1,144 Kurdish Politicians were Arrested in 2009

This post makes use of data appeared in Özgür Gündem which used the data from the Diyarbakır (Amed) branch of the İHD's report on the arrests in Kurdistan. In 2009, a total of 1444 Kurdish politicians were arrested. I went ahead and tabulated the data so we can do some analysis.

Month	Detained	Arrested
January-March	1118	302
April	539	265
May	184	67
June	362	129
July	66	18
August	110	34
September	182	35
October	358	90
November	190	13
December	1366	491
Apr-Dec Total	3357	1142
Grand Total	4475	1444

Let's state some facts now so we can examine the data and draw some meaningful conclusions.

It is usually a trend to have a high number Kurds getting arrested during every February and March. This is because February is the month Mr. Öcalan was kidnapped and brought to Turkey and March is the month Kurds remember Halabca Massacre. 21st of March is Newroz and the reaction of Turkish security forces to Kurds have been violent and oppressive. Countless videos on YouTube shows police beating up defenseless kids and women during Newroz celebrations. So, since we established that the January-March quarter seems to be fitting the old trend and can be considered "normal" by the thugs of the fascist regime. The experience also suggests that after Newroz things usually "calm" down and the arrests/detainments usually slow down until the next cycle. Well, obviously 2009 was different.

What was so different about April-December, the three remaining quarters of 2009? 3357 Kurds active in politics were detained and 1142 of them were arrested in this 9-months period. Well, the Kurdish party Democratic Society Party (DTP) won a major victory in local elections in Kurdistan and the local elections were held on March 29, 2009. Of course, it took sometime for the official results to be announced. Despite all the state (including military and police) support the AK Party had in the region, including giving away washing machines and food in combination with advice from security and state officers about for whom the Kurds should vote, sprinkled with Kurdish votes being stolen and burned here and there, DTP accomplished a major victory in Kurdistan. AKP and the Generals were furious. One of AK Party's major figures, Chicken Little Çiçek, has basically said that "They [Kurds] are now at the gates of Armenia and we have to assess this situation very carefully and act accordingly". This statement was in effect the same with what the Generals said: "We are assessing the outcome of local elections carefully".

So the arrests of Kurdish politicians begun on April 14 and continued. DTP was closed on 11 December 2009 and even some shepherd was banned from participating in politics with the allegation of being a DTP politician.

The arrest wave in December of 2009 was the last major blow by the AK Party government and state to Kurdish politicians so that the AK Party may get some votes in Kurdistan when elections come up in 2011 or should AK Party decides to hold early elections.


Recently Kurdish politicians were lined up and handcuffed. The picture was widely circulated on the Turkish media to make sure Kurds get the message of what can happen to them if they ask for their rights. These politicians have had nothing to do with any kind of violence. What they did was to greet their people in Kurdish at political meetings but their main crime was to speak for Kurds and defend their rights under a legal political party. The arrests of Kurdish politicians have continued in January. I will incorporate that data when I get my hands on it.

I never trusted the AK Party and the state about the so called "Kurdish Initiative" which was later renamed as "Democratic Initiative" and now renamed as "National Unity Initiative". I am sure the AK Party and the state are proud of themselves as they can do all these things to Kurds and still be referred as "an advanced democracy" by their masters.

How Do The Turkish State's Terrorists Get Promoted?

A 14 year old Kurdish girl Ceylan Onkol was tending her sheep in a Kurdish village on the outskirts of Amed (Diyarbakir). She was hit by a missile or shell fired from a Turkish Military (TSK) garrison. She was hit in the groin area and blown into pieces. The public prosecutor didn't go to the area, neither did a doctor. It was a complete cover up of terrorism against children in Kurdistan, terrorism by the TSK.

Whenever the fascist state tries to protect its terrorists it uses the excuse of "the investigations are underway". How do you conduct investigations without following proper procedures beats me but that's another story. We want to high light something else. We want to know how many of the Turkish state terrorists have ended up behind bars because they torture and kill even children. Do you know what happened to the police officers who broke Cuneyt Ertus' arm? What happened to those who were captured in Şirnex (Şirnak) while planting bombs to kill civilians? What happened to TSK terrorist Col. Cemal Temizöz? Col. Temizöz is on trial for hundreds of extra judicial killings and torturing civilians. The prosecutor is asking for multiple times of life time sentences for him but guess what? He is still on duty.

We remember the Uğur Kaymaz incident. On Sunday 21 November 2004 a 12 year old Kurdish boy was killed by police officers. He was shot multiple times at point blank range from his back. On 18 June 2009, the High Tribunal Court ruled that the police who shot Ugur from his back have acted in self defence. The police chief Kemal Dönmez who was involved in murdering of Uğur Kaymaz was promoted. Kemal Dönmez was promoted despite his known ties to the Ergenekon terror organization of the terrorist state.

So, really, what happens after these investigations? These terrorists continue their jobs and receive promotions.

Before you try to talk about legitimacy of a terrorist state and blame the existence of Kurdish freedom fighters to justify the terrorist actions of the Turkish state, I recommend you read about the Dersim genocide and the Zilan massacre. Both of these happened way before the Kurdish freedom fighters were around.

Put yourself into the shoes of the family members or friends of those children and then answer this. Do you understand why Kurdish defence forces exist?

Children Tried Under Charges of Terrorism

Although the state for whatever reason cannot kill Kurdish children as easy as it used to, now it is imprisoning children as terrorists. If you are a 12 year old who is in the vicinity of the events where other 12 year old kids throw stones at the armored vehicles who crushed their parents, well guess what? You or any other children, "guilty" of throwing a stone or not can be in prison for decades. That is, if they don't put you among ultra-right-wing prisoners who are in prison because of robbery, rape, extortion, etc. and have you killed by them. This is what happened to Yasin Akyüz, who was strangled to death and he was just 15 years old. Did the officials even find out who did it? I am sure they looked into the mirror.

Bianet has a recent piece on trying children as terrorists:

[...]

The Anti-Terrorism Law was effected in 1991 and renewed in 2006. It states that children aged between 12 and 18 years accused for terror should be detained, interrogated and tried under the same conditions as adults. Tilbe Saran and Murat Garipoğlu from the organization Civil Platform object to the law, warning that with every day that passes by another victim of the law is being added.

