This record is a partial extract of the original cable. The full text of the original cable is not available.
UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 ADANA 0272
SIPDIS
E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PREL PINS PGOV PHUM TU IZ ADANA
SUBJECT: SOUTHEAST TURKEY PRESS SUMMARY,
OCTOBER 17, 2003
1. This is the Southeastern Turkey press summary
for October 17, 2003. 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
2. Turkiye, Hurriyet, Bolge, Ozgur Gundem,
Milliyet, Ekspres / Cumali Kizilkoca, was
sentenced to 5 years of imprisonment for the
June 11, 2003, grenade attack on the US
Consulate in Adana. Kizilkoca stated that he
wanted the voice of Muslims to be heard by his
attack.
3. Evrensel / The "Two minutes of darkness for
peace" campaign started in Diyarbakir
yesterday. People turned off their lights for
two minutes at 20:30 to call attention to the
Kurdish problem.
4. Bolge / Necati Erdem, head of the Adana Law
Bar, announced that the local bar association
condemns the October 15 attack on the Jandarma
minibus which killed one soldier and wounded
another.
5. Cumhuriyet, Milliyet / During his speech at
Diyarbakir court, Semdin Sakik, a prominent
member of PKK/KADEK, stated that he is a test
case for the PKK/KADEK members awaiting
acceptance by the Turkish government to be
classified under the regulations of
"reintegration" law. "If my case takes any
longer nobody would apply to the Turkish
government to benefit from the law," Sakik
reported. Sakik also stated that Abdullah
Ocalan is seen as a prophet, even half god, in
the PKK/KADEK community.
6. Ozgur Gundem / Hanefi Isik, Southeast Region
Human Rights Organization representative,
announced in a press conference that the
"planned, organized" raid of the villages in
Kovali, Derik, Mardin province by the Jandarma
is in retaliation against the 405 soldier rape
case involving the woman identified by the
initials S.E. (Editor's Note: Jandarma
Commanders announced that the incident in
Kovali, Derik was not a raid, but was a clash
between the Jandarma and terrorists.)
7. Ozgur Gundem / Police officers M. Yucel and I.
Icen, who had been accused of torturing Remziye
Daslik, are not being detained during their
trial. The trial is ongoing.
8. Ozgur Gundem / Sultan and Senay Izra, a mother
and her daughter, applied to the Diyarbakir
Human Rights Organization to lodge a complaint
against the police officers who allegedly
abused and beat them. "If anything happens to
me or to my daughter, the police will be
responsible for that," the mother stated.
9. Milliyet, Hurriyet, Zaman / Security forces
found 65 empty bullet shells around the area in
Adana where an attack was made on the
patrolling Jandarma minibus on October 15.
Turkish Security forces started intensive
operations in the area.
10. Ekspres / A suspicious bag in front of the
Saricam Police Station caused panic. A special
police team determined that it was not a bomb.
11. Zaman / A Turkish Embassy employee wounded
in the attack on the Turkish Embassy in
Baghdad, is being treated at Diyarbakir's Dicle
University Hospital.
12. Yeni Safak / About 100 families are waiting
for a signal from Turkish officials in order to
return home and benefit from the "reintegration
law." The families, who are presently living in
the Daretiye village in Northern Iraq, are
worried about their security and safety when
they return to Turkey.
REID