“Demonstration Penalty” Cleared After 10 Years
Özlem Oruç, Ali Güven, Sabri Dal, Behice Tanrıverdi, Hüseyin Afşar, Ravşan İnedi, Seyfeddin Didmin, Abdurrazzak Tül, Bahaeddin Yağarcık have been convicted to jail sentence for attending a protest in 2005 in the southeastern district of Cizre, Şırnak province.
Following an ECHR ruling that their rights were violated, a retrial of 9 defendants ended with an acquittal on March 2.
In its detailed verdict, Cizre 1st Assize Court Judge Canan Çelik Çulcu referred to a European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) ruling that found Turkey guilty of violating the right to demonstration according to domestic and international regulations.
“After a retrial held by our court, we have evaluated the ECHR ruling on the issue, domestic law judgements and other information in the case all together and decided on the acquittal of each defendant on the grounds that the attributed crimes did not occur according to Constitution Article 34 on the right on public demonstrations and gatherings as well as European Convention of Human Rights Article 11 on the right to “founding associations and organizing public demonstrations,” the verdict cited.
Previously, all defendants were convicted to a prison sentence of 1 year 6 months as well as 489 lira fine - the declaration of the penalties were suspended despite being approved the Court of Cessation in 2006. (AS/BM)
* Click here to read the article in Turkish.