So the Kurdish children can be killed at their homes, have their villages razed, beaten, forced to migrate, and when they actually show some character, the state wants to destroy them in prisons. Here is the most "interesting part" of the article:

According to the group's information 127 children are currently detained. 3000 children are on trial but the Ministry of Justice does not confirm a precise figure.

[...]

The ministry of justice of a nation state does not confirm a precise figure on its OWN citizens who are on trial or in prison? Seriously, what kind of a state, mind you an "advanced democracy" are we talking about here?! Ministry of just-ice seems to be a better term considering the cold blooded murders it has been carrying against Kurdish people.

Sun will shine and ice will melt. Only then things will be just.

The Zilan River Massacre: Part 2

This is Part 2 of the article on Zilan River Massacre that appeared in Gündem. You can read Part 1 on this blog as well.

Zilan River was filled with Corpses

Right after this massacre, the semi official newspaper of the state, Cumhuriyet daily, in its 16 July 1930 issue reported the massacre of Zîlan as below:

‘The villages of Agri that joined the bandits have been burned down and their residents were sent to Erciş. The number of bandits destroyed during the Zilan operation is over 15 thousand. The number of those who fell before a battalion and died is guessed to be over one thousand. Five brigands who made it to Zilan River surrendered. The war in this place has been very fierce. The Zilan river has filled up with corpses.’

Faik Bulut’s book titled ‘Kurdish Uprisings in Turkey’ which included some documents from the Archive of War History has also included the [Turkish] General Staff’s order dated 01 July 1930. The General Staff orders ‘All of the villages in the region of uprising that have participated in the uprising shall be completely burned down.’

Also, the General Staff’s order on 03 July 1930 says this: ‘… To show the people who rise up will be punished, the villages that participated in the Oramar events and the clans in the meadow must be identified and bombed with the air force.’

These documents [included in Faik Bulut’s book] further state that ‘On 02 July 1930 the following activities occured: Kaymaz, Haçan, Kölesor, Çilli ve Osmanlı villages were bombed by airplanes; the villages in the Patnos region that joined the uprising were subjected to machine gun fire and bombings.

According to the government of the time ‘The actions [by state officials and forces] in the uprising cannot be considered as criminal’. The region was a 'fire at will’ zone. The law number 1850 on 20 July 1931 approved this:

Item 1: During the uprising in Erciş, Zilan, Ağrı mountain regions and following that due to the tracking and punishment operations in the jurisdiction of First Public Controller and in Erzincan’s Pülümür town, from 20 June 1930 to 1 December 1930, any individual or group actions of the military forces, government employees, and anyone who acts with or for them, including watchmen, paramilitary [korucular], and regular citizens, related to getting rid of the uprising and events associated with it are not criminal.

Item 2: This law is in effect on the day of its publishing.

Item 3: The representatives of judiciary and internal matters are charged with the implementation of this law.

After the massacre, the Zilan River was declared a military zone closed to the public. After a while, a Government Farm was started there. Later, immigrants from Afghanistan, Turkmen, were brought and settled in the region. There are still villages in the region whose inhabitants are completely Turkmen.

The Zilan River is one of the most painful episodes of the painful struggle of Kurds. Thousands of people, from swaddled babies to old people were killed.

We believe that those who think they can finish Kurds by killing them have been wrong. Those who committed massacres after Zilan River, in Halepçe [Halabja], Qamişlo, Dersim, Lice, and other places and times, could not finish the Kurds’ struggle for freedom. Kurds, because of their struggle for freedom, have faced these massacres and paid heavy prices. Without a doubt, the sacrifices made by the Kurdish people will not be in vain and this people, in the end, will gain their freedom.


Sources:

İdris ERTAŞ - Tarihe Kazınmış Belgeler; Soykırımlar-III /
Ahmet Kahraman - Kürt İsyanları -
Tedip Ve Tenkil-
M. Remzi Bucak - Bir Kürt Aydınından İsmet İnönü'ye Mektup
Sıddık Güler - Dicle Haber Ajansı
Mehmet Ali Aslan - Kürt Trajedisi

There other eye witnesses who survived the massacre. Here is what another one says:

I think İsmet İnönü gave the order

Kakil Erdem, who is currently 94 and lives in Kündük village, was 17 years old at the time of the massacre. He is one of the few witnesses who survived. He goes on:

“The soldiers were stabbing pregnant women and cutting their babies out. I watched them behead people. They skinned heads of three of my relatives before my eyes. I saw them beating two brothers to death with wood.”

Erdem says when the massacre started, he ran towards the mountains and watched the events from where he hid. “Thousands of soldiers from the 7th Army Corps came to the villages. They surrounded the 72 villages in Zilan. They killed everyone in these villages; men, women, old, young, children, babies, everyone was killed. İbrahim Bey and Derviş Bey were commanding the unit. As they were killing people, we had to run and hide. Some people hid in the wheat fields and beneath their things. Then we all escaped to the mountains. We stayed hungry for days. We went back to the village after the soldiers left. They had killed 35 relatives of mine. I watched them beheading many people. My oldest brother is alive, he saw these too.”

Erdem responds to some allegations which say that the government of the time did not know about the events: “I think İsmet İnönü gave the order. Derviş Bey is father of Alparslan Türkeş. As I think of them, I get chills. I never forgot that massacre. They killed those they captured. Most of the people who died in this massacre were those who fought [side by side with Turks] in the war of independence. They had fought for this country. I did my military service in Sarıkamış. The people we fought together against the enemy later came and killed us.”

What kind of brotherhood is this?

The Zilan River Massacre: Part 1

Below is Part 1 of the translation of the article appeared in Gündem. Many thanks to a Zarokek Roj (child of sun) who helped with the translation.

The Zilan River Turned Red

The Kurds, during the First World War at the beginning of 20th century, sent hundreds of thousands of Kurdish soldiers to fight side by side with Turks at every front Turks were fighting. Kurds did that to protect Islamic values, their freedom, and because they considered Turks brothers.

