Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
05ADANA234
2005-12-14 09:52:00
UNCLASSIFIED
Consulate Adana
Cable title:  

SOUTHEAST TURKEY PRESS SUMMARY FOR DECEMBER 13, 2005

Tags:  PREL PINS PGOV PHUM TU ADANA 
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UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 ADANA 000234 

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PREL PINS PGOV PHUM TU ADANA
SUBJECT: SOUTHEAST TURKEY PRESS SUMMARY FOR DECEMBER 13, 2005

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 ADANA 000234

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PREL PINS PGOV PHUM TU ADANA
SUBJECT: SOUTHEAST TURKEY PRESS SUMMARY FOR DECEMBER 13, 2005


1. This is the Southeastern Turkey press summary for December
13, 2005. 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. HURRIYET: Diyarbakir's 5th Heavy Penalty Court sentenced
a 27-year-old woman to one in year in prison for shouting a
Kurdish slogan saying "Long live Apo (Abdullah Ocalan)" during
an unauthorized demonstration held on May 1 in Diyarbakir. The
defendant rejected the claims that she shouted slogans in
support for Ocalan, and claimed that she had only shouted "Long
live the brotherhood of people." The women's offence was
proved by police film.


3. CUMHURIYET / OZGUR GUNDEM: A stent has been placed in
the artery of Van Centennial University Rector Yucel Askin.
Health condition of Askin is reported as good following the
operation. (This press summary is from 12/11 edition.) The
doctors have warned that Askin's health condition might
deteriorate if the court decides to send him to prison, reported
Cumhuriyet daily.


4. RADIKAL / SABAH: The controversial trial of Yucel Askin
will be held tomorrow at Van's 3rd Heavy Penalty Court. There
are nine defendants of the case; Rector Yucel Askin,
Vice-Rectors Prof. Ayse Yuksel and Prof. Hasan Ceylan, General
Secretary Prof. Isik Tepe, Dean of Agricultural Faculty Prof.

SIPDIS
Firat Cengiz, Deputy General Secretary Salih Yurtkuran, three
staff members of the university and the Turkish representative
of a Spanish company. Charges were brought against Askin for
alleged irregularities conducted during a tender of the
university for alleged attempts to breach personal privacy
considerations and collect information about individual
political views, ethnic origins and religious beliefs of 418
people and students in order to use such information as a threat
on people's future professional careers and for alleged
formation of an "illegal organization" (within the university)
by means of providing unfair economic gains and job
opportunities in academic and administrative positions. The Van
Prosecutor's Office have demanded a total of record-breaking
2,131 years of prison sentence for the charges brought against

Askin and 1,254 years of prison sentence for the Vice-Rectors.
Since five months have passed since the arrest of the rector,
and because of the rector's serious health condition, the Court
will most probably order the release of the rector at tomorrow's
trial, reported the newspaper. Rector Askin said that he will
attend the court session under the supervision of a doctor. The
rector will stand trial on Friday for other charges brought
against him for his alleged illegal keeping of historical
artifacts at this home.


5. HURRIYET / RADIKAL: Separate delegations comprised of
the CHP (Republican People's Party) and YOK (Higher Education
Board) members will go to Van today to attend the trial of Van
Centennial University Rector Yucel Askin as observers. CHP
delegation will submit a report on the trial to CHP leader
later.


6. RADIKAL / HURRIYET: Sirnak Governor Osman Gunes and
Silopi Mayor Muhsin Konur, who were waiting for the arrival of
Minister of Education Huseyin Celik to the Silopi district,
quarreled over the problem of trucks piling up at the Habur
border gate in Silopi and the allegations of bribery there, in
front of journalists. While Governor Gunes argued that police
alone cannot be blamed for immoral actions for which he
contended the way was paved by the people, the mayor argued that
both parties engaging in immoral illegal actions should be held
liable for these actions.


