12/01/2005
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Turkish intelligence agents continue to deny any involvement but are still under
suspicion for the November 9 bombings in this Kurdish majority region of southeastern
Turkey. The agents in question are members of a paramilitary unit responsible
for maintaining security in rural areas. Suspicions are serious enough for the
Turkish parliament to have called for an investigation to determine exactly what
happened—an unusual step given the possible involvement of the military and Ankara
police. Political opposition pressured the government to vote in favor of the
investigation into the mysterious facts behind the bombing that destroyed a bookstore
in the city of Semdinli in Hakkari province. One person died in the explosion
and several others were killed in the clashes that followed.
Reconstructing the facts. According to known facts, on November 9 three Turkish soldiers threw two explosive
devices into the Umut Kitabevi bookstore in Semdinli. One of the men was a former
member of the PKK (Kurdistan Workers’ Party) turned police informant. The explosion
killed one man and seriously wounded another. The three men attempted a getaway
by car after the bombing, but the crowd managed to stop them and police arrived
just in time to prevent a lynching. An assortment of weapons and explosives was
found in the car along with maps and papers listing the names of members of the
political opposition including the owner of the bookstore. A few hours later a
group of demonstrators gathered for a protest outside the city hospital. Police
first tried to disperse the crowd and then went on the offensive. Eleven people
were wounded, including the mayor who had intervened in an attempt to calm the
crowd. Shortly thereafter a soldier opened fire on the crowd from a car wounding
six people, one of whom subsequently died. Esat Canan, a member of parliament
from Hakkari, was among the demonstrators. He claimed that the car belonged to
the JIT undercover police.
Among the documents recovered from the car driven by the three bombers was a map of another Semdinli neighborhood where yet another bomb had wounded 23 people on November 1. Since July 2005 there have been 17 bombings in the Kurdish majority region.
Investigation opened. The Turkish Prime Minister and his associate in the Department of the Interior
have announced their intention to find the men responsible and bring them to trial
by whatever means necessary. Justice Minister Cemil Cicek approved the call for
an investigation and emphasized that in today’s Turkey “events cannot be left
in the shadows.” But Amnesty International released a statement that posed the
question “just how high up can the Semdinli bomb investigation go?”. The statement
urges authorities to set up a truly independent investigative panel guided by
principles established by the United Nations for the Investigation of Extra-legal,
Arbitrary and Summary Executions, procedures aimed at making the investigation
completely transparent.
Holly Carter, regional director of Human Rights Watch, expressed concern over the shootings that followed the explosion and claimed that “Turkish police appear to have used excessive force by firing on unarmed demonstrators.” She concluded that “if the security forces have been allowed to return to their old ways without consequence, not only will there be more victims, but all the gains made in past years will be undone.” Human Rights Watch noted that police used excessive force on November 15 in the city of Yusekova to disperse a crowd that had gathered outside the offices of the Democratic People’s Party to hear initial reports about Semdinli. According to the account provided by Human Rights Watch, police moved on bystanders with an armored vehicle and hit two women. The crowd began throwing stones and police responded with gunfire: another four dead and nine wounded. The human rights group reminded authorities that use of force is supposed to be proportional to threat level. Already this year eight people have been killed in police shootings. “The police,” says Holly Carter, “have been resorting to gunfire to put down demonstrations. The government must send a clear message: excessive use of force cannot be tolerated and will be punished.”
printsend
Investigation opened into Semdinli bombings. Security forces questioned
Turkish intelligence agents continue to deny any involvement but are still under
suspicion for the November 9 bombings in this Kurdish majority region of southeastern
Turkey. The agents in question are members of a paramilitary unit responsible
for maintaining security in rural areas. Suspicions are serious enough for the
Turkish parliament to have called for an investigation to determine exactly what
happened—an unusual step given the possible involvement of the military and Ankara
police. Political opposition pressured the government to vote in favor of the
investigation into the mysterious facts behind the bombing that destroyed a bookstore
in the city of Semdinli in Hakkari province. One person died in the explosion
and several others were killed in the clashes that followed.
Reconstructing the facts. According to known facts, on November 9 three Turkish soldiers threw two explosive
devices into the Umut Kitabevi bookstore in Semdinli. One of the men was a former
member of the PKK (Kurdistan Workers’ Party) turned police informant. The explosion
killed one man and seriously wounded another. The three men attempted a getaway
by car after the bombing, but the crowd managed to stop them and police arrived
just in time to prevent a lynching. An assortment of weapons and explosives was
found in the car along with maps and papers listing the names of members of the
political opposition including the owner of the bookstore. A few hours later a
group of demonstrators gathered for a protest outside the city hospital. Police
first tried to disperse the crowd and then went on the offensive. Eleven people
were wounded, including the mayor who had intervened in an attempt to calm the
crowd. Shortly thereafter a soldier opened fire on the crowd from a car wounding
six people, one of whom subsequently died. Esat Canan, a member of parliament
from Hakkari, was among the demonstrators. He claimed that the car belonged to
the JIT undercover police.
Among the documents recovered from the car driven by the three bombers was a map of another Semdinli neighborhood where yet another bomb had wounded 23 people on November 1. Since July 2005 there have been 17 bombings in the Kurdish majority region.
Investigation opened. The Turkish Prime Minister and his associate in the Department of the Interior
have announced their intention to find the men responsible and bring them to trial
by whatever means necessary. Justice Minister Cemil Cicek approved the call for
an investigation and emphasized that in today’s Turkey “events cannot be left
in the shadows.” But Amnesty International released a statement that posed the
question “just how high up can the Semdinli bomb investigation go?”. The statement
urges authorities to set up a truly independent investigative panel guided by
principles established by the United Nations for the Investigation of Extra-legal,
Arbitrary and Summary Executions, procedures aimed at making the investigation
completely transparent.
Holly Carter, regional director of Human Rights Watch, expressed concern over the shootings that followed the explosion and claimed that “Turkish police appear to have used excessive force by firing on unarmed demonstrators.” She concluded that “if the security forces have been allowed to return to their old ways without consequence, not only will there be more victims, but all the gains made in past years will be undone.” Human Rights Watch noted that police used excessive force on November 15 in the city of Yusekova to disperse a crowd that had gathered outside the offices of the Democratic People’s Party to hear initial reports about Semdinli. According to the account provided by Human Rights Watch, police moved on bystanders with an armored vehicle and hit two women. The crowd began throwing stones and police responded with gunfire: another four dead and nine wounded. The human rights group reminded authorities that use of force is supposed to be proportional to threat level. Already this year eight people have been killed in police shootings. “The police,” says Holly Carter, “have been resorting to gunfire to put down demonstrations. The government must send a clear message: excessive use of force cannot be tolerated and will be punished.”
Naoki Tomasini
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