After the war was over, the response the Kurds have received were promises that were not kept [by the Turks], the splitting of their homeland into five pieces, the denial of their identity, and bans. In response to this injustice, uprisings break out at every corner of Kurdistan.

One of these uprisings is the one at Agri [Agirî]. After the Turkish state suppressed the Agri uprising, it started an all out annihilation campaign against Kurds at the Zilan River, in the Town of Erciş [Erdîş], Van [Wan] on 13 July 1930.

After the Agri uprising was over, the Kurds took refuge in the Zilan valley. The commander of the Army Corps, Salih Pasha, with the military operation, conducted a massacre against the Kurds taking refuge in the Zilan valley. The Zilan region was bombed with airplanes. The passages to the region get sealed off and tens of thousands of soldiers surrounded the region; the massacre began. From a new born baby to 90 year old elderly, people of all ages, male and female, were raked by machine guns and stabbed with bayonets.


The Bodies Rot

A total of 44 villages were set on fire and around 15 thousand people were tied to one another [and] massacred in the valley. A soldier who was part of the massacre tells the story:

“They made women, children, babies, everyone living in the region, thousands of people to get into the Zilan river. Then these people were surrounded by machine guns. They [the commanders] put us, the privates, on the machine guns. Behind us, there were corporals and sergeants who had their rifles aimed at us. Behind the corporals and sergeants, in the third row, there were commissioned officers waiting with their loaded pistols, ready to fire. If we didn’t fire, the noncommissioned officers were going to shoot us. If the noncommissioned officers didn’t shoot us, the commissioned officers were to shoot them and us. We pulled the triggers. Thousands of bullets spit fire on the people in the river. The horrible cries of women, children, old and young men echoed in the river. After a while the cries turned into moans. Then the moans ended too. Along with old and young men’s bodies, corpses of thousands of women, children, babies in swaddling clothes were left in the pool of blood. The corpses began to rot after a while.”


I was Under the Corpses

A few of the injured, fainted [and] remained under corpses. They survived. For years, they have been telling of this tragic story. Tayfun Susak, -he is known as Tayfunê Zîlan in Bulanik- tells the story:

“Soldiers under the command of Captain Derviş Bey [Captain Derviş Bey is father of Alpaslan Türkeş] attacked the seven villages on the Zilan River with the excuse that we were going to start an uprising. They started killing everyone. In a short time, bodies were all over the place. I fell when I was running. In a short while, I was under corpses. They thought I was dead. They piled corpses. I was under corpses. After the soldiers left, I came out. I was the only survivor in my family. My father, mother, and all my relatives were killed. Very few people survived. And those who survived, like me, they lost their sanity.”

Susak says he was arrested by the soldiers after the events. He continues: “Sometime later, the soldiers came back to the region and took the survivors to Muş, Agri, and Dogubeyazit. I was among them. We suffered hunger and torture in these places. Then I was made to care for soldiers’ livestock for a few years. After this, they took me to Elazig Mental Hospital. I stayed there for a long time. They were treating us like animals there. I suffered a lot in that hospital. After things got better in this area, they set us free. I wanted to go back to my village. When I went there, there was nothing left. Houses were destroyed too. So I came to Muş and settled in the town of Bulanik. Since I came here, I have been living on handouts.”

We shall not forget.

Read on to Part 2.

Newspaper Confiscated for Reporting Allegations of Police Rape

Court ordered confiscation of Azadîya Welat newspaper because it reported 10 claims of women being raped by the police in Amed since the arrival of new police chief to the city. The full story is here.

Kurds not only are not allowed to defend themselves they also cannot talk about the crimes committed against them by the fascist state's security forces. I am curious as to what happened to the animal who smashed a zarokê roj's head with the butt of his weapon or the thug who broke Cuneyt Ertus' arm. Perhaps it's time Kurds should assume the state's role in delivering justice since state doesn't seem to be capable of it.

More DTP Members Detained

While the Terrorist Turkish State and its supporters keep insisting the PKK should lay down arms and Kurds should "seek for their rights in parliament" the party of Kurds is under constant attack. I suppose what the fascist state and its supporters are saying to Kurds is "seek for your rights from the prisons". 19 More DTP members were detained on 18 June 2009. The full story is in Bianet:

On 14 April, members of the pro-Kurdish Democratic Society Party (DTP) were taken into custody. Since then, around 500 party members have been taken into custody and 267 have been arrested.

During operations in the provinces of Diyarbakır, Şırnak, Bitlis, Batman and Mardin, all in the southeast of Turkey on 17 June, 19 people were taken into police custody. Among them are municipal officials and academics.

The AKPasha Inc (which is having yet another crisis these says) is keeping on detaining key DTP figures. They are going to have to build more prisons because the ranks are being filled as we speak. Each time pashas and mullahs have a problem in their marriage, they attack Kurds. I say it's enough, Kurds shouldn't save the day for these thugs anymore.

State Disciplines Kurdish Children in Prison

Turkey has found a way to educate the Kurdish children. Zaroken Roj (The Children of Sun) are now being educated and disciplined in the prisons. They are tried as adults and subjected to adult sentences. Then the Turkish State and it's brain washed servants wonder why in the earth Kurds still won't feel as part of the state. Afterall the present Turkish state is a terrosit state and Kurds don't condone terrorism. The following article written on 22 April 2009, recently appreaded in Bianet.

[...]
The judges Menderes Yılmaz, Selahaddin Menteş and Ömer Adil Küçük hand down the sentences. Three children are convicted of "taking part in activities in the name of a terrorist organisation without being members of the organisation." This means they receive a sentence "as if" they were members: 6 years 11 months. Another child is also accused of spreading organisational propaganda and violating the law on demonstrations, leading to a sentence of 7 years and 5 months. The two children tried without detention receive a 10-month sentence each for violating the law on demonstrations. This is converted into a fine.
[..]

"Terrorism" and children

According to Article 250 of the Criminal Procedure Code, ratified in 2004, the State Security Courts were abolished and replaced by heavy penal courts with special authorities. These courts would deal with certain crimes. When the Anti-Terrorism Law was amended in June 2006, these special courts were given the authority to try children aged over 15 for crimes defined by this law.

