Pro-Kurdish Party Leaders Charged For Speaking

ISTANBUL - İn 3 successıve days 5 leaders of the pro-Kurdısh Democratic Society Party (DTP) have had criminal investigations launched against them by Turkish government authorities. The alledged crimes are of "praising and aiding" the banned Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) through public statements and in DTP leaflets.

İn the southeastern city of Diyarbakir the Publıc Prosecutor"s office completed an indictment against the DTP mayor Osman Baydemir on July 4 for a single sentence in a speech he made during a series of pro-Kurdish protests that erupted throughout Turkey in March.

The mass demonstrations began after the public funerals of 14 PKK members killed by the Turkish military in the eastern province of Bingol. Turkish police and troops immediately declared the protests illegal and met the demonstrators with severe repression. Over 20 people were left dead.

According to The New Anatolian Baydemir has been charged for making the following comment: "This city, this region, was mourning 14 people but now its risen to 16." Baydemir was refering to the 14 dead PKK activists along with a further two protestors killed at the beginning of the mass demonstrations.

Turkish authorities argue that this comment amounts to siding with both the "illegal" demonstrations and the PKK (which is listed as a terrorist organisation). İf convicted Baydemin faces up to 10 years in prison - a little over 8 months jail for each word uttered.

Baydemin already faces other criminal charges for alleged ties to the PKK including for allowing a Diyarbakir city ambulance to transport the dead body of a PKK member slain by Turkish security forces! Another DTP major from the nearby city of Batman has also had charges filed against him for alleged membership of the PKK.

İn another case Mahmut Almak, the DTP head in the northeastern city of Kars, is facing a lengthy sentence for a speech he gave at a recent conference. Commenting on the struggle for democratic rights and Kurdısh autonomy Almak argued that a successful and democratic resolution of the ongoing conflict will not come about through the existing officialdom of the Turkish state. İnstead he called for the launch of a civic political alliance between the Turkish and Kurdish peoples to achieve democratic change. The Public Prosecutor is asking that Almak be sentenced for 15 years in prison for expressing this viewpoint.

Almak condemned the new charges against him in the July 6 edition of The New Analtolian declaring Turkey to be a graveyard for the Turkish and Kurdish peoples in terms of democratic rights but a heaven for those in power. İn the 6 months since he became the head of the Kars branch of the DTP Almak has had 7 charges laid against him for making statements allegedly in praise of the PKK and the Kurdish struggle.

Two central leaders of the DTP were also charged on July 6 for handing out what authorities have called "pro-PKK leaflets" at the March 8 İnternational Womens Day protest. DTP chair Ahmet Turk and former party co-chair Aysel Tugluk have been accused of distributing leaflets which included remarks about imprisoned PKK leader Abdullah Ocalan - an illegal act under Turkish law. If found guilty they can expect 2 years and 6 months in prison respectively.