Rights organizations reacted to the acquittal of the police officers in the case where they were tried with killing 12-year-old Uğur Kaymaz and his father.

An Eskisehir court has ruled that four police officers acted in self-defense during a raid into the Kaymaz house in Mardin in 2004.

Human Rights Association of Turkey (IHD) said there were failings with regard to the fairness of the trial since its beginning and urged the Minister of Internal Affairs and the Minister of Justice to resign.

Human Rights and Solidarity with the Oppressed (MAZLUMDER) Diyarbakır branch said the courts must provide a fair trial for those on the culprit and relieve the public consciousness from any doubts about justice being done.

London-based Kurdish Human Rights Project (KHRP) commented that "the court ruling is a revelation that the Turkish state rejects to protects the right to life of the ethnic Kurds in the country" given both Kaymaz's were of Kurdish descent.

Criticizing the reasoning of the court while acquitting the police officers, IHD directed the following questions to the Ministry of Justice and the Ministry of Internal affairs.

* Would a 12-year-old child and his father who run out with his slippers constituted a real threat to 100 fold police officers surrounding the house?

* Why did the Ministry of Justice relocated the trial to Eskisehir which began in Mardin, the lieu of the incident?

* Why do the cases where the security forces are tried end up in breach of justice?(TK/EÜ)