An amendment to Article 13 of the Anti-Terrorism Law meant that sentences handed down to children aged over 15 could not be converted into other punishments or suspended. This meant that the Anti-Terrorism Law and the Criminal Procedure Code started treating children over 15 years old not as children, but allowing their trial and punishment just like adults.

Diyarbakır laws

When, after Öcalan's capture in 1999, fighting stopped, the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP), which came to power in 2002, seemed to offer a solution to the Kurdish question with a series of reforms aimed at attaining membership in the European Union through democraticisation. However, by 2006, the government seemed to have taken steps backwards even from those limited reforms. It had become clear that it would not make any efforts in the recognition of the Kurdish question or in a discussion of a solution with Kurds.

The changes in the Anti-Terrorism Law came after events in Diyarbakır on 28 March 2006, when the police started shooting into a crowd of thousands of people in a funeral procession for four PKK members. Within five days, ten people died, five of them children. Hundreds of people were taken into custody.

When MPs discussed allowing the trial of 15 to 18-year-olds as adults, they assumed that they could prevent them from joining the PKK. The expected reforms from the government did not happen, and it was clear that it would turn to violence, not sparing children.

Hundreds of children detained, tried, convicted

And this is what happened. Answering the motion of DTP MP Selahattin Demirtaş, Minister of Justice Mehmet Ali Şahin (who left office on 1 May) told parliament that 13 children aged 12-15 and 724 children aged 15-18 had been put on trial under the Anti-Terrorism Law in 2006 and 2007. 319 of them were being tried in Diyarbakır courts. A total of 120 children were convicted under this law in the two years, 88 of them in Diyarbakır.

During the same period, 422 children were put on trial for "founding an organisation with the aim of committing crimes", following Article 220 of the Turkish Penal Code. 107 of these children were in Diyarbakır. In two cases in Diyarbakır, 20 children were convicted. 413 more children, 268 of them in Diyarbakır, were put on trial under Article 314 of the Turkish Penal Code, for "membership in an armed organisation." 34 chidren, 28 of them in Diyarbakır, were convicted. Hundreds of children were handed down punishments with probation, a few were also acquitted.

The number of children affected grew in 2008 and 2009. For instance, a child was crushed by a police tank in Cizre in February 2008 and died. His friends, who took part in his funeral, were arrested. Children took part in Newroz celebrations, demonstrations to mark the birthday of Öcalan, funerals of PKK members or other protests concerning the Kurdish question; the police did not hesitate to act violently and to take them into custody.

[...]

After Adana, Diyarbakır...

According to the Adana branch of the Human Rights Association (İHD), 33 children have received a total of 129 years imprisonment for "membership in a terrorist organisation" in the first three months of this year. Now the Diyarbakır court has started handing down sentences. Lawyers fear that if the Supreme Court of Appeals does not take a different stance and ratifies the decrees, hundreds of children will spend a long time in prison.

Meanwhile, rights activists lobbying for children's rights have intensified. Many journalists have reacted to the issue in the media. The Call for Justice for Children gathered around 900 signatures in Istanbul, and the Justice for Children Initiative has united rights activists in Ankara, Izmir and Diyarbakır and the families of the children concerned. They continue to monitor cases and struggle for change.

During a visit of these activists to parliament in February, MPs from the AKP and the opposition Republican People's Party (CHP) promised to bring up necessary legal changes after the local elections. However, judging by the police operation against the DTP and statements by ministers and the Prime Minister, it seems that the attitude of the government towards the Kurdish question has not changed since the local elections, if it has not become more hardened. Today's 23 April, the "Festival of National Sovereignty and Children" shows those Kurdish children who dare go into the streets, the meaning of "National Sovereignty."

My previous post contained the following in it:

"I became more aware," says the 16-year-old boy, who asked not to be named because of his upcoming court case, where he could face seven years in prison if convicted.

The Prime Minister recently announced that they may lift the ban on speaking in Kurdish in the prisons. So it seems education in mother tongue will be possible in the prison.

Obama's Advanced Democracy: In Turkey, hundreds of minors imprisoned on 'terrorism' charges

This article appeared in CS Monitor:

In Turkey, hundreds of minors imprisoned on 'terrorism' charges
The 2006 antiterror law makes it a crime to take part in demonstrations supporting the outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK).
By Yigal Schleifer | Correspondent of The Christian Science Monitor

Diyarbakir, Turkey - Few would peg Hebun Akkaya, a 17-year-old with a high, nasal voice and polite manner, as a criminal convicted of supporting a terrorist organization.

But the criminal court here in Diyarbakir did. The crime: protesting the prison conditions of Abdullah Ocalan, the jailed head of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK). Designated a terrorist organization by the European Union and United States, the PKK enjoys grass-roots support among citizens here in Turkey's predominately Kurdish southeast.

"I never thought I could go to prison for throwing a stone," says Hebun, who spent 10 months in an adult prison awaiting his initial trial. "I become really angry when I think that just for throwing a stone they were asking to put me away for 28 years. It's unjust." Now out on bail pending an appeal, he faces an amended sentence of seven years.

Hebun is one of hundreds of minors, some as young as 13, who have been arrested and jailed in Turkey over the past few years under strict new antiterrorism laws that allow for juveniles to be tried as adults and even be accused of "committing crimes in the name of a terrorist organization" for participating in demonstrations. Critics and rights defenders say the amended antiterrorism laws are deeply flawed and also violate international conventions on the detention of children.

"There is a lack of proportionality between the crime and the sentence," says Emma Sinclair-Webb, Turkey researcher for the New York-based watchdog group Human Rights Watch. "Counting what these children do, such as throwing stones or damaging property, as a terrorism offense is a problem."

"You are subject to a court system that doesn't see you as a child," adds Ms. Sinclair-Webb.

Over 1,500 minors prosecuted under antiterror law

As part of its European Union membership drive, Turkey has updated its penal code to more closely reflect European and international standards. But observers say the country took a step backward with a 2006 amendment to the country's antiterror law that made it possible to try minors between the ages of 15 and 18 as adults when the crime is deemed to involve terrorism.

That same year, Turkey's Supreme Court of Appeals ruled that children taking part in demonstrations supported by the PKK could be charged with aiding or acting in the name of the organization.

