the chairman of the Coordination Center of Armenian Associations, Karlen Mansuryan, condemned such aggressive statements commenting the demonstration and Leylani’s statements on air.

The website Dagens Nyheter reported that according to Simon Sahakyan, the secretary of the Armenian Academic Association in Sweden, Leylani’s statements reflect the Turkish authorities’ position led by the president Recep Tayyip Erdogan. He reminded the audience of the Armenian Genocide in the Ottoman Turkey and highlighted that this historical fact has already been recognized by many states despite Turkey’s resistance.

German court cites Turkey’s support for terrorism in Kurdish militant case

November 26, 2016 By administrator

court-germany-turkey-kurd A German court has taken into account Turkey’s persecution of Kurds and support for the so-called ‘Islamic State’ (IS) and al-Qaeda in a case against a PKK member. The court opinion is sure to rile Turkey.

A German court on Friday issued a suspended sentence to a member of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), citing in the decision to grant a mild punishment Turkey’s persecution of Kurds and support for terror groups in Syria and Iraq, “Die Welt” newspaper reported.

The court ruling is likely to further strain ties between Germany and Turkey at a time when Ankara has accused Berlin of not clamping down on the PKK and of being a center of terrorism in Europe.The court’s ruling also comes amid a broader crackdown in Turkey that has drawn sharp criticism in the EU.

The Hamburg court gave the 60-year-old man a one year and nine month suspended sentence for being a member of a foreign terrorist organization and heading PKK activities in the northern city of Bremen. His arrest warrant was also lifted.

The verdict led to some 70 PKK supporters in the room erupting in applause as it became clear the man would be set free.

Between August 2014 and March 2015, the man collected money for the PKK, organized propaganda and took part in membership meetings, the judge said. His name was not provided in line with German privacy laws.

Court cites Turkish support for ‘Islamic State’

The PKK, a recognized EU terrorist group, carries out murder and attacks in Turkey, the judge said.

But in issuing the mild verdict, the judge took into account the man’s admission to being a PKK member and his Yezidi origin, which the judge said meant that he was subject to persecution.

The judge recognized the role of the PKK in fighting against the so-called “Islamic State” in both Syria and Iraq as the Sunni extremist group tried to commit genocide against the Yezidi ethno-religious minority. In 2014, for example, PKK fighters came to the rescue of Yezidis in Sinjar in Iraq.

The PKK’s Syrian affiliate, the YPG, is backed by the United States in Syria in the fight against IS.

The court assumed that Turkey supported al-Qaeda and IS between 2011 to 2014 by providing health treatment to wounded fighters in Turkey and allowing jihadist fighters to cross into Syria. Kurds in Syria and Turkey have repeatedly accused Turkey of supporting terrorist groups in Syria in order to fight against Syrian Kurds, which Ankara considers a threat.

The renewal of fighting between the PKK and the Turkish state since the breakdown of peace talks last year has led to security forces destroying Kurdish towns and a deterioration in human rights, including extra-judicial killings. All this was taken into account in the court’s decision to issue the suspended sentence, the judge said.

Acquittal on other charge

The court acquitted the man on allegations of forced coercion. The charges stemmed from an argument between the accused man and the father of a 21-year-old girl who joined the PKK as a fighter against the wishes of her parents.

The father originally accused the man of threatening him with a gun if he went to the police about the matter. In court, the father denied the statement and therefore there was insufficient evidence to proceed with the charge against the PKK member.

Source: http://www.dw.com/en/german-court-cites-turkeys-support-for-terrorism-in-kurdish-militant-case/a-36532293

Turkish court starts umbrella trial of U.S.-based cleric Gulen, followers

November 23, 2016 By administrator

By Ece Toksabay | ANKARA

(Reuters) The trial of U.S.-based cleric Fethullah Gulen and 72 other people accused of trying to overthrow Turkey’s government began on Tuesday, with the case likely to be expanded to include charges related to an abortive coup in July.

Gulen lives in self-imposed exile in the United States and has so far not been extradited to Turkey. He is among those charged with fraud, political and military espionage, as well as the formation and management of a terrorist organization. Journalists and prominent businessmen were also named in the indictment.

The seven jailed defendants appeared before the court on Tuesday, as several of the more senior defendants are believed to have fled abroad after the July 15 coup attempt. Some are not jailed pending trial and may show up at future hearings.

