Language
Campaign
Sat, 08. Jul 2006
AMED (DIYARBAKIR) (DIHA) - Anything said and done by Diyarbakir Metropolitan
Municipality Mayor Osman Baydemir since he was the head of Human Rights
Association (HRA) Diyarbakir Department in 1998, was made a matter of law
case or interrogation. Becoming subject for interrogation for 193 times, law
cases and interrogations against Baydemir were multiplied in 2004.
98 of them were in chief public prosecutor's offices, 31 were at Diyarbakir
State Security Courts. 15 in criminal court of first instance, 6 from State
Security Courts turned out in acquittal. 2 in criminal court of peace, 12 in
criminal court of first instance, and 3 in the former State Security Courts
and now as the High Criminal Court are still going on.
'Acceleration in interrogations into municipalities'
Osman Baydemir, who has been subject to many interrogations since he was
elected as the mayor of Diyarbakir, is being more and more so. 27 more were
added to the list of cases in 2004. 19 of these turned out in nolle
prosequi, and 2 sues were opened. There have been totally 15 interrogations
in 2005 and 9 of these turned out in nolle prosequi. 2 interrogations are
still going on. There have been 22 interrogations about him in the first 6
months of 2006 - which was a record - 1 one these turned out in nolle
prosequi and 6 was made a law case.
The number of interrogation can not be determined
There have been 193 interrogations about Osman Baydemir and 71 of these
turned out in nolle prosequi. He was acquitted from 27. There are many
summaries of a cross-examination about Baydemir, which were sent to the
Ministry of Justice.
These are the cases in which he had trouble:
* To make a speech of "separatist content" in Diyarbakir in 28 March events
* To send a letter with 56 DTP mayors demanding that ROJ TV should not be
closed, to Denmark Prime Minister Anders Fogh Rasmussen
* To send invitations in Kurdish
* "To demean people publicly by paying respect to differences of race and
region" in an interview he made in Tempo periodical
* To go by official car to pay condolences to the PKK members who died in
Hevsel Gardens
* To use "Mr" for the Kurdish People's Leader Abdullah Ocalan, and "to
incite actions against laws" and "to praise the crime and the criminal."