According to Turkish officials, 1,572 minors were prosecuted under the antiterror law and 174 of them were convicted during 2006 and 2007. Hundreds more court cases against minors have been launched since then.

"The court's decision is very dangerous for the rule of law and for individual freedoms," says Tahir Elci, a Diyarbakir lawyer who is defending several of the jailed children. "According to the high court's decision, prosecutors don't need evidence to claim that somebody committed crimes on behalf of the PKK. Just participating in a demonstration is evidence enough.

"We accept that these kids may have thrown stones, but they didn't do it in the name of the PKK," he adds. "They are children."

Turkish policy conflicts with UN, EU

The 1989 United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child deals specifically with the issue of the arrest and imprisonment of minors. According to the convention, which Turkey has signed on to, "The arrest, detention, or imprisonment of a child shall be in conformity with the law and shall be used only as a measure of last resort and for the shortest appropriate period of time."

A European Union official in Ankara says the arrest and imprisonment of minors is a cause for "concern."

The official, who asked not to be named because of the sensitivity of the issue, added, "They are not being treated as juveniles, and that is against international conventions. They are being treated as terrorists, and they are not even aware of what they have done."

Brussels has previously expressed concern about what it sees as deficiencies in Turkey's juvenile court system. An EU report last fall on Turkey's progress as a candidate country stated, "Despite some progress in the juvenile justice system, the number of child courts is still inadequate, there is a lack of social workers in these courts and their workload is heavy."

In Adana, for example, the lack of juvenile justice facilities has meant that even children under the age of 15, who by law were supposed to be tried in juvenile court, ended up having their court cases heard in an adult court.

For one boy, jail prompted 'awakening' to PKK views

Turkish prosecutors have defended the heavy sentences given to the children arrested in protests, saying they are a response to an effort by the PKK to mobilize Kurdish youth against the state.

But Sinclair-Webb, of Human Rights Watch, says that sending children off to jail could backfire.

"It's a very hardening process for children and psychologically very damaging," she says. "If you go in as a child who was just having a lark throwing some stones, you may come out as a full-fledged militant.

"If you are trying to win hearts and minds and get people to not join the PKK, this is not the way to do it," she adds.

One teenager, imprisoned for 13 months after participating in a demonstration and now out on bail while he awaits trial, says he was "changed" by his experience in jail.

"I became more aware," says the 16-year-old boy, who asked not to be named because of his upcoming court case, where he could face seven years in prison if convicted.

"The things I learned in prison about myself, about the Kurds, about the PKK, it was like an awakening."

Do I really need to add anything?!

351 Kurdish Children Killed by Turkish Security Forces

In the past 20 years, 351 Kurdish children and babies were killed by Turkish security forces. The highest number of Kurdish children killed was in 1992. In 1992, the state murdered 115 Kurdish children and babies. Here is a chart showing how many Kurdish children and babies were killed during the past 20 years:
An optimist could claim that the number of children and babies murdered by the state is decreasing. You may think that the fascist forces have developed some compassion toward kids. This is wrong, however. They are just not firing bullets upon children as much now (this may be considered in the EU compliance context!). This statistic doesn't include children who have been beaten, like what happened recently in Colemerg (Hakkari). 16 year old İ.Ş who lost his left eye, 10 year old Ş.B. who's skull has been fractured, and the babies who were hurt because security forces got too trigger happy with their tear gas and repeatedly and randomly keep shooting them into houses are not included in this list. After all, it was the prime minister who said "women, children, whoever it is, the security forces will do whatever is necessary". Compassion just-does-not-mean shooting children with gas canisters nor does it mean beating children to death with butts of weapons then throwing them into prison. Speaking of imprisoning children:

Over 1,500 [Kurdish] children on trial

In answer to a motion in parliament, Minister of Justice Mehmet Ali Şahin reported that 1,572 [Kurdish] children were put on trial in 2006 and 2007 for “terrorism crimes” under the Turkish Penal Code and the Anti-Terrorism Law. 174 [Kurdish] children were convicted, 92 of them in Diyarbakır [Amed], in the southeast [Kurdistan] of Turkey.

The list of murdered children and babies is below and it tells a story to the careful eye. For example, pay attention to how many people have been killed in March, around Newroz of 1992. Also pay attention to last names. For example, look at 6 and 7 November 1992. It seems they killed whole families.

Detailed list of Kurdish children and babies murdered by the state:
(adapted from http://firatnews.com/index.php?rupel=nuce&nuceID=6884)
Format:
day (if known) Month: Name Surname (age), Location

1989 (Total number of children killed: 2)
19 July: Mahmut Yaşar (10), Şırnak
20 September: Fahrettin Ertaş (10), Şırna

1990 (Total number of children killed: 21)
20 March: Abidin Tuncer (10), Cizre
1 April: Berivan Kara (1), Uludere
1 April: Behecan Kara (9), Uludere
31 May: Canan Özen (8), Derik
10 June: Rahime Kayran (10), Basa
10 June: Meryem Kayran (10), Basa
10 June: Taibet Öner (3), Basa
10 June: Vasfiye Öner (10), Basa
10 June: Sait Kahraman (4). Basa
10 June: Hayrettin Öner (5), Basa
10 June: Fatma Kayran (15), Basa
10 June: Mehmet Kayran (5), Basa
10 June: Hüseyin Kayran (3), Basa
10 June: Haniye Özdemir (10,) Basa
10 June: Takviye Öner (15), Basa
10 June: Ömer Bestaş (16), Basa
14 June: Cevdet Güler (14), Hakkâri
14 June: Fehime Güler (9), Hakkâri
6 August: Faruk Aktuğ (13), Silopi
30 October: Ş. Pınar (11)
12 December: Hadi Dalan (11), Lice

1991 (Total number of children killed: 12)
28 February: Salih Talayhan (17), Şırnak
4 May: Murat Ardıç (13), Bingöl
8 June: Emine Latifeci (11), Hazro
25 June: Rinde Latifeci (13), Hazro
10 July: Behzat Özkan (14), Diyarbakır
3 August: Hediye Dilçe (18), Cizre
12 August: Ferzan Ceylan (12), Dargeçit
12 August: Abdullah Ceylan (12), Dargeçit
6 September: Ömür Eriş (11), Kurtalan
20 October: Nezahat Kızıl (6), Siirt
20 November: İsmet Mirzaoğlu (15), Ahlât
24 December: Veysi Aktaş (13), Lice