The cleric has repeatedly denied accusations that he instructed followers to infiltrate Turkey’s police, judiciary and armed forces in order to seize control of the state. He has also denied involvement in the coup and condemned it.

The case in the Ankara Fourth High Criminal Court stems from an investigation initiated before the failed coup and therefore does not include charges related to it. However, both state media and lawyers at the courtroom said the hearing would later be broadened to include such charges and more defendants.

More than 240 people died when a group of rogue soldiers

commandeered tanks, helicopters and fighter jets on July 15 in attempt to attack parliament and topple the government.

Turkish authorities on Tuesday dismissed 15,000 more officials, from soldiers and police officers to tax inspectors and midwives, and shut 375 institutions and news outlets alleged to have backed the coup. The widening purge has been condemned by Western allies and human rights groups. [nL8N1DN0E6]

Plaintiffs included lawyers and family members of prominent author and professor Necip Hablemitoglu, who was killed in 2002 before he could complete a book about Gulen’s network.

Also present were lawyers for Ali Tatar, a colonel who committed suicide in 2009 after being targeted by an investigation into the military that prosecutors now say was concocted by Gulen’s followers in the army in an effort to consolidate their power.

Gulen’s lawyer, who was appointed by the Turkish bar association, has withdrawn from case, citing public pressure and the fact that Gulen is still in the United States, where he has lived since 1999.

Ankara has repeatedly called on Washington to hand Gulen over. The United States has said that extraditions are subject to the judicial process and therefore must meet with its standards of evidence.

(Editing by David Dolan and Mark Heinrich)

Source: http://www.reuters.com/article/us-turkey-security-court-idUSKBN13H1NX

The threat against Agos goes unpunished

November 20, 2016 By administrator

Turkish gray wolf in front of Agos Newspaper

In the case of the threat against Agos, Nationalist Turkish Party Istanbul Chair Bilal Gökçeyurt and the chair of so-called Turan Organization Ercan Uçar have been acquitted. Agos’ lawyer Hakan Bakırcıoğlu objected to the ruling.

On April 24, 2015, a black wreath was put in front of the office of Agos newspaper and a declaration titled as “One night, we might come to visit you unexpectedly” was read. Agos newspaper filed a criminal complaint against this threat. The trial was held today.

Nationalist Turkish Party Istanbul Chair Bilal Gökçeyurt and the chair of so-called Turan Organization Ercan Uçar have been acquitted on the ground that “there is no element of a crime”.

On behalf of complainant Agos newspaper, editor-in-chief Yetvart Danzikyan attended the hearing.

Speaking during the hearing, Danzikyan said: “They had put a black wreath, while the office was closed. We saw it in the morning. Then, we saw that they released a video about their action titled as ‘One night, we might come to visit you unexpectedly’. We filed a criminal complaint. There had been similar actions when Hrant Dink was working in Agos. You know what happened to Hrant Dink. Thus, we considered this action as a threat.”

The suspects claimed that they exercised their right to democratic protest.

Lawyer Bakırcıoğlu: the ruling violates the law

Agos’ lawyer Hakan Bakırcıoğlu objected to the ruling on the ground that it violates the law. He stated that the acquittal openly violates the law and rule, since there is solid evidence showing that the suspects committed the crimes of threatening and insulting.

The prosecution demanded prison sentence

In the indictment issued by Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor’s office, it was stated that the suspects regard Agos as responsible for Armenia’s actions in Karabakh, though the newspaper has no influence over the actions of the Armenian state.

It was also stated that the suspects committed the crimes of threatening and insulting by reminding Hrant Dink with the title of “One night, we might come to visit you unexpectedly” and releasing their press statement on the same day. The prosecution demanded prison sentence for the suspects on the charges of threatening and insulting.

RSF: “The threat goes unpunished and it is troubling”

Following “the case of black wreath”, RSF Turkey Branch made a statement via social media: “The threat against Agos goes unpunished and it is troubling. This ruling encourages similar attacks.”

Turkey HDP Kurdish co-chair Demirtaş skips court hearing after not receiving indictment

November 17, 2016 By administrator

HDP co-chair Demirtaş

An arrested co-chair of Turkey’s third largest party, the Peoples’ Democratic Party (HDP), did not participate in the first hearing of his “terrorism” case after prosecutors refused to share the indictment.

The first hearing of the case, in which Selahattin Demirtaş is charged with making terror propaganda and faces up to five years in prison, took place in the southern province of Adana on Nov. 17.

