Mayor Baydemir is facing up to 28 years behind bars on charges of ‘propaganda for a terrorist organization’ in a new trial opened against him.
DIYARBAKIR, Turkey (BIA News Center)—Osman Baydemir, the Metropolitan Mayor of Diyarbakir in south-eastern Turkey, is facing prison terms of up to 28 years in a trial opened against him recently. Baydemir is being tried under allegations of “committing a crime on behalf of an illegal organization without being a member of that organization” and of “making propaganda for an illegal organization.”
The indictment was prepared by the Diyarbakir Public Chief Prosecution and has been accepted by the Diyarbakir 7th High Criminal Court. The indictment identified three activities Baydemir participated in on three different dates as elements of crime: On May 4, the mayor attended the funeral ceremony of four out of seven killed members of the militant Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK). (The PKK members were likely killed in armed conflicts in the Pulumur district of Dersim in April.) The indictment also states that Baydemir “made propaganda for an illegal organization” during a protest action against that incident organized by the Peace and Democracy Party (BDP) on April 30.
According to the indictment, Baydemir also attended an event marking the anniversary of the arrest of PKK leader Abdullah Ocalan in Kenya and his transfer to Turkey. “It was understood that Baydemir committed a crime by attending activities in line with calls for action from the PKK and its illegal wings that aimed at staking Ocalan’s claims and at deepening and rooting his opinions and thoughts in society and by walking in front of the picture of Ocalan,” the indictment reads.
The indictment seeks prison terms of up to 28 years for Baydemir, based on three counts of “propaganda for an illegal organization” in three different incidents according to Article 7/2 of the Anti-Terror Law (TMK); on charges of “committing a crime on behalf of an illegal organization without being a member of that organization” as stipulated in Article 314/2 of the Turkish Criminal Law (TCK); and on opposing Law No. 2911 on Meetings and Demonstrations.
A date for the first hearing has not been set yet.
For the Armenian Weekly’s coverage of remarks delivered by Baydemir last week at a conference in Diyarbakir, click here. For his remarks during the opening of the Surp Giragos church in Diyarbakir last month, click here.
Its funny how Turks are afraid of their own shadow..
I am reading the book titeled”gakhaghan” by “Taparagan’ edited in Boston in 1932 by “Hairenik”.
the one thing I can say and repeat: the HISTORY repeats itself.
I read the headline and glanced on the picture thought he got 28 years for singing “Mer Hayrenik” in public! :-)))
Mayor Baydemir certainly knows Turkish law and the risk he took. He is a brave man.
The penal code 301 shaking like earthquake and spreading like a fire ball within ordinary Turkish citizens…I wonder why Europe do not accept Turkey as part of European civilization…yes John, the horror of ottomans still haunting them!!It seems to me, that Arab spring is getting closer and closer to new Ottoman’s headquarter!!
turk is not only afraid of their shadow,BUT THE TRUTH,their inhuman treatment of their minorities.To wit:their fear comes from WW1-they were part of the Axis:Germany/Austria.They were soundly beaten on two fronts,BY EQUAL FORCES,They floundered,got on their knees,joined the Allies.Henceforth they have been known as YELLOW STAIN,or sick man of Europe.So the toppled camel attaturkey,and took their shame of defeat on the DEFENSELESS ARMENIAN WOMEN,CHILDREN,OLD PEOPLE—THE ARMENIAN GENOCIDE.They will never accost or intimidate anyone unless they are defenseless or twenty times smaller.YES, OLD YELLOW STAIN!!
This was expected…
If God exist
Thee should support this man
We cannot do any thing…
Sylva
A MAN does what the conscious tells him to do.
And of course, if any Armenian groups attempt to help him with his defense, all the phony newspapers in turkey will be saying “Armenians comfort and support PKK sympathist”, and try to drum up as much antiArmenianism as usual. Wtf is wrong with that country.
Dear Editors,
What can we do? How can we help? Whom can we petition???
@ “Wtf is wrong with that country?”
Paranoid, intransigent, anti-democratic, racists fear the power of a highly principled, educated leader of his community.
A replay of of the well established Turkish policy towards minorities…. Armenian, Greek, Assyrian and Kurd…. subjugate credible leaders with institutional oppression to weaken any diversity.
Changing the demographics of their “nation” with discrimination and repression for over a century. Anyone who expresses a love of his culture and a desire to embrace it in freedom is a”terrorist” or a supporter. There is much for us to learn. Some day soon the charade will be visible.
