Bulletin de liaison et d'information - Institut kurde de Paris

Revue de Presse-Press Review-Berhevoka Çapê-Rivista Stampa-Dentro de la Prensa-Basm Ozeti
For 28 Kurdish Boys, a Dark Ordeal in a
Turkish lail on Suspicion 0fTerrorism
John Ward Anderson
Washington Post Srn'icr
VIRANSEHIR, Turkey - The scene
described by wiblesses could have been
snapshots from any rural community
around sunset: four boys playing cards
on a street comer, another youth fetching
nuts from the market, other groups of
youngsters playing hide-and-seek and
scrimmaging with a soccer ball.
Police paint a different picture, saying
a large group of youths in this small town
in Turkey's conflict-wracked Southeast
were demonstrating against the state,
yelling "Damn Turkey!" and "Long
live Kurdistan!"
Much of what happened Ian. 8 and in
the days that followed is still unclear, but
this much is-certain: Twenty-eight Kurdish
boys, most of them IS years old or
younger, were handcuffed, arrested and
jailed for two days without seeing an
attorney. After signing numerous documents,
all of the youths, most of them
illiterate, were charged with being terrorists
for allegedly chanting anti-state
slogans. They then were taken to a prison,
where six are still incarcerated.
A week after the roundup, 13 were
charged with aiding and abetting a terrorist
organization, according to an attorney
for the youths, Mahmut Vefa, secretary-general
of the Diy~ Bar As-
Anul'll
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sociation. He said that all of those
charged are between 9 and 16 years old;
charges against the IS others were
dropped. The newspaper Milliyet said
that the prosecutor in the case was seeking
prison terms of 23 to 30 months.
The incident that occurred in this town
about 80 kilometers (50 miles) southwest
of Diyarbakir, the regional capital,
touches on some of the most sensitive
issues facing Turkey, particularly its
poor human rights record and an unresolved
16-year conflict with Kurdish
separatists. Ethnic Kurds, who account
for IS percent of Turkey's population.
predominate here in the Southeast, and . integrity of the state. The three-Judge
the conflict between Turkish forces and State Security Court, which handles terseparatist
guerrilJas has resulted in the . rorism and organized crime ca.Iles, has
killing or disappearance of 30,000 been singled out for criticism by the
people. European Union for including a military
Following the capture in February judge, despite handling cases involving
1999 of the country's top Kurdish rebel civi~s in "overtly political crimes."
- Abdullah Ocalan, leader of the Kur- Mr. Erturk denied that any of the
distan Workers Party, or PKK - and his suspects was tortured, saying that most
call for followers to lay down their amlS, people apprehended under Turkey' s
Turkey promised an ambitious program anti-terrorism law have made such
to restore normalcy to the Southeast and claims. He said physicians examined all
promote reconciliation. the defendants and that none showed
But critics in this part of Turkey say signs of physical abuse.
that the govemmenl continues to rely on "There was not any heavy torture like
military force and draconian anti-ter- electricity, etcetera," said Mr. Vefa, the
rorist laws that are further polarizing the youths' attorney, who described the
population. abuse as "beatings, depriving food, not
"How can these families trust state allowing toilet visits, keeping them
institutions or the state itself?" said standing and heavy insults."
Hanefi Isik, a top official in Diyarbakir Many details about the incident are
with the Human Rights Association. disputed. Human rights activists, attor-
"This will notproduce a lastingsolution; neys and town residents acknowledge
it wilJ only create more problems. " that there was a demonstration, a day or
One of the most hotly contested facts two before the arrests, in which slogans
in the case of the Viransehir children is were shouted. In response, they say,
who, exactly, remains in prison and dozens of police officers swooped into
where. The chief prosecutor said the six their small community in a series of
in custody were the oldest in the group hours-long nighttime raids over three
and all probably 18. Mr. Vefa, their days and detained more than 60 people,
attorney, insisted that three are IS and including many children who were playthree
are 16. ing hide-and-seek, soccer and other
The other children charged range in games in the twilight before dinner.
age from 9 to 14, Mr. Vefa said. They None of the people in the town would
were released after spending a week to be quoted by name, saying they fear the
10 days in jail and pnson, officials said. return of police and retaliation against
"The police say they did not torture the children still in custody.
anybody, but I have seen the children Mr. Erturk denied that a 9-year-old
with my own eyes, and t~ey are all in was detained, sayin.g it would be against.
shock. They all need senous ~ycho- the law because children of that age are
logical treatment," Mr. Vefa saId. not considered liable for their actions.
"The six in prison, bein~ so young, He also asserted that only the 28 boys
were too scared, and they saId whatever were apprehended during the operation,
the police told them to say and confessed One of the youths who was charged,
to the prosecutor that they committed all held and released said later that police
the crimes, " he said. "They do not know beat them during their first two days in
the meaning of the situation, or the legal custody, "telling us if you don 't sign the
terms .• don't think they even know the documents presented to them. we will
difference between a lawyer and a pros- beat you and kill you and torture you."
ecutor; to them it's only a big man talke. Attorneys for the children said that
ing. They only look at us with empt}' under the t;ountry's terrorism law they
eyes when we are talking." were not allowed to have a lawyer during
Saban Erturk, chief prosecutor of the their initial 48-hour detention, when
Diyarbakir State Security Court, where' many of the youths apparently signed
the case is being heard, said all the confessions.
defendants were examined "by an ex- Mr. Erturk said all the children were
pert doctor who determined they were being held in juvenile detention facilities.
legally liable for and aware of their a contention disputed by Mr Vefa. He
actions" in chanting anti-state slogans. also said the case was under review and
A judge reviewed the case and ordered thatifpolice or prison authorities violated
the defendants jailed, he said. any laws they would be prOSt':uted.
"Here, a child of 12 knows what these "It's very difficult to asses, the special
slogans mean," he said. 'conditions that exist here wht'n you look
Turkey's anti-terrorism laws grant of- at it from the outside," he ~aid. "Dificials
wide latitude in curtailing ac- yarbakir ha.Il1 million people. and if we
tiV,ities 1UI4 rights - including basic tolerate children protesting anJ lighting
freedoms of association and expression fires and chanting in different ptrts of the
- if deemed necessary to protect the city, it would create chaos." he said.
INTERNATIONAL HERALD TRIBUNE, FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 2, 2Of)1
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