The guardian in the prison in which Demirtaş is being held captive in the northwestern province of Edirne told the courtroom that he would not be participating the hearing through the voice and video informatics system (SEGBİS). The guardian also said the necessary explanation for the decision would be given by his lawyers.

A number of lawyers participated in the hearing, which was held at the 2nd Adana Court of Serious Crimes. The hearing in the case was postponed until Jan. 10, 2017.

Ten HDP lawmakers, including co-chairs Demirtaş and Figen Yüksekdağ, were arrested in a probe launched against 14 of the party’s deputies over alleged links to the outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK).

Meanwhile, a HDP deputy from the southeastern province of Urfa criticized Parliamentary Speaker İsmail Kahraman “for remaining silent in the face of the operations.”

“What kind of parliamentary speaker are you? Your members are in jail and in solitary confinement and you say nothing,” Osman Baydemir said in parliament, adding that no charter or law could be legitimate when a party’s co-chairs are in jail.

“No one can say that the parliament is functioning when our co-chairs are in jail. No law or charter that’s going to be prepared will be legitimate,” he said.

Source: http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/hdp-co-chair-demirtasskips-courthearing-afternot-receiving-indictment.aspx?pageID=238&nID=106237&NewsCatID=509

November/17/2016

Germany drops Turkey President Erdogan insult case TV comedian Boehmermann’s poem

October 4, 2016 By administrator

Satirist Jan Boehmermann poked fun at Turkey’s president in an obscene poem on TV

German prosecutors have dropped an investigation into a TV comedian accused of insulting Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

The prosecutors in the western city of Mainz said they had not found sufficient evidence to continue the inquiry against Jan Boehmermann.

In March, Boehmermann recited a satirical poem on TV which made sexual references to Mr Erdogan.

Mr Erdogan then filed a complaint alleging that he had been insulted.

In a statement on Tuesday, the prosecutors said that “criminal actions could not be proven with the necessary certainty”.

It was “questionable”, the statement added, whether Boehmermann’s poem constituted slander, given the satirical context in which the comedian recited it.

In April, German Chancellor Angela Merkel Germany said her government would allow the potential prosecution of the comedian, triggering criticism that she did not stand up for free speech.

Under German law, the cabinet had to approve a criminal inquiry.

However, Mrs Merkel added that the authorities would move to repeal the controversial and little-used Article 103 of the penal code, which concerns insults against foreign heads of state, by 2018.

Boehmermann is a satirist and television presenter well-known for pushing the boundaries of German humour.

The poem was broadcast on ZDF television. The comedian was later given police protection.

Mr Erdogan has drawn much criticism in Turkey and internationally for attacking political opponents, including harassment of journalists. Many accuse him of authoritarian methods, stifling legitimate dissent and promoting an Islamist agenda.

A rarely used article of the criminal code

Paragraph 103 of Germany’s penal code, on defamation of organs and representatives of foreign states, has the following to say:

(1) Whosoever insults a foreign head of state, or, with respect to his position, a member of a foreign government who is in Germany in his official capacity, or a head of a foreign diplomatic mission who is accredited in the federal territory shall be liable to imprisonment not exceeding three years or a fine, in case of a slanderous insult to imprisonment from three months to five years.

The article dates back to the penal code drafted when the German Empire was formed in 1871, although at that time it just applied to monarchs.

It has been little used in recent years and is colloquially known as the “Shah law” among German lawyers after the Shah of Persia successfully brought a case against a Cologne newspaper in 1964.

A Swiss man living in Bavaria was also prosecuted under the article in 2007, after he posted offensive comments about then Swiss President Micheline Calmy-Rey on the internet.

Source: http://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-37554167?ns_mchannel=social&ns_campaign=bbc_breaking&ns_source=twitter&ns_linkname=news_central

Bosnia Nationalist referendum wins overwhelming support from Bosnian Serbs

September 25, 2016 By administrator

bosnian-serb The referendum would create a Serb national holiday that is at odds with Bosnia’s Catholic and Muslim communities. With more than 70 percent of the vote counted the result seems assured as 99.8 percent voted in favor

Bosnian Serb voters defied a constitutional court ruling and voted overwhelmingly in a referendum, to maintain a nationalist holiday.

The vote was held in the Serb Republic section of Bosnia and Herzegovina, and organizers said turnout could be as high as 60 percent. But the result of the referendum is not in doubt, according to officials who said that with 71 percent of the vote counted, 99.8 percent supported making January 9 a “Statehood Day” holiday.