1992 (Total number of children killed: 115)
6 January: Emine Turan, Nusaybin
14 February: Seyfettin Kapkaçin (18), Mardin
14 February: Abdülselam Özbey (15), Mardin
15 March: Mehmet Evren (12), Cizre
18 March: Vesile Say (9), Dargeçit
18 March: Bedia Say (15), Dargeçit
18 March: Yasin Say (17), Dargeçit
18 March: Sami Say (10), Dargeçit
19 March: Hıdır Acet, Nusaybin
21 March: Muhrise Altay (18), Cizre
21 March: Hüseyin Altan (14), Cizre
21 March: İsmet Arvas (16), Van
21 March: Çetin Bayram (16), Van
21 March: Davut Soyvural (15), Gercüş
21 March: Mehmet Emin Acar (10), Şırnak
21 March: Nebat Kakuç (17), Şırnak
21 March: Bülent Zeyrek (16), Şırnak
21 March: Emin Tetik (15), Şırnak
21 March: Mehdi Günen (9), Şırnak
21 March: Halil Bebek (2), Nusaybin
21 March: Ahmet Kaya (1), Nusaybin
21 March: Fatma Kaçmaz (4), Yüksekova
22 March: Hatice Acar (5), Şırnak
22 March: Kadriye Kakın (17), Şırnak
22 March: Mehmet Nezir (13), Şırnak
24 March: Medeni Aydın (18), Batman
24 March: Bahri Çınar (12), Ömerli
25 March: Nihat Celasun (14), Cizre
25 March: Fatma Kaçmaz (14), Yüksekova
25 March: Medeni Tunç (14), Siirt
25 March: Medine Sevgi (18), Siirt
27 March: Süleyman Ayal (14), Urfa
29 March: Bişeng Anık (16), Şırnak
29 March: Mehmet Ekinci (7), Mazıdağı
29 March: Şeyhmus Aktürk (16), Dargeçit
11 April: Yasin Çetin (16), Mevzitepe
11 April: Hasan Ayar (11), Mevzitepe
17 April: Cazım Kortak (17), Savur
17 April: Mustafa Ok (18), Savur
18 April: Metin Kıratlı (10), Yüksekova
21 April: Yusuf Bodur (1), Midyat
21 April: Abdurrahman Yeşilmen (12), Midyat
21 April: Hamza Bulut (8), Midyat
22 April: Ayşe Balım (18), Silopi
4 May: Bişar Bilen (10), Uludere
4 May: Hanım Tunç (12), Uludere
9 May: Sıraç Nergis (17), Nusaybin
9 May: Selim Ata (17), Nusaybin
9 May: Sait Sağlam (17), Nusaybin
3 June: Mehmet Naif Çevik (9), Nusaybin
10 June: Kemal Şili (18), Tatvan
10 June: Mahmut Güreş (12), Tatvan
12 June: Emir Eyvani (7), Muş
22 June: Gülbahar Tunç (8), Gercüş
22 June: Behçet Tunç (17), Gercüş
22 June: Abdurrahman Gök (14), Gercüş
22 June: Şükrü Gök (10), Gercüş
22 June: Sultan Gök (12), Gercüş
22 June: Emrullah Gök (4), Gercüş
22 June: Haşim Gök (3), Gercüş
22 June: Yeni doğmuş bir bebek, Gercüş
26 June: Medine Kartal (18), İdil
27 June: Yılmaz Tatar (12), Şırnak
June: Abdülcelil Toy (14), Siirt
June: Sadık Turlu (15), Siirt
11 July: Gülistan Evin (6), Şemdinli
11 July: Rehan Evin (8), Şemdinli
22 July: Abdurrahman Akbalık (17), Nusaybin
25 July: Kadir Balık (13), Dicle
28 July: Nurcan Özatak (2), Hakkâri
July: Zuhal Avcı (9), Kulp
July: Çiğdem Esmer (10), Kulp
6 August: Hüseyin Bayılmaz (10), Nusaybin
10 August: Mehmet Erbek (12), Mardin
22 August: Zeliha Nasanlı (10), Siverek
23 August: Murat Dağkeser (10), Siverek
23 August: Orhan Dağkeser (4), Siverek
23–24 August: İbrahim Artunç (7), Şırnak
23–24 August: Remziye Artunç (10), Şırnak
23–24 August: Güler Sökmen (3), Şırnak
23–24 August: Veysi Sökmen (6), Şırnak
23–24 August: Sema Sökmen (9), Şırnak
23–24 August: Gülüm Güngen (6), Şırnak
23–24 August: Medine Güngen (14),Şırnak
5 September: Fuat Keskin (14), Doğubeyazıt
7 September: Mesut Dündar (15), Cizre
10 September: Cumali Çetrez (9), Hamur
10 September: Şefika Çetrez (7), Hamur
18 September: Ahmet Alan (10), Solhan
1 October: Hüseyin Esrai (16), Kars
3 October: Aziz Bal (17), Dargeçit
20 October: Sinan Demirtaş (18), Nusaybin
24 October: Zeyni Dağ (17), Nusaybin
1 November: Devrim Eleftoz (1), Silvan
5 November: Şurzan Demirkapı (16), Kovancılar
6 November: Milet Samur (14), Şemdinli
6 November: İkmal Samur (18), Şemdinli
6 November: Gülsüme Samur (4), Şemdinli
6 November: Reber Samur (1), Şemdinli
7 November: Şivan Çığırga (3), Cizre
7 November: Nadire Çığırga (10), Cizre
7 November: Sinem Çığırga (13), Cizre
7 November: Fatma Çığırga (9), Cizre
7 November: Bahar Çığırga (7), Cizre
22 November: Coşkun Benzer (12), Kilis
22 November: Fırat Geçmez (18), Silvan
3 December: Mehmet İşler (18), Midyat
6 December: Melek Bora (10), Dargeçit
16 December: Garibe Karasakal (18), Nusaybin
17 December: Veysi Başar (8), Diyarbakır
17 December: Fatma Can (17), Diyarbakır
24 December: Nafi Kalemli (14), Viranşehir
December: Hüseyin Ensari (16), Kars
December: Mehmet Yusufi (15), Başkale
December: November Oval (14), Yüksekova

