SOUTHEAST TURKEY PRESS SUMMARY,

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 ADANA 0272 SIPDIS E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PREL PINS PGOV PHUM TU IZ ADANA SUBJECT: SOUTHEAST TURKEY PRESS SUMMARY, OCTOBER 17, 2003 ¶1. This is the Southeastern Turkey press summary for October 17, 2003. Please note that Turkish press reports often contain errors or exaggerations; AmConsulate Adana does not vouch for the accuracy of the reports summarized here. POLITICAL, SECURITY, HUMAN RIGHTS ¶2. Turkiye, Hurriyet, Bolge, Ozgur Gundem, Milliyet, Ekspres / Cumali Kizilkoca, was sentenced to 5 years of imprisonment for the June 11, 2003, grenade attack on the US Consulate in Adana. Kizilkoca stated that he wanted the voice of Muslims to be heard by his attack. ¶3. Evrensel / The "Two minutes of darkness for peace" campaign started in Diyarbakir yesterday. People turned off their lights for two minutes at 20:30 to call attention to the Kurdish problem. ¶4. Bolge / Necati Erdem, head of the Adana Law Bar, announced that the local bar association condemns the October 15 attack on the Jandarma minibus which killed one soldier and wounded another. ¶5. Cumhuriyet, Milliyet / During his speech at Diyarbakir court, Semdin Sakik, a prominent member of PKK/KADEK, stated that he is a test case for the PKK/KADEK members awaiting acceptance by the Turkish government to be classified under the regulations of "reintegration" law. "If my case takes any longer nobody would apply to the Turkish government to benefit from the law," Sakik reported. Sakik also stated that Abdullah Ocalan is seen as a prophet, even half god, in the PKK/KADEK community. ¶6. Ozgur Gundem / Hanefi Isik, Southeast Region Human Rights Organization representative, announced in a press conference that the "planned, organized" raid of the villages in Kovali, Derik, Mardin province by the Jandarma is in retaliation against the 405 soldier rape case involving the woman identified by the initials S.E. (Editor's Note: Jandarma Commanders announced that the incident in Kovali, Derik was not a raid, but was a clash between the Jandarma and terrorists.) ¶7. Ozgur Gundem / Police officers M. Yucel and I. Icen, who had been accused of torturing Remziye Daslik, are not being detained during their trial. The trial is ongoing. ¶8. Ozgur Gundem / Sultan and Senay Izra, a mother and her daughter, applied to the Diyarbakir Human Rights Organization to lodge a complaint against the police officers who allegedly abused and beat them. "If anything happens to me or to my daughter, the police will be responsible for that," the mother stated. ¶9. Milliyet, Hurriyet, Zaman / Security forces found 65 empty bullet shells around the area in Adana where an attack was made on the patrolling Jandarma minibus on October 15. Turkish Security forces started intensive operations in the area. ¶10. Ekspres / A suspicious bag in front of the Saricam Police Station caused panic. A special police team determined that it was not a bomb. ¶11. Zaman / A Turkish Embassy employee wounded in the attack on the Turkish Embassy in Baghdad, is being treated at Diyarbakir's Dicle University Hospital. ¶12. Yeni Safak / About 100 families are waiting for a signal from Turkish officials in order to return home and benefit from the "reintegration law." The families, who are presently living in the Daretiye village in Northern Iraq, are worried about their security and safety when they return to Turkey. REID