The date coincides with a Serbian Orthodox Christian festival, and also marks the Serb territory’s succession from Bosnia in 1992, which triggered the worst fighting in Europe since World War II – a bloody civil war that lasted three years and killed 100,000 people.

The referendum was organized by the Serb Republic’s nationalist President Milorad Dodik, who some believe set up the vote as a prelude to a secession vote that is being dubbed a “day of Serb determination.”

Others suggest the referendum could be a prelude to renewed war. The claim dismissed not only by Dodik, but also Bakir Izetbegovic, who is chairman of the three-man inter-ethnic presidency of Bosnia and Herzogivina.

“There will be no war, nobody will destroy Republika Srpska,” said Izetbegovic, who is chairman of the country’s three-man inter-ethnic presidency.

But Izetbegovic said he believed that organizers of the illegal referendum will be prosecuted, “it was just the matter of time,” he said.

Dodik scoffed at the prospect of facing criminal charges. “Republika Srpska has nothing to fear,” he said.

Proud of Serb Republic

Earlier in the day Dodik cast his vote in the town of Pale, “I am proud of the people of Republika Srpska, of all those who came out and voted,” Dodik said.

Pale, near Sarajevo, was the headquarters of Bosnian Serb wartime President Radovan Karadzic. In April Karadzic was convicted by an international war crimes tribunal of genocide in the Bosnian war.

The Constitutional Court, based in Sarajevo, banned the referendum, concluding that the holiday itself discriminated against the region’s Muslim Bosniaks and Catholic Croats.

Western diplomats also warned Dodik that the referendum violates the 1995 Dayton peace accords that ended the Bosnian war and could prompt sanctions or criminal charges against the organizers.

The Serbs celebrate the holiday by hanging out Serb flags and holding Orthodox Christian ceremonies in public institutions, which non-Serbs say is aimed at excluding them.

The break-up of Yugoslavia began in 1991, and continued until the signing of the Dayton peace accord in 1995, which ended the conflict between the Serbs, the Croats and the Bosnians. The result was the sovereign states of Serbia, Croatia and Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Slovenia and the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia seceded in 1991.

Montenegro seceded in 2006 and Kosovo declared its independence from Serbia in 2008.

bik/rc (Reuters, AP, AFP, dpa)

Istanbul: Hrant’s Friends: This is the murder of all operating together

August 8, 2016 By administrator

Hrant Dink, the trial of public officials today for the murder of the Istanbul 14th Heavy Penal Court continues. Friends of Hrant, for justice was Çağlayan Courthouse preliminary bout before the hearing.

Hrant’s friends, made a press statement in front of the courthouse as well as prior to each hearing.

In a press statement read by Bülent Aydın Friends of Hrant Dink was killed at the scene of the murder it has been determined that the gendarmes who were reminded, “it says over the years, but the form did not prove it. Now some of them were caught. So after nine years of involvement in the killings continued their official duties “the statement said.

The statement noted Dink’s murder tried to collapse on top of the Fethullah Gülen community “some people are called fetö’c assassination accomplice; it’s clear. But the rulers of today are in coalition, “fetö’cü made” can not stand out from the open complicity, saying “the statement said.

Hrant’s Friends get all of the following statement:

“Our friend is murdered, including almost ten years.

Ten years, endeavoring to explain how Hrant was killed by a coalition of national reconciliation.

The organizers, which states that the gunman when recruited by officers trained in that, he directed, he pushed from behind, we marshalled that nurtured. This is evidence of the assassination of the organization and then dimmed, we are working ignore government officials involved in the prevention of the investigation.

Supposedly to investigate the assassination, the inspectors will reveal the killer network, prosecutors, judges, despite the absence of any kind of possibility in the hands of the state, they could remove more evidence and truth revealed to us until today.

“Remove failed” but of course, they have not.

Now suddenly they bring.

When striking the killer of Hrant around the arms, where the gendarmes appeared safely allowing the escape. She says that over the years, but the form did not prove it. Now some of them were caught.

So after nine years of involvement in the killings continued their official duties!

Yet suddenly set in motion the most controversial of the names before the assassination, it was adhered to Trabzon Provincial Gendarmerie Commander Colonel Ali Öz side. Ali Oz, who is interested in preventing the assassination notice of his subordinates.

Good work, you say, nine-odd years later, though, to find the location of justice slowly.

