SOUTHEAST TURKEY PRESS SUMMARY FOR APRIL 13, 2006

UNCLAS ADANA 000084 SIPDIS SIPDIS E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PREL PINS PGOV PHUM TU SUBJECT: SOUTHEAST TURKEY PRESS SUMMARY FOR APRIL 13, 2006 This is the Southeastern Turkey press summary for April 13, ¶2006. 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 RADIKAL / YENI SAFAK: Feridun Yazar, Chairperson of Kurdish Democracy Platform, made a call to the PKK to lay down arms. Yazar also made a call to political leaders to end engaging in abortive discussions. HURRIYET (CUKUROVA): Chairperson of a woman's association in Van stated that, since the day the law that envisages life sentence in prison for honor killings became effective, suicide rates among women in Van have increased because men are reportedly convincing women to kill themselves in the name of family honor. EVRENSEL / OZGUR GUNDEM: Delegation of human rights associations which conducted a two-day study in Diyarbakir (see press summary 04/13) made a press announcement at Diyarbakir Human Rights Association. Members of the delegation, who deplored that civilian people were killed in Diyarbakir during the protests in the aftermath of death of 14 PKK terrorists, and disproportionate force has been applied by the security forces, demanded that public officials deliberately targeting civilians be prosecuted. Delegation members also criticized bad treatment of public officers towards children who were detained and arrested. EVRENSEL: The daily branded the conclusions arrived at in the draft report prepared by the parliamentary commission probing Semdinli case as "refraining from meddling in some matters." ZAMAN / BOLGE / EKSPRES: The dailies noted that two soldiers killed during military operation in northern Sirnak (see press summary 04/12) were form Osmaniye and Adana provinces. OZGUR GUNDEM: Two university students in Kars have been arraigned at the entrance of Van province as they were traveling from Kars to Van on charges of "recruiting new members for the terrorist organization." ZAMAN / OZGUR GUNDEM: Jonathan Sugden, a researcher from Human Rights Watch (HRW),who came to Turkey with a visa for tourist purposes and who did not provide information about studies he would be conducting in Turkey, has been detained in Bingol's Karliova district and will reportedly be deported. OZGUR GUNDEM: Families of six foreign national PKK terrorists killed in Mus together with another 8 Turkish national terrorists on March 25, submitted a petition to the Turkish Parliament and demanded handing over of the bodies of their kin held at Malatya State Hospital. OZGUR GUNDEM: Cukurova University Rector Prof. Alper Akinoglu (see press summary 04/12) condemned the attack by students at an art exhibition held at the university. The rector said that the incident was sparked upon incitement of five or ten PKK supporters. The rector further stated that all of the assailants have been identified and they will be punished severely for their acts according to the disciplinary regulations of the university. SABAH: Claudia Roth, Germany's Green Party Co-Chairperson, who will pay a visit to Diyarbakir, arrived at Ankara. Roth will meet with PM Erdogan before setting off for Diyarbakir. Roth will reportedly visit Diyarbakir Mayor Osman Baydemir and former DEP deputy Leyla Zana. REID