1993 (Total number of children killed: 66)
11 January: Gülistan İşiyok (12), Kulp
12 January: Nezir Ergün (8), Cizre
12 January: Hacer Ergün (6), Cizre
12 January: Hıdır Ergün (17), Cizre
31 January: Naze Ekici (12), Şırnak
31 January: Şemsi Ekici (4), Şırnak
31 January: Hamza Ekici (6), Şırnak
17 February: Esra Saçaklı (8), Silvan
20 February: Abide Ekin (3), Basa
7 May: Gürgiz Bayındır (5), İdil
23 May: Naim Aslan, Yüksekova
25 May: Semra Bayram, Silvan
18 June: İrfan Fidan (17), Savur
7 July: Mahmut Aydemir, Silopi
7 July: Fadile Aydemir (6), Silopi
7 July: Ayşe Yıldız, Silopi
11 July: Dinçer Levent (16), Hamur
11 July: Feride Levent (15), Hamur
13 July: Canan Çiftçi, Diyadin
13 July: Dilşah Çiftçi, Diyadin
13 July: Ender Çiftçi, Diyadin
13 July: Ruken Çiftçi (6), Diyadin
20 July: Azad Sabırlı (7), Bahçesaray
20 July: Yunus Sabırlı (2), Bahçesaray
20 July: Bahar Turan (3), Bahçesaray
20 July: Sevil Ağaç (7), Bahçesaray
20 July: Suzan Turan (10), Bahçesaray
20 July: Yıldız Güzel (13), Bahçesaray
20 July: Nezahat Elmalı (12), Bahçesaray
20 July: Eylem Elmalı (4), Bahçesaray
20 July: Azime Elmalı (14), Bahçesaray
20 July: Muhammet Yaşar (8), Bahçesaray
20 July: Hanım Yaşar (4), Bahçesaray
20 July: Hürriyet Sevgili (12), Bahçesaray
24 July: C. M. (12), Silvan
30 July: Elif Rani (7), Pazarcık
30 July: Gözde Rani (4), Pazarcık
14 August: Zeynep Çağdavul (18), Digor
14 August: Selvi Çağdavul (16), Digor
14 August: Gülistan Çağdavul (18), Digor
14 August: Yeter Keremciler (14), Digor
14 August: Zarife Boylu (16), Digor
14 August: Necla Geçener (14), Digor
August: Seyhan Doğan (12), Dargeçit
August: Abdurrahman Coşkun (18), Dargeçit
August: M. Emin Aslan (18), Dargeçit
11 September: Seyithan Balçık, Cizre
11 September: Mesut Balçık, Cizre
13 September: Yusuf Bozkurt (14), Şırnak
13 September: Halit Akıl (12), Şırnak
21 September: Ahmet Arcagök (11), Diyarbakır
28 September: İdris Ülüş (12), Yüksekova
30 September: Sercan Ülüş (7), Yüksekova
2 October: Şakir Öğüt (7) Altınova/Muş
2 October: Cihan Öğüt (4) Altınova/Muş
2 October: M. Şirin Öğüt (1) Altınova/Muş
2 October: Aycan Öğüt (6) Altınova/Muş
2 October: Çınar Öğüt (3) Altınova/Muş
9 October: Zana Zoğurlu (16), Lice
9 October: Lokman Zoğurlu (17), Lice
10 October: Yalçın Yaşa (13) Diyarbakır
22 October: Dilbirin Canpolat (3,5), Lice
22 October: Suna Canpolat (2), Lice
22 October: Hüseyin Canpolat (15),Lice
17 December: Halil Leco (13), Ovacık
December: Mahmut Erol (15), Dargeçit

1994 (Total number of children killed: 87)
3 January: B. A. (12), Hani
5 January: Keko Gül (12), Adana
6 January: Ali Katmış (1), Cizre
7 January: A. Halim Rüzgâr (12), Batman
10 January: Muhammet Bilgiç (5), Cizre
10 January: Ahmet Bilgiç (6), Cizre
14 January: Azad Önen (16), Diyarbakır
18 January: Süleyman Gün (15), Diyarbakır
25 January: Ahmet Efe (8), Diyarbakır
13 February: İbrahim Şeflik (5), Silopi
16 February: Hakan Yalçın (14), Diyarbakır
23 February: Bilavşan Asper (17), Tatvan
26 February: Sevgi Asma (7), Kurtalan
26 February: Sohbet Öngün (3), Sason
26 February: Hanifi Yıldız (13), Sason
26 February: Hüseyin Tekin (16), Sason
1 March: R. A. (3), Kızıltepe
19 March: Ferman Cingöz (16), Lice
27 March: Mirza Yıldırım (3), Şırnak
27 March: Mehmet Yıldırım (15), Şırnak
27 March: Abdülkerim Yıldırım (2), Şırnak
27 March: İrfan Yıldırım (5), Şırnak
27 March: Xunaf Yıldırım (3), Şırnak
27 March: Çiçek Benzer (2), Şırnak
27 March: Ali Benzer (7), Şırnak
27 March: Ayşe Benzer (1), Şırnak
27 March: Ömer Benzer (12), Şırnak
27 March: Abdurrahman Benzer (4), Şırnak
10 April: İlhami Menteş (12), Lice
10 April: Raif Menteş (13), Lice
27 April: Keziban Kalkan (15), Genç
28 May: Tuncer Güler (11), Ağrı
30 May: Şerif Ekin (13), Basa
2 June: Ahmet Kaya (13), Yüksekova
2 June: Hasan Demir (14), Yüksekova
5 June: Didar Elmas (7), Ovacık
8 June: Barzan…. (2), Silvan
25 June: Hüsnü Turan (10), Nusaybin
25 June: Eylem Tur (13), Nusaybin
25 June: Süleyman Erik (9), Nusaybin
25 June: Emrullah Zeybek (10), Bitlis
25 June: Hikmet Argün (13), Bitlis
27 June: Xanime Sincar (17), Ömerli
28 June: Hayri Yüksel (15), Ömerli
4 July: Atilla Kılıç (14), Kozluk
8 July: Nurullah Solhan (16), Kızıltepe
8 July: Emrullah Solhan (14), Kızıltepe
8 July: Selma Solhan (7), Kızıltepe
11 July: A. Menaf Tunç (14), Siirt
16 July: Kenan Dartan (12), Kozluk
31 July: Gültekin Acet (10), Bismil
5 August: Abdullah Kamçı (16), Yüksekova
8 August: Sedat Barış (18), Batman
12 August: Netice Coşkun (14), Kulp
12 August: Mümine Zümrüt (18), Kulp
15 August: Çelebi Özgüç (15), Savur
15 August: İshak Özgüç (13), Savur
22 August: Savaş Ateş (11), Dicle
22 August: Halit Güneş (13), Dicle
22 August: Bayram Güneş (13), Dicle
22 August: Vedat Balta (12), Dicle
22 August: İbrahim Balta (13), Dicle
22 August: İsa Can (15), Dicle
1 September: Nurettin Doruk (18), Diyarbakır
13 September: Sadettin Doğan (10), Lice
15 September: Sedat Öner (7), Eruh
15 September: Mehmet Sercan (9), Eruh
15 September: Cemşit Adıgüzel (13), Eruh
20 September: Şükran Yıldız (11), Çukurca
25 September: Dilek Serin (3), Dersim
25 September: Yeter Işık (16), Dersim
25 September: Elif Işık (18), Dersim
25 September: Recep Tartar (8), Genç
25 September: Kürdiye Savaş (8), Genç
25 September: Emrah Tartar (8), Genç
25 September: Faruk Savaş (11), Genç
2 October: Filiz Kayış, Ceylanpınar
3 October: İlyas Yiğit (6), Çat
3 October: Adil Boztaş (10), Kağızman
9 October: Nurşan Bulut (13), Palu
10 October: Mehmet Üste (12), Pazarcık
31 October: Hamdi Dündar (18), Yüksekova
31 October: Fikri Yılmaz (15), Yüksekova
18 November: Cüneyt Tarhan (11), Tatvan
1 December: Yunus Turgut (13), Silopi
December: Hasip Kaya (9), Doğubayazıt
December: Yılmaz Kaya (10), Doğubayazıt

1995 (Total number of children killed: 7)
April: Erol Öztunç (2), Uludere
17 May: Ahmet Bulut (10), Ömerli
17 May: Rahim Kumru (10), Ömerli
25 May: Dinar Aras (12), Iğdır 1995
25 May: Cüneyt Aras (6), Iğdır
25 May: Ergün Aras (3), Iğdır
25 May: Ferdi Aras (2), Iğdır

1996 (Total number of children killed: 6)
2 May: Hazal Sevim (17), Baykan
8 August: Dilan Bayram (2), Adana
8 August: Berivan Bayram (4), Adana
13 November: Hatice Bozaslan (17), Derik
2 December: Oktan Çaçan (14), Diyarbakır
11 December: Mehmet Banan (15), Midyat

1997 (Total number of children killed: 7)
6 March: Musa Adsız (12), Akçakale
23 April: M. Şerif Öztürk (11), Kızıltepe
25 April: Muhammet Kulçur (12), Dumlu/ Erzurum
25 April: Gökhan Kulçur (10), Dumlu/ Erzurum
8 May: Fedai Öğürce (4), Pasinler
10 November: M. Özdemir (17), Ceylanpınar
11 November: Bilal Alanca (5), Nusaybin

1998 (Total number of children killed: 2)
January: Fatih Kaya (18), Batman
15 March: Engin Ceylan (14), Lice

1999 (Total number of children killed: 12)
14 March: Tugay Ergin (10), Hani
26 March: Abdurrahman Gezer (18), Osmaniye
17 April: Yılmaz Elüstü (17), Genç
15 May: Kenan Oğuz, Erzurum
15 May: Deniz Oğuz, Erzurum
15 May: Cansu Oğuz, Erzurum
20 June: Mehmet Algan (11), İdil
1 August: Fırat Çiçek (9), Elazığ
1 August: Onur Şahin (11), Elazığ
1 August: Sedat Karakoç (14), Elazığ,
17 August: Şaban Çadıroğlu (15), Van
25 September: İnan Cila (11), Ovacık

2000 (Total number of children killed: 3)
Serdar Günerci (17), Diyarbakır
Welat Şedal (10), Yüksekova
İsmail Şedal (8), Yüksekova

2004 (Total number of children killed: 1)
21 November: Uğur Kaymaz (12), Mardin

2006 (Total number of children killed: 8)
29 March: Abdullah Duran (9), Diyarbakır
30 March: Enes Ata (8), Diyarbakır
30 March: İsmail Erkek (8), Diyarbakır
March: Fatih Tekin (3), Batman
March: Ahmet Araç (17), Mardin
3 April: Mahsum Mızrak (17), Diyarbakır
3 April: Emrah Fidan (17), Diyarbakır
5 September: Mizgin Özbek (10), Batman

2008 (Total number of children killed: 1)
15 February: Yahya Menekşe (12), Şırnak

2009 (Total number of children killed: 1 as of 1 May 2009)
23 April: Abdülsamet Erip (14), Hakkâri

Jail Sentences for Kurdish Children

In Adana, Turkey, on April 27 2009, thirteen children were sentenced to a total of 112 years 10 days. They were found guilty of "committing crime in the name of an organization" which means taking part in a demonstration; "performing organization's propaganda" which means shouting some supportive slogans, "resisting to an officer", which simply means you resist to let one of those thugs smash your skull with butt of his weapon, shoot you with a gas canister or run you over with an armored vehicle. Again in Adana, on April 28 2009, eleven children were sentenced to a total of 84 years 6 months. So, in two days twenty-four children were sentenced to a total of 196 years, 6 months, and 10 days. Eight of the 24 children are 15-years old or below. Four of them are 15, two are 14, and two are 13 years old.

Turkey's democracy is pretty advanced about handing jail sentences to children, is it not?