Every post above is descriptive of the BEAST.However, a couple or so are more to the point. Grish don´t be surprized if I say(a bit late though) I wish EU would have let them in. Know why? because I would have loved to see the EU being F- up!!!but they are smart,they let great Turkey vye for it beg for it threaten for it(i.e. re their entry) then keep them in abeyance,incognito(now that is) still letting them h o pe …
To Alex now. Yes indeed, the great Turkey will intimidate, attack when certain that they ar 20 times smaller or in a (hypothetically) street say five or six of their specie armed with knives,attack an Ermeni totally unarmed!!! Hurray!!! the Brave turk.
Oh near forgot .This is factual and occurred:-
When korean war was on and great Turkey sent a Showcase batallion to fight alongside the American troops there. in TIME magazine a photo was pictured wherein a Turk had some dozen cut ears(of Korean victims) DANGLING ON HIS BELT to show off his valor!!! and the pubñlic at large the paremids(kind minded) thought how valiant these Turks are. I would bet most probably those were of defenceless Koreans /peasanta and/or those who had surrendered with hands up!!! for so is the demon in them!!!
You see, now more CONTEMPORARY. Just very recently their FM visited Syria ,got back and dropped hints they might interfere,because they did not TOLERATE to see innocent Syrians being killed…well…why didn´t they?
Was it because they thought twice and also made a note of the indirect hint come from kremlin that …it would be an act that would not please them…
So it is with them and so it will continue…
Remeber WWII,when they were always siding with nazi Germany , till later were totally wweakened and then 11th hour they seperated from them and joined with the allies and declared WAR against Germany,. which was near KAPUT!!!
Very ingenuous indeed. So let us be proud that we Armenians HAVE HAD TO PUT UP WITH SUCH A NEIGHBOUR FOR SO LOOOONG. May God help us get rid of them ASAP.Yes they will be weakened, no, not militarywise, but by so many local calamities , revolutions(arab Spring type ) etc.,After all how much more patience shoudl we have…
Dear Gaytzag,
Mr. AKP (Rajab Pasha) worry about Kurds in Syria more than Syrians. Turkey made a deal with Assad to control Kurds population, after capturing Ocalan, now that Assad’s regime is weakening Kurds may get out of control and join to their Iraqi counterpart, that will shake the new Ottomans like an earthquake!!Turks don’t care for human rights in Syria all they worry who will control Kurds after Assad!!Human rights is only words, they love to use and fool Western world, especially President Obama and Mrs. Clinton…I can see Turkish jailhouses will be filled with Kurdish intellectual population, that will be a huge headache not only for Turks, but for entire Southern Caucasus and all those pipe lines that are connected to Europe.. Armenia better be ready politically, and militarily..
Kurds to determine success of Syria’s revolution
Those Killed Kurds By Turkish Guns
Are Rebels Not Humans…!
No-One Should Attend Their Funerals…
Armenians every where…You are late…Awake
The Diyarbakir Mayor Osman Baydemir* is facing 28 years
Imprisonment for attending funeral of his ethnic friends.
In the eyes of Ottomans…
Those killed are rebels not humans…!
If the honest mayor already faced charges
Next…he will never be there
Surp Giragos Cathedral* will end in ruins
As it was since almost a century past (1915)
This gives a lesson for all Armenians
Not to put penny in your ancient land
All will be lost…like you lost your jewels…your carpets…
Your books with pens…and most important of all
Your genes… your artful race…1.5 million innocent lives
Don’t cheat your self that you are educated…artful…fair
Our God is old…can’t face millions’ of criminals
Their god knows how to guide them
To confiscate what you build there…
Thus…Awake…see where you stand
As the Arab Muslim Poet, Assad Rustom penned, in May 1916
When Jamal pasha alsaffah** hanged 32 of his literate mates…
“The sons of Turks you are never Muslims”
According to Islamic law (Shareea)
You can attend your enemy’s funeral
But they have Ataturk law (Father of Turks)
Which is defined democratic-secular…!!!
Not only by their literates
But by all—so called—civilized parliaments
Who blindly support them…!!!
Sylva-M.D-Poetry
November 20, 2011
______________________
*Kurdish Mayor Osman Baydemir repaired the largest cathedral in Middle East and was opened less than month ago, October 2011
(St Giragos Cathedral was build in 1883 and bombed in May 1915)
**alsaffah means butcher in the Arabic language…
Beautifully versed/descriobed poem,dear Sylva.
But the last two lines as refers to ¨Civilized Parliaments¨ ought to be replaced by ¨Greedy Parliaments¨ and the other…
¨Blindly¨ replaced by Egotistically pursued INTERESTS….
Thanks Gaytzag,For your comments
I will change as you suggested…
It will add more documentation…To the verse
Sylva