7. CUMHURIYET / RADIKAL / HURRIYET / OZGUR GUNDEM: A
39-year-old person, who was reportedly infuriated by his
family's refusal to consent to his marriage plans, opened fire
with a Kalashnikov gun at people dancing during a wedding
ceremony in Diyarbakir. Thirteen people were wounded as a
result of the incident. The Jandarma arrested the assailant.


8. RADIKAL / OZGUR GUNDEM: A 5.3-magnitude earthquake
which shook Bingol's Karliova district did not cause any
casualties, but sparked great panic among the people. (This
summary is from 12/11 edition.) Radikal daily reported that
fifty houses, which were being built by the government for the
victims of the March 12 and March 14 earthquakes in Bingol's
Karliova district have not been completed for four and a half
months. Local people, blaming authorities for starting the
construction process late, are worried about how they can
survive in tents in the approaching winter conditions.


9. OZGUR GUNDEM: During inspections at a Jandarma
checkpoint on a road in Batman, teams from the Batman Jandarma
Regional Command discovered many guns and drums hidden in an
unseen section of a private vehicle.


10. OZGUR GUNDEM: Erdal Akpinar, a brigadier general,
reportedly held a meeting last week and invited the Yuksekova
Mayor and the non-governmental organizations to a meeting at the
Brigade Command. Akpinar, after showing the invitees a 15-minute
film of the last two year's public demonstrations, reportedly
drew attention to the yellow-red-green colored flags carried by
the people during the demonstrations and said, "All my tolerance
has been exhausted by these actions...The state is powerful and
due measures will be taken hereinafter." The general further
disclosed that soldiers would not shop from the local tradesmen
until August 2006. NGOs, who reportedly asked why DEHAP members
were not invited to the meeting, told the general that the
problems could not be solved through threats and oppression.


11. OZGUR GUNDEM: Following the refusal of the Ovacik
Subgovernor's Office to further a prosecution process, the
Malatya Regional Administrative Court also overturned the charge
filed against the security forces for allegedly setting a forest
on fire in the Ovacik district of Tunceli between September 15
and 21, 2004.

12. OZGUR GUNDEM: Sirnak's former DEHAP Provincial Chairperson
Izzet Belge, who was detained early in December together with
six people in Silopi as a result of the security forces' home
raids (see press summaries 12/06 and 07 and 08),was released a
few days later. Belge dismissed any alleged links the detainees
had with the recent bomb attacks in Silopi and blamed the media
for fabricating the news of the bombs found in a house.


13. OZGUR GUNDEM: The 2005 Turkish dictionary prepared by
the Turkish Language Institution reportedly does not mention the
etymological sources of Kurdish words inherited by the Turkish
language. Despite that the dictionary cites the names of even
defunct languages as it traces back the history of words. The
etymological resources of Kurdish-origin words are given either
as Persian or "colloquial word."


14. OZGUR GUNDEM: The farmers were not able to sell 50,000
tons of lentils they cultivated in the Kiziltepe district of
Mardin because of recently imported lentils in the market.



15. SABAH: Turkish Parliament's Human Rights Commission
completd a 20-page report it has been drafting concerning the
November 9 Semdinli bombing. According to some highlights of
the report, General Yasar Buyukanit's remarks saying that he was
well acquainted with Ali Kaya, one of the officers held as a
defendant of the Semdinli case, was reportedly an "unfortunate"
intervention in the ongoing judicial process. The military
planes flying low over the people attending a funeral of the
persons who died during the demonstrations following the
Semdinli incident, was perceived by the region of the people as
"intimidation." The report suggested an end to the relationship
between the state and (PKK) defectors, and urged taking
necessary measures to hinder the formation of illegal
organizations.


16. CUMHURIYET: Two families peacefully ended a 30-year-long
feud at a dinner organized with the efforts of the Viransehir
Subgovernor (Sanliurfa province),Mayor and some influential
families in the district.
REID