Is that what you think?

Located about anyone doubt one of the most intense period of the Trabzon Police Intelligence Department of the Police Intelligence Engin Dinç still at the beginning of all, he was sitting with enormous powers in the hands, how will it? Taking orders from Colonel Ali Öz, who we learn that paved the way for murder? Does that have agreed to it in today’s power?

We can see, the whole Hrant’s murder “parallel structure” or “feto” called trying to destroy the organization. This means that it will not fit the mold will not be challenged to the emergence of the truth. However, Hrant’s highest institutions of the state Supreme Court to be targeted were involved in the process of NSC. MIT, the court, “there is no information available about this murder,” he was able to send a text to be killed our friend, sometimes cut-throat sometimes an organization with the participation of all the rulers came together.

Some people are also called fetö’c assassination accomplice; it’s clear.

But the arrest of one of the possible offenders will be brought to justice makes us happy, of course. However, developments are watching life without neglecting our basic knowledge of the original work: operating in this murder all together. “

Turkey: 188 arrest warrants issued for members of Turkey’s supreme courts

July 16, 2016 By administrator

Turkish prosecutors have issued arrest warrants for 140 Constitutional Court members and 48 members of the Council of State in the wake of Friday night’s attempted coup. Ten arrests have already been made, local media reported.

The ten jurists detained were all members of the Council of State, which is Turkey’s top administrative court, NTV broadcaster reported.

The arrests followed media reports that judges at other courts had been detained, as the government’s crackdown on the judiciary in the wake of the coup attempt widens.

Earlier on Saturday, Turkish authorities relieved 2,745 judges of duty.

The decision to sack the judges was made at an extraordinary meeting of Turkey’s High Council of Judges and Prosecutors (HSYK), NTV broadcaster reported.

According to Anadolu news agency, five members were also removed from the HSYK, which is the country’s highest judicial body.

A faction of the Turkish military attempted to overthrow the government of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Friday night, employing tanks and attack helicopters.

Turkish Prime Minister, Binali Yildirim, reported that 2,839 soldiers and officers implicated in the overnight coup attempt have been arrested.

At least 265 people were killed, including 104 pro-coup participants, while 1,440 people were injured in military action in the capital, Ankara, and the country’s largest city, Istanbul.

Tanks attacked several government buildings, including the Turkish parliament, where lawmakers hid in shelters inside the building.

Several airports were shut down and access to social media was blocked in the first hours of turmoil. The bridges over the Bosporus Strait were also blocked.

The TRT state television and the Turkish branch of CNN were seized by the rebelling troops and ceased broadcasting.

The conspiracy appears to have failed, as the organizers of the coup were unable to gain wide support from the military or population, and didn’t manage to capture any high-ranking officials.

The head of Turkey’s armed forces, chief of staff General Hulusi Akar, was held hostage by the coup perpetrators for several hours, but was later rescued.

Turkish officials accuse Fethullah Gulen, an influential cleric in self-imposed exile in the US, of instigating the plot.

Papazian: France constitutional court unlikely to reject law criminalizing denial of Armenian Genocide

July 6, 2016 By administrator

genocide as crime

YEREVAN. – The law criminalizing the denial of genocides will make it impossible to conduct the Turkish policy of denial in France, representative of the Armenian community said.

“This was a pre-election promise of Francois Hollande, and he kept it. This is a bill to criminalize the denial of all genocides and crimes against humanity. The bill will be reviewed in September and will be mst likely adopted. With the adoption of this draft law in France, no one will any longer have the right to say that there was no Armenian Genocide, and this also applies to other genocides as well,” co-chairman of the Coordination Council of Armenian Organizations of France Mourad Papazian told Armenian News-NEWS.am.

The National Assembly (NA) of France adopted the amendments proposed to the bill on “Equality and citizenship” on July 1. The amendments propose to establish 45,000 euro penalty for denying the crimes against humanity. In fact, the document specifically mentions about criminalizing the Armenian Genocide denial.

Asked whether it is possible that the French Constitutional Council could reject the law as it happened last time, Mr. Papazian said that this time the bill had been studied by lawyers and such an outcome is almost impossible: “We made sure that there were no gaps. We are pretty sure that this time the court will not give up. But, of course, we cannot be 100%”.

Representatives of the Armenian community of France are doing everything to ensure that in September the bill would pass the Senate. Mr. Papazian added that the Turkish